The Meaning of Exodus 3:5 Explained

Exodus 3:5

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

YLT: 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.'

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

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Exodus 3:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 3:1-12 - God's Message From The Bush
The learning of Egypt was not sufficient to equip Moses for his life-work. He is taken to the solitudes of the wilderness. That is God's college. All who have done the greatest work in the world have graduated there-Elijah at Horeb, Ezekiel at Chebar, Paul in Arabia, and John in Patmos. God's workers may take their arts course in the universities, but must take their Divinity course alone with Him. Often in the middle of daily duty we come on the outshining of his Presence. Let us be on the outlook for it, and take off our shoes.
This burning bush has generally been taken as the emblem of the Church amid the fires of tribulation; but there is a deeper meaning. The fire was the token of God's presence. The bush was unconsumed, because God's love is its own fuel. Notice the successive steps: "I have seen;" "heard;" "know;" "am come down;" "will send." The "cry" of the previous chapter is answered by the "coming down" of this. See Luke 18:7. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 3

1  Moses keeps Jethro's flock
2  God appears to him in a burning bush
9  He sends him to deliver Israel
13  The name of God
15  His message to Israel, and Pharaoh, whose opposition is foretold
20  He is assured of Israel's deliverance

What do the individual words in Exodus 3:5 mean?

And He said not do draw near this place take your sandals off your feet for the place where you stand - ground holy is
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אַל־ תִּקְרַ֣ב הֲלֹ֑ם שַׁל־ נְעָלֶ֙יךָ֙ מֵעַ֣ל רַגְלֶ֔יךָ כִּ֣י הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ עוֹמֵ֣ד עָלָ֔יו אַדְמַת־ קֹ֖דֶשׁ הֽוּא

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר  And  He  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
תִּקְרַ֣ב  do  draw  near 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: קָרַב  
Sense: to come near, approach, enter into, draw near.
הֲלֹ֑ם  this  place 
Parse: Adverb
Root: הֲלֹם  
Sense: here, hither.
שַׁל־  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נָשַׁל  
Sense: to slip off, drop off, clear away, draw off.
נְעָלֶ֙יךָ֙  your  sandals 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: נַעַל  
Sense: sandal, shoe.
מֵעַ֣ל  off 
Parse: Preposition-m
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רַגְלֶ֔יךָ  your  feet 
Parse: Noun, fdc, second person masculine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
הַמָּק֗וֹם  the  place 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
אֲשֶׁ֤ר  where 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עוֹמֵ֣ד  stand 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
עָלָ֔יו    - 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
אַדְמַת־  ground 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
קֹ֖דֶשׁ  holy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.