Exodus 3:14: Edit history

Revision #10551

Exodus 3:14

Localized for English-speaking readers

Status: approved

Changes from the previous English revision

= ## Context

- While Moses is tending sheep in the wilderness of Midian, God appears to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and commands him to bring Israel out of Egypt (3:1-10). When Moses hesitates, asking, "Who am I?", God replies, "Certainly I will be with thee" (3:12). Moses then asks what he should say if the people ask God's name. God answers with the words of verse 14, and in verse 15 declares, "The LORD … this is my name for ever."

+ While Moses is tending sheep in the wilderness of Midian, God appears to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and commands him to bring Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:1-10). When Moses hesitates, asking, "Who am I?", God replies, "Certainly I will be with thee" (3:12). Moses then asks what he should say if the people ask God's name. God answers with the words of verse 14, and in verse 15 declares, "The LORD … this is my name for ever."

= The Hebrew reads *ehyeh asher ehyeh*. *Ehyeh* is the first-person form of a verb meaning "to be" or "to become," so the phrase can be rendered "I am who I am," "I will be who I will be," or simply "I am I." The four-letter divine name of the Old Testament (YHWH) is also thought to be related to the same verb.

= ## Interpretation

- - **Ontological reading**: The Greek Septuagint rendered the verse "I am the one who is." In patristic and medieval theology, this translation became the basis for the doctrine that God exists of himself, dependent on nothing else (divine aseity). The Korean Revised Version's rendering, "he who exists of himself," follows this tradition.

+ - **Ontological reading**: The Greek Septuagint rendered the verse "I am the one who is." In patristic and medieval theology, this translation became the basis for the doctrine that God exists of himself, dependent on nothing else (divine aseity). In Korean Protestant usage, the Korean Revised Version's rendering, "he who exists of himself," follows this tradition.

= - **Reading as a promise of presence**: Noting that the same verb (*ehyeh*) appears in verse 12, "I will be with thee," this reading understands the verse less as a statement about abstract being and more as a dynamic promise: "I am the one who will be with you." Many modern Old Testament scholars emphasize this aspect.

= - **Reading as a withholding of the name**: Some interpreters take a rendering such as "I am who I am" to mean that God declined to give a name that human beings could manipulate or define at will.

…

= ## Debates and Issues

= - **Connection with the New Testament**: In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses "I am" expressions, as in "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). The church has linked these sayings to this verse and read them as revealing the divinity of Christ.

- - **Rendering of the divine name**: To avoid pronouncing the name carelessly, Jews read YHWH as *Adonai* ("Lord"). The form "Jehovah" arose from combining the name with this practice; scholars generally reconstruct the original pronunciation as something close to "Yahweh." The Korean Revised Version uses "Jehovah," while the Korean Common Translation uses "Yahweh."

+ - **Rendering of the divine name**: To avoid pronouncing the name carelessly, Jews read YHWH as *Adonai* ("Lord"). The form "Jehovah" arose from combining the name with this practice; scholars generally reconstruct the original pronunciation as something close to "Yahweh." Among Korean Bible translations, the Korean Revised Version uses "Jehovah," while the Korean Common Translation uses "Yahweh."

= - **Jehovah's Witnesses** place great emphasis on calling upon the divine name "Jehovah" and also translate John 8:58 differently. Major denominations criticize this as a translation intended to deny the divinity of Christ.

…

Exodus 3:14 is the verse in which God, speaking from the flame of the burning bush, answers Moses' question about his name with "I AM THAT I AM." The text is closely tied to the meaning of the divine name Jehovah (Yahweh), and interpretations reading it ontologically coexist with those reading it as a promise of God's presence.
Exodus 3:14 is the verse in which God, speaking from the flame of the burning bush, answers Moses' question about his name with "I AM THAT I AM." The text is closely tied to the meaning of the divine name Jehovah (Yahweh). Interpreters variously read it as a statement about God's being or as a promise of his presence.

Full revision

Context

While Moses is tending sheep in the wilderness of Midian, God appears to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and commands him to bring Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:1-10). When Moses hesitates, asking, "Who am I?", God replies, "Certainly I will be with thee" (3:12). Moses then asks what he should say if the people ask God's name. God answers with the words of verse 14, and in verse 15 declares, "The LORD … this is my name for ever."

The Hebrew reads ehyeh asher ehyeh. Ehyeh is the first-person form of a verb meaning "to be" or "to become," so the phrase can be rendered "I am who I am," "I will be who I will be," or simply "I am I." The four-letter divine name of the Old Testament (YHWH) is also thought to be related to the same verb.

Interpretation

Ontological reading: The Greek Septuagint rendered the verse "I am the one who is." In patristic and medieval theology, this translation became the basis for the doctrine that God exists of himself, dependent on nothing else (divine aseity). In Korean Protestant usage, the Korean Revised Version's rendering, "he who exists of himself," follows this tradition.
Reading as a promise of presence: Noting that the same verb (ehyeh) appears in verse 12, "I will be with thee," this reading understands the verse less as a statement about abstract being and more as a dynamic promise: "I am the one who will be with you." Many modern Old Testament scholars emphasize this aspect.
Reading as a withholding of the name: Some interpreters take a rendering such as "I am who I am" to mean that God declined to give a name that human beings could manipulate or define at will.

Debates and Issues

Connection with the New Testament: In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses "I am" expressions, as in "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). The church has linked these sayings to this verse and read them as revealing the divinity of Christ.
Rendering of the divine name: To avoid pronouncing the name carelessly, Jews read YHWH as Adonai ("Lord"). The form "Jehovah" arose from combining the name with this practice; scholars generally reconstruct the original pronunciation as something close to "Yahweh." Among Korean Bible translations, the Korean Revised Version uses "Jehovah," while the Korean Common Translation uses "Yahweh."
Jehovah's Witnesses place great emphasis on calling upon the divine name "Jehovah" and also translate John 8:58 differently. Major denominations criticize this as a translation intended to deny the divinity of Christ.

Related Passages

Exodus 3:12-15
Exodus 6:2-3
John 8:58
Isaiah 43:10-11
Revelation 1:8

Revision	Time (UTC)	Contributor	Summary	Status
#10551	2026-11-05 01:48:32	AI localization	Localized for English-speaking readers	approved
#10550	2026-11-05 01:48:32	AI localization	English baseline before localization	approved