“God
said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel,
‘I AM has sent me to you.’’” (Exodus
3:14 ESV)
Exodus
3:14 has given encouragement and
comfort to many of God’s people over the years. This verse constitutes so much
more than the recording of an actual event when the Creator of the universe
condescended to answer questions from a member of His creation, namely Moses.
In addition to being an accurate historical record, these words have provided
theologians, philosophers, and followers of Christ with an invaluable glimpse
into the character and essence of God. It is impossible for men or women to
plumb the depths of the mystery of the one true God, or to achieve a complete
understanding of our Creator through an examination of His revealed Word. Yet
for those who would study and learn from Exodus 3:14, there are great blessings
indeed.
The
immediate context of Exodus 3:14 is found in the preceding verses. God has met
with Moses and called him to lead His people out from under the oppression of
the Egyptians. Moses responds with a series of questions, the second of which
is found in verse 13: “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people
of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and
they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’” Knowing that the
Israelites were living under slavery in the polytheistic culture of Egypt,
Moses needed an answer in order to specifically point them to the one true God.
In verse 14, God gave him that answer.
The first Hebrew word in Exodus 3:14, יֹּ֤אמֶר, which is translated
said, is frequently utilized in the
Old Testament to introduce revelation, and the source of this revelation is
identified by the following word. With the second word of this verse, אֱלֹהִים,
God speaks one of His names to Moses, God
or Elohim. The names by which God chooses
to refer to Himself are highly significant, as the Israelites held that a
person’s name reflected a being’s character and essence. It should be noted
that the form of this word is a grammatical plural, though it’s meaning in this
instance is singular. Some scholars have seen this plural-singular tension as
an implication of God’s “majesty or stateliness.” However, it is reasonable to
go further, interpreting this usage as a hint of the Trinitarian nature of God, the mystery of the plurality of Persons in the Godhead.
The next name for Himself that God shares with Moses, this time as a
specific answer to his question, is I AM
WHO I AM. This name utilizes the word אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה for I AM, which appears three times in this verse. It is interesting to
note that while the word is visually identical in each case, being based on the
Hebrew verb meaning to be, it
functions twice as a noun (in its first and third usages) and once as a verb
(in its second usage). This is important, because when the word is used as a
verb, it could be translated I will be.
Using the verb alone, we might suspect that God is in the process of becoming
something else, or changing in some way. Yet the two times that it functions
here as a noun could be accurately translated as I be, or better yet, I AM.
This speaks to the self-existence and total non-dependency of the Creator, who
has always been and will never become, as opposed to all of creation, which is
fully dependent on God for existence, having once become and then continuing on
in a state of becoming. The word אֲשֶׁ֣ר, translated as who, connects the first two usages, and considering their different
functions as a noun and a vowel, we can read this name of God as I AM WHO I WILL BE, or I AM WHO I AM. God has always been, He has never become
or changed, and He will always be. Many classical theologians have pointed to I AM WHO I AM as referring to God as eternal
existence. In explaining this concept, Geisler describes God as, “. . . Pure
Being or Pure Existence. God is Pure Actuality . . .” Swanson states that this
name for God also focuses on His “. . . presence, care, concern, and
relationship.” For the people of God, this insight from Exodus 3:14 into the
unchanging nature, character, and essence of God speaks to the absolute
reliability of His presence, His promises, and His Word.
In the second half of Exodus 3:14, God says to Moses, “Say this to
the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’’” The Hebrew word תֹאמַר֙, which could be
translated as you will say, is
clearly a divine instruction. There is not a hint of suggestion or prediction
contained in this usage of the word. God is sending Moses on a mission to free
His people from their bondage in Egypt. Moses has been given a direct command
from God Himself, and he is expected to obey. The fact that this is a
mission-like undertaking is emphasized by the usage of the word שְׁלָחַ֥ נִי,
translated as has sent me. In
context, this Hebrew word means to send;
to dispatch; to send out, usually for a purpose. God has a specific plan in
mind, and He is dispatching Moses to play a major role in the successful
completion of that mission.
Another detail of this mission emerges in the final Hebrew word of this
verse, אֲל ֵיכֶֽם׃, which is translated to
you. This word is plural in its usage here, with the sense that God is
sending Moses to you all. And who is this plurality,
this you all that Moses is being sent
to deliver? We see the answer in the verse. They are the people of Israel. And the Hebrew word used here, לִ בְנֵ֣י, which can be
translated as to the sons of or to the people of, underlines the
“presence, care, concern, and relationship” that was mentioned above, insights
into the character of the one true God as revealed in His name I AM WHO I AM. The Hebrew word
translated here as to the people of,
is a term of endearment, a reference to
a relative, as a parent tenderly addresses his children. God loves the sons of
Israel. They are His people. He has heard their cries for help and His rescue
mission continues.
In the third chapter of Exodus, the one true God has promised to be
with His people and rescue them from their bondage in Egypt. In Exodus 3:14,
God has answered Moses’ question from the preceding verse: “If I come to
the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to
you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God’s response
to this question is insightful both to the reliability of His promises and to
the beauty of His essence and character. Some scholars have
sought to explain away this divine disclosure by suggesting that God’s answer
is evasive, showing a reluctance to reveal His name, or even that God is
cutting Moses off and redirecting their conversation. But all such attempts to water down the passage are inaccurate, clearly
disregarding the context of the verse. In actuality, God responds patiently to
Moses’ inquiry by not only providing His name, but doing so in a manner that
unveils important attributes of the one true God. While the promises contained
in this passage of Scripture are remarkable and sure, it is this precious
glimpse into the nature of the One who gives those assurances that should fill
us with wonder, awe, and hope.
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and G.J. Wenham. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
Geisler, Norman L. Systematic Theology. Vol. 2. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2003.
Kaiser, Jr., Walter C. “Exodus.” Vol. 2 of The
Expositor’s Bible Commentary, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1990.
Koehler, Ludwig, Walter Baumgartner, M.E.J
Richardson and Johann Jakob Stamm. The
Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Leiden, New York: E.J. Brill,
1999.
Sailhamer, John H. The Pentateuch as Narrative. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.
Strong, James, S.T.D., LL.D. A Concise Dictionary
of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA:
Logos Research Systems, 2009.
Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages
With Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor,
WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997.
Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck and Dallas
Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books,
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