God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The LORD —the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’
Exodus 3:14-15 NET
What is God’s name? That’s the question God answers in this passage. The Hebrew word translated here, and throughout the Old Testament, as God is ’elōhîm, a word used to refer to both God and other gods. It is a general term for deity.
God told Moses, “I AM that I AM.” The Hebrew word translated as “I AM” is hāyâ. “I AM” is not a proper name. It is instead a first-person verb meaning “to be.” God then tells Moses to tell the Israelites that the LORD had sent him. The all-capitalized LORD, found throughout the Old Testament, comes from the Hebrew word YHWH, the third-person version of hāyâ. God said, “I AM”. To the Israelites, God is known as “He Is.”
“I AM”
What is the significance of God identifying himself as “I AM?” It speaks to his nature as God. He just is, not dependent on anything or any other being for his existence.
This name can also refer to his relationship with us. God told Israel, “I am your creator, redeemer, and protector. I am the one who will deliver you from slavery in Egypt and bring you into the land of promise. I am all you need.
Jesus also used “I am” to identify himself as God (John 8:58) and his relationship with us. He told us, “I am the bread of life; the light of the world; the gate for the sheep; the good shepherd; the resurrection and the life; the way, the truth, and the life; and the true vine.”
God’s “name” reflects who he is as well as what he is. He is the great “I AM.”
