Moses, a Hebrew raised in the Egyptian court, was tending sheep in the wilderness of Midian when he encountered an extraordinary sight on Mount Horeb: a bush engulfed in flames that was not consumed. A voice from the bush instructed Moses to return to Egypt and lead the enslaved Israelites to freedom. Hesitant about this monumental task, Moses questioned how he could convince his people that he was sent by the God of their ancestors.
He anticipated the skepticism of the Israelites, who had endured centuries of oppression. Moses asked the divine presence: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”. This inquiry was a demand for a name that would convey the authority and power of the sender, validating his mission. The answer God provided was a revelation of self-existence, foundational to the Israelite faith.
The Revelation at the Burning Bush
The name God gave Moses is recorded in the Book of Exodus as the phrase, “I AM WHO I AM” (‘ehyeh ‘ăšer ‘ehyeh in the original Hebrew). This declaration was the first part of a two-fold instruction, serving as a profound statement of God’s nature intended for Moses’s own understanding and assurance.
God then provided a concise name for Moses to deliver to the enslaved people of Israel. Moses was instructed to tell the Israelites simply, “I AM has sent me to you.” This shortened form, ‘Ehyeh, was the authoritative credential Moses needed to present, confirming his mission was sanctioned by the self-existent God. The name assured the people that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was actively intervening.
The Meaning of “I AM” and Yahweh
Defining “I AM WHO I AM”
The Hebrew phrase ‘ehyeh ‘ăšer ‘ehyeh is rooted in the verb hayah, meaning “to be” or “to become.” The word ‘ehyeh is the first-person singular imperfect form of this verb, which can be translated as “I am,” “I will be,” or “I will prove to be.” This grammatical structure suggests a dynamic and continuous existence, rather than a static state of being.
The phrase is understood as a declaration of absolute self-existence and independence. It signifies that God’s being is not contingent upon anything else; He is the uncreated being who simply is, was, and always will be. This concept of eternal constancy contrasted sharply with the temporary gods of the Egyptian pantheon.
The Tetragrammaton (YHWH)
The name revealed to Moses is directly linked to the personal name of God, known as the Tetragrammaton. Represented by the four Hebrew consonants YHWH, this name is often vocalized by scholars as Yahweh. YHWH is essentially the third-person form of the same verb “to be.” While ‘Ehyeh means “I am,” YHWH means “He is” or “He causes to be,” transforming the self-declaration into a name others can use to refer to the eternal God.
The Tetragrammaton is the most frequently occurring name for God in the Hebrew Bible, appearing over 6,200 times, and is considered the covenant name of the God of Israel. Due to reverence, Jewish tradition considered the name too holy to pronounce aloud. Scribes later substituted the vowels for the Hebrew word Adonai (“Lord”) when reading the text. This practice is why most English translations render YHWH as “LORD,” typically in all capital letters to distinguish it from the general title.