Exodus 3:5

Draw not nigh. As Moses approached the bush he did not expect to receive a vision, nor was he yet conscious of the presence of God. Therefore, when he drew near to examine “this great sight” (v. 3), he was admonished to remain at a safe distance from the bush.

Put off thy shoes. Since shoes such as we know today were worn neither by the Egyptians nor by the inhabitants of the eastern desert, it is more correct to translate the Hebrew word na‘al by “sandal.” The practice of putting them off before entering a temple, a palace, or even private houses has ever been a universal custom in the Near East. Since shoes or sandals carry dust and other impurities, the reverential Oriental mind considered it sacrilegious to enter a clean or holy place with shoes on. The same command given Moses at this time was later repeated to Joshua (Joshua 5:15).

Holy ground. The place where Moses stood was holy, not because it was an old sanctuary or sacred spot previously unknown as such to him, as some commentators have thought, but because of the presence of God.