H. P. Mansfield Bible notes — checked and arranged in verse-by-verse Expositor style
Source: HPB 02-Gen42-Lev11.pdf, principally Exodus 3 photographed pages in the HPB source
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
Exodus 3 is the decisive call of Moses and revelation of the covenant Name. The angel of Yahweh appears in the bush, yet the text immediately speaks of Yahweh and God calling from the same manifestation. This is representative angelic manifestation, not multiple gods.
The chapter grounds the Exodus in the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses’ “Who am I?” is answered not by building his confidence in himself but by the promise, “Certainly I will be with thee.”
THE BURNING BUSH — EXODUS 3:1–6
Exodus 3:1 — shepherd at Horeb
Moses tends Jethro’s flock and comes to Horeb, “the mountain of God.” Acts 7:30 places this encounter forty years after Moses’ flight. Shepherding has taught patience and care, preparing him to lead a people rather than merely strike an oppressor.
Horeb and Sinai are used in overlapping ways in the biblical tradition for the mountain region. Mansfield’s insistence that they must be two separate peaks is more certain than the evidence allows.
Exodus 3:2–3 — the angel and the unconsumed bush
The angel of Yahweh appears in flame from the bush, which burns without being consumed. Verse 4 then says Yahweh sees and God calls, demonstrating that the angel speaks as God’s representative. Acts 7:30–32 confirms both angelic appearance and the voice of the Lord.
The unconsumed bush aptly represents Israel under affliction: in the fire yet preserved. This is typological application rather than the lexical meaning of seneh, the thorn-bush.
Exodus 3:4–6 — holy ground and the God of the fathers
The double call “Moses, Moses” and response “Here am I” mark a solemn Divine encounter. Shoes are removed because the ground is holy — set apart by God’s manifestation, not because its soil has intrinsic sacred power.
God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus uses this title in Matthew 22:31–32 to prove resurrection: the patriarchal promises require the dead patriarchs to live again. Moses hides his face before the angelic manifestation of Divine glory.
GOD SEES AND SENDS — EXODUS 3:7–12
Exodus 3:7–9 — seen, heard, known, come down
God has surely seen Israel’s affliction, heard the cry, known the sorrows, and come down to deliver. The language continues Exodus 2:23–25 and emphasises that delayed intervention is not indifference.
Israel is to be brought out of Egypt and into a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey. Redemption has a destination: release from bondage is for covenant worship and inheritance.
Exodus 3:10–12 — “Who am I?” answered by “I will be with thee”
Moses is commissioned to go to Pharaoh and bring Israel out. His first objection, “Who am I?” receives no catalogue of personal strengths. The answer is Divine presence: “Certainly I will be with thee.”
The sign is future: after the Exodus the people will serve God on this mountain. Moses must act in faith before seeing the confirming sign fulfilled.
THE DIVINE NAME — EXODUS 3:13–15
Exodus 3:13 — “What is his name?”
Moses anticipates Israel asking the name of the God who sends him. In biblical usage a name can express identity, character and purpose, not merely pronunciation.
Exodus 3:14 — Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
Ehyeh is the first-person imperfect of hayah, “to be/become.” Depending on context it can be rendered “I am” or “I will be.” In this very chapter the identical form in verse 12 means “I will be with thee,” so Mansfield’s prospective emphasis is grammatically defensible.
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh can therefore carry “I am/will be what I am/will be.” The phrase should not be reduced either to static Greek-style ontology or to one English future tense as though Hebrew aspect allowed no breadth. The key point is God’s self-consistent, purposeful being and manifestation.
Exodus 3:15 — Yahweh, the Memorial Name
YHWH is connected by the narrative with the same Hebrew verb “to be,” but the precise historical vocalisation and derivation of the Tetragrammaton remain debated. Mansfield’s simple formula “Ehyeh = I will be; Yahweh = He will be” is a useful theological shorthand, not a complete linguistic proof.
Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is declared God’s name for ever and memorial to all generations. The Name is inseparable from covenant purpose.
THE MESSAGE AND THE COMING CONTEST — EXODUS 3:16–22
Exodus 3:16–18 — “I have surely visited you”
Moses is to gather Israel’s elders and announce that Yahweh has surely visited them. The doubled verb paqod paqadti conveys emphatic visitation/intervention and consciously answers Joseph’s promise that God would surely visit Israel (Genesis 50:24–25).
The elders are to request a three-days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yahweh. This is a genuine worship demand; it is not necessary to portray it as deceptive diplomacy.
Exodus 3:19–20 — Pharaoh’s resistance foreknown
God foreknows that Pharaoh will not release Israel apart from a mighty hand. The wonders and judgments will therefore become a public revelation of Divine power.
Exodus 3:21–22 — Israel will not leave empty
Israel will receive silver, gold and clothing from the Egyptians. The Hebrew verb natsal can mean strip, plunder or rescue. The goods are presented as divinely secured recompense/spoil after prolonged exploitation, not clandestine theft.
PRINCIPAL THEMES
• God manifests Himself through angelic representatives while remaining the one God.
• Israel may be in the fire yet not consumed.
• The Exodus is driven by the Abrahamic covenant.
• Moses’ weakness is answered by God’s promised presence.
• Ehyeh and Yahweh express Divine identity and covenant purpose.
• Redemption leads out of bondage and into worship and inheritance.
• Pharaoh’s resistance is foreknown and becomes the setting for Divine revelation.
EDITORIAL VERIFICATION AND RECOVERED READINGS
| Location | Checked / corrected reading | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Ex. 3:1 | Horeb / Sinai | Biblical usage overlaps the mountain-region terms; exact peak identification uncertain. |
| Ex. 3:2–4 | angel / Yahweh / Elohim | Representative manifestation: angel speaks in the Divine Name; Acts 7:30–32 confirms. |
| Ex. 3:5 | holy | Set apart for Divine use/presence. |
| Ex. 3:6 | Matt. 22:31–32 | Jesus uses the patriarchal title to establish resurrection. |
| Ex. 3:12 | ehyeh immakh | Same ehyeh form means “I will be with thee.” |
| Ex. 3:14 | Ehyeh | First-person imperfect of hayah; present/future nuance depends on context. |
| Ex. 3:14 | Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh | Prospective rendering defensible, but one rigid English tense should not be imposed. |
| Ex. 3:15 | YHWH | Related by the text to Divine self-identification; exact linguistic derivation/vocalisation debated. |
| Ex. 3:16 | paqod paqadti | Emphatic “I have surely visited”; echoes Gen. 50:24–25. |
| Ex. 3:18 | three-days’ journey | Genuine worship request; no need to label it deception. |
| Ex. 3:22 | natsal | Strip/plunder/rescue; spoil/recompense rather than theft. |
RESIDUAL UNCERTAINTIES
Mansfield’s exact first-person/third-person formula for Ehyeh and Yahweh is theologically suggestive but linguistically simplified. The exact site relationship between Horeb and Sinai, and the precise derivation/vocalisation of YHWH, remain debated. Small modern-national applications of the burning bush are typological, not the immediate meaning of the text.