Foundation Text
Exodus 3:14
Hebrew Key Terms
- אֶהְיֶה (ehyeh) - "I AM" / "I WILL BE" - First person singular imperfect of הָיָה (hayah, "to be")
- יהוה (YHWH) - The divine name, derived from third person form of same root
Context: At the burning bush, Moses asks God's name to tell the Israelites who sent him. God responds with "I AM WHO I AM" (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה), commanding Moses to say "I AM" (אֶהְיֶה) has sent you. This is immediately connected to "the LORD" (יהוה) in v. 15 as God's eternal name. The name emphasizes God's self-existence, eternal presence, and covenant faithfulness—He is the self-existent one who will be with His people.
OT-to-OT Development
- Exodus 6:2-3 - "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name the LORD (יהוה) I did not make Myself known to them"
- Deuteronomy 32:39 - "See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me"
- Isaiah 41:4; 43:10,13,25; 46:4; 48:12 - Repeated "I am he" (אֲנִי הוּא) declarations by Yahweh, echoing Exodus 3:14
- Hosea 1:9 - Contrast: "you are not My people, and I am not your God" (a wordplay on the divine name in the Hebrew)
Connections
- TO:
- Genesis 15:1 - ,7 - "I am" declarations to Abraham (pre-name revelation
- FROM OT:
- Isaiah's "I am he" statements (see above)
- Psalm 102:27 - "But You remain the same, and Your years will never end"
- FROM NT:
- John 8:58 - Jesus' "I AM" (ἐγώ εἰμι) claim
- John 18:5-6 - "I am he" causes soldiers to fall back
- Revelation 1:8 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega"
- Forward-looking: The name intrinsically points beyond the Exodus to God's eternal, unchanging presence with His people throughout redemptive history.
- Providential: God's self-revelation at this moment in history, establishing the name by which He will be known.
Connection Method(s): Redemptive-Historical Progression, Longitudinal Theme — God's self-revelation of the "I AM" name at the burning bush establishes the divine identity theme that progresses through Isaiah's "I am he" declarations to Jesus' explicit claim of the same name in John 8:58.
Christological Connection: Jesus' use of "I AM" (ἐγώ εἰμι) in John's Gospel applies this divine name directly to Himself. Most explicitly in John 8:58 ("before Abraham was born, I am!"), Jesus claims pre-existence, eternality, and the divine name itself. The Jews immediately attempt to stone Him for blasphemy, recognizing the claim. Other instances (John 6:20; 18:5-6) also echo Exodus 3:14. Hebrews 13:8 declares "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"—the immutability inherent in "I AM."
Trajectory Link: Divine Identity (Deity of Christ) Trajectory Table
Trajectory Table: 046 - Divine Identity (Deity of Christ)