Exodus 3:5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

◄ Exodus 3:5 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

English Standard Version
Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

New American Standard Bible
Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."

King James Bible
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do not come closer," He said. "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

International Standard Version
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground."

American Standard Version
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said: Come not nigh hither, put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Darby Bible Translation
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: loose thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Young's Literal Translation
And He saith, 'Come not near hither: cast thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place on which thou art standing is holy ground.'

Cross References

Acts 7:33
Then said the Lord to him, Put off your shoes from your feet: for the place where you stand is holy ground.

2 Peter 1:18
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

Exodus 19:21
And the LORD said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

Deuteronomy 23:14
For the LORD your God walks in the middle of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore shall your camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in you, and turn away from you.

Joshua 5:15
And the captain of the LORD's host said to Joshua, Loose your shoe from off your foot; for the place where on you stand is holy. And Joshua did so.

Ecclesiastes 5:1
Keep your foot when you go to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Jeremiah 30:21
And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the middle of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach to me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach to me? said the LORD.

Jump to Previous

Approach Close Closer Draw Feet Ground Hither Holy Loose Nigh Remove Sandals Shoes Standest Standing Whereon

Jump to Next

Approach Close Closer Draw Feet Ground Hither Holy Loose Nigh Remove Sandals Shoes Standest Standing Whereon

Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

3:1-6 The years of the life of Moses are divided into three forties; the first forty he spent as a prince in Pharaoh's court, the second as a shepherd in Midian, the third as a king in Jeshurun. How changeable is the life of man! The first appearance of God to Moses, found him tending sheep. This seems a poor employment for a man of his parts and education, yet he rests satisfied with it; and thus learns meekness and contentment, for which he is more noted in sacred writ, than for all his learning. Satan loves to find us idle; God is pleased when he finds us employed. Being alone, is a good friend to our communion with God. To his great surprise, Moses saw a bush burning without fire to kindle it. The bush burned, and yet did not burn away; an emblem of the church in bondage in Egypt. And it fitly reminds us of the church in every age, under its severest persecutions kept by the presence of God from being destroyed. Fire is an emblem, in Scripture, of the Divine holiness and justice, also of the afflictions and trials with which God proves and purifies his people, and even of that baptism of the Holy Ghost, by which sinful affections are consumed, and the soul changed into the Divine nature and image. God gave Moses a gracious call, to which he returned a ready answer. Those that would have communion with God, must attend upon him in the ordinances wherein he is pleased to manifest himself and his glory, though it be in a bush. Putting off the shoe was a token of respect and submission. We ought to draw nigh to God with a solemn pause and preparation, carefully avoiding every thing that looks light and rude, and unbecoming his service. God does not say, I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but I am. The patriarchs still live, so many years after their bodies have been in the grave. No length of time can separate the souls of the just from their Maker. By this, God instructed Moses as to another world, and strengthened his belief of a future state. Thus it is interpreted by our Lord Jesus, who, from hence, proves that the dead are raised, Lu 20:37. Moses hid his face, as if both ashamed and afraid to look upon God. The more we see of God, and his grace, and covenant love, the more cause we shall see to worship him with reverence and godly fear.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

5. put off thy shoes—The direction was in conformity with a usage which was well known to Moses, for the Egyptian priests observed it in their temples, and it is observed in all Eastern countries where the people take off their shoes or sandals, as we do our hats. But the Eastern idea is not precisely the same as the Western. With us, the removal of the hat is an expression of reverence for the place we enter, or rather of Him who is worshipped there. With them the removal of the shoes is a confession of personal defilement and conscious unworthiness to stand in the presence of unspotted holiness.