Acts 7:31

Verse

When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him:

American Standard Version (1901)

And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord,

And Moses, seeing it, was full of wonder, and when he came up to have a nearer view of it, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying,

Douay-Rheims 1899

And Moses seeing it, wondered at the sight. And as he drew near to view it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

Free Bible Version

When Moses saw this, he was amazed at the sight, and went over to take a closer look. The voice of the Lord spoke to him:

Geneva Bible 1599

And when Moses sawe it, hee wondred at the sight: and as he drew neere to consider it, the voyce of the Lord came vnto him, saying,

King James (Authorized) Version

When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

Plain English Version

It kept on burning all the time, but it didn’t finish up that little tree. Moses was surprised. He thought, ‘How come that fire doesn’t finish up that tree?’ So he went closer to have a good look at it. Then he heard God talk to him from that fire. God said,

Translation for Translators

When Moses saw that, he was greatly surprised, because the bush was not burning up. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord God say to him,

Unlocked Literal Bible

When Moses saw the fire, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look at it, there came a voice of the Lord, saying,

Noah Webster Bible

When Moses saw it , he wondered at the sight; and as he drew near to behold it , the voice of the Lord came to him,

World English Bible

When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, the voice of the Lord came to him,

Young's Literal Translation

and Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him,

Context

The Call of Moses

³⁰After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.³¹When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him: ³²‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

Summary

In Acts 7:31, Stephen recounts the story of Moses encountering God in the burning bush. This event symbolizes God's presence and holiness, as the bush burned but was not consumed. It serves as a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness and His ability to work through ordinary people for His divine purposes. The burning bush also foreshadows the coming of Jesus, who would embody God's presence among His people without being consumed by sin. Overall, this verse highlights the significance of God's presence and His call for His people to be set apart for His glory.

Commentary

John Gill

John Gill Bible Commentary

When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight,.... To see a bush on fire was no extraordinary thing; but to see a bush on fire, and yet not consumed by it, which was the case here, was wonderful indeed: and that an angel of the Lord, or the Lord himself, should appear in it, made it still more amazing; though, as yet, this was not observed by Moses, only the former; and which struck him with wonder, and excited his curiosity: and as he drew near to behold it; to take a more exact view of it, and satisfy himself with the truth of it, and, if it was possible, to find out the reason why it was not burnt: the voice of the Lord came unto him; to his ears, out of the bush, and expressed the following words.