Burning bush
Definitions
- 1: a. any of several plants associated with fire (as by redness):
- b : summer cypress
- c : a deciduous Asian shrub (Euonymus alata) of the spindle tree family having stems with corky wings and leaves that turn a brilliant red in autumn.
Description
The burning bush is an object described by the Book of Exodus [3:1–4:17] as being located on Mount Horeb. According to the narrative, the bush was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name. In the biblical narrative, the burning bush is the location at which Moses was appointed by Adonai (God) to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan.
The Hebrew word used in the narrative, that is translated into English as bush, is seneh (סנה), which refers in particular to brambles; seneh is a biblical dis legomenon, only appearing in two places, both of which describe the burning bush. It is possible that the reference to a burning bush is based on a mistaken interpretation of Sinai (סיני), a mountain described by the Bible as being on fire. Another possibility is that the use of seneh (סנה) may be a deliberate pun on Sinai (סיני), a feature common in Hebrew texts.[1]
