BURNING BUSH (סְנֶה, H6174, thorny bush). Exodus 3:2 reads “flame of fire out of the midst of a bush...the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.”

The writer believes that this phenomenon was one of God’s miracles; in this case, it doesn’t matter what the name of the bush was. Those, however, who do not believe in God-given supernatural happenings aim at finding natural explanations.

Various theories have therefore been put forward. The first is that the plant was Dictanus albus, sometimes called the gas plant, Dittany fraxinella, or burning bush. This, however, grows only three ft. tall, and is looked upon as an herb and not a bush. The plant is covered with tiny oil glands, and so, if a match is struck nearby, it will burst into flame. It then burns for a short time without damaging the leaves or stems. As it burns for a matter of seconds, as well as because of its size, it could hardly be the burning bush of Exodus 3:2.

Because of the Heb. name s^eneh, there seems no doubt it was a spiny shrub, because even today the Arabs use the word “sanna” as a general term for shrubs of this character. Therefore, it would prob. be the thorny acacia.

Those who must find an explanation for the flames suggest that the bush was covered with a large crimson-flowered mistletoe (which does grow on the acacia). When in bloom, and with the sun shining through, it does look like a flaming fire. Remember that Moses was first a well-educated Egyp. prince, and second a country shepherd, and so he should have known this blossoming mistletoe well.

It was not the American Burning Bush, Eunonymus Americanus, because this was not known in the Holy Land.