Exodus 3 Doesn’t Call God "I AM" — Here’s What the Ancient Text Actually Says

Summary

Key Points

• God's initial self-identification in Exodus 3:6 is relational, referring to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, before any philosophical definition is given. 8:33
• The actions described in Exodus 3:7-10, such as seeing, hearing, and coming down to deliver, demonstrate that the God of Exodus 3 is a God of concrete action, not abstract definition. 11:15
• Verse 12 of Exodus 3, which contains the promise "I will be with thee," is crucial for understanding the full weight of verse 14, as it provides the context of God's presence to a frightened Moses. 14:37
• Moses' question in Exodus 3:13 is practical, seeking a name that will carry authority to the enslaved Israelites, rather than a philosophical definition of God. 15:52
• The philosophical weight often associated with Exodus 3:14 developed through Greek and Latin translations and theological interpretations, amplifying the "being" aspect of the Hebrew. 16:58
• The three Hebrew words behind Exodus 3:14 are 'ehe' (I am/I will be), 'asher' (that/which/who), and 'ehe' (I am/I will be), with 'asher' being a relative pronoun, not a word for 'because'. 19:43
• The common English translation of Exodus 3:14, "I am that I am," is a single, honest rendering of a Hebrew phrase that is actually comprised of three words and carries multiple shades of meaning. 20:05
• Exodus 3:15 reveals God's memorial name, YHWH, which is directly linked to the self-identification in verse 14, showing that verse 14 is the first-person identification preceding the third-person memorial name. 22:30
• The Hebrew verb form used in Exodus 3:14 can be translated as "I am" or "I will be," and the King James translators themselves used this same verb form to translate "I will be" in verse 12. 23:07
• The true heart of Exodus 3 is not the slogan in verse 14, but the promise of God's presence in verse 12, which underpins the entire divine revelation to Moses. 23:27