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Fire symbolizes God’s holy presence. Though God cannot be directly seen, he often appears in the Bible in the likeness of fire. In Exodus, God first appears to Moses in a burning bush (which is ablaze yet not consumed by fire), telling Moses that he’s standing on holy ground. When God leads the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land—or the “land flowing with milk and honey”—he travels before them at night in the form of a pillar of fire. And when God meets with Moses atop Mount Sinai, he appears like a “devouring fire” to the Israelites below. Fire thus symbolizes God’s holy presence and especially his fearsome, untouchable, and purifying qualities.
Fire Quotes in Exodus
The Exodus quotes below all refer to the symbol of Fire. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 3
Quotes
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
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Chapter 40
Quotes
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. […] Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel at each stage of their journey.
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Fire Symbol Timeline in Exodus
The timeline below shows where the symbol Fire appears in Exodus. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...the angel of the LORD appears in a burning bush. Though the bush is on fire, it’s not consumed. When Moses comes closer to look, God calls to him out of...
(full context)
Chapter 13
...traveling before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
(full context)
Chapter 24
...in the form of a cloud. To the people below, it looks like a “devouring fire.” Moses enters the cloud for 40 days and 40 nights.
(full context)
Chapter 40
...they stay where they are. The cloud is on the tabernacle during the day, and fire is in the cloud at night, so that Israel can see it at every stage...
(full context)
