A literal translation of both LORD and God is confusing, for it suggests that the one who saw was not the one who called. This is a literary seam, where two different traditions have been joined together, one tradition using the sacred name YHWH (LORD) and the other using the usual word for deity, ʾelohim (God). The confusion is easily avoided by using the pronoun in place of God, as in Good News Translation: “When the LORD saw … he called.” Good News Translation transfers the use of “God” to verse 5, where it fits more naturally in place of the pronoun “he.”

This confusion about the participants is increased with the reference to “the angel” in 3.2a. As explained above, the clause in 3.2a should be understood as a summary or preview statement, with the details of how it happened then listed in sequence. Only one participant in dialogue with Moses is intended throughout the narrative; he is called the LORD, God, and “the angel,” depending on the perspective of the tradition.

He turned aside to see should be translated to agree with verse 3. New American Bible renders the entire clause naturally: “When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely.” Good News Translation omits the words to see, considering the purpose of Moses’ “coming closer” to be clearly implied.

Out of the bush means that the voice of God was heard coming “from the middle of the bush” (Good News Translation). One may also express this as “from inside the bush.” Called to him suggests that Moses was still some distance from the bush, but it does not indicate how loud the voice was. It was loud enough for Moses to hear his own name spoken, and to warn him not to come any closer (verse 5).

Here am I should be rendered as a natural response of one whose name has suddenly been called. “Yes, here I am” (Good News Translation) seems natural in English, but Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Yes, I hear,” and the French common language version (Bible en français courant) has simply “Yes?” with the question mark.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .