Exodus 3:14 kjv
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 3:14 nkjv
And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
Exodus 3:14 niv
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'?"
Exodus 3:14 esv
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
Exodus 3:14 nlt
God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you."
Exodus 3 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 3:15 | God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers..." | God links "I AM" to His memorial name YHWH. |
| Exod 6:3 | "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself fully known to them." | Deeper revelation of the name YHWH at this point. |
| Deut 32:39 | "See now that I, even I, am he; and there is no god beside me..." | Emphasizes God's sole existence and unique deity. |
| Ps 90:2 | "Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." | God's eternality, independent of creation. |
| Isa 43:10 | "You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD...“that I am he; before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me." | God's uniqueness as the only true God. |
| Isa 44:6 | "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no God." | Further declaration of God's absolute singularity and supremacy. |
| Isa 45:5 | "I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no God." | Reiterates monotheistic truth against idols. |
| Mal 3:6 | "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." | God's unchanging nature (immutability). |
| Ps 102:27 | "But you are the same, and your years will have no end." | God's eternal identity and unchanging essence. |
| Rom 1:20 | "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen..." | God's eternal nature is revealed through creation. |
| Heb 1:3 | "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power." | Christ reflects God's true nature, including His sustained existence. |
| Heb 13:8 | "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." | Jesus' immutability, linking Him to God's eternal "I AM" nature. |
| John 1:1-3 | "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...All things were made through him..." | Jesus' pre-existence and creative power as the eternal God. |
| John 8:58 | "Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”" | Jesus' direct claim of divine self-existence and identity with YHWH. |
| Rev 1:4 | "...grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come..." | A clear New Testament echo of God's eternal "I AM" nature. |
| Rev 1:8 | “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” | God's eternal beginning and end, affirming His all-encompassing presence. |
| Rev 4:8 | "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" | Heavenly worship acknowledging God's timeless nature. |
| Col 1:17 | "And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." | Christ's pre-eminence and sustaining power, reflective of God's "I AM." |
| Acts 17:28 | "for 'In Him we live and move and have our being'..." | Humanity's contingent existence relies on God's sustaining "Being." |
| Eph 4:6 | "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." | Emphasizes God's universal presence and supremacy. |
| Isa 26:4 | "Trust in the LORD forever, for in the LORD GOD you have an everlasting Rock." | God as an eternal and unchanging foundation for trust. |
Exodus 3 verses
Exodus 3 14 Meaning
Exodus 3:14 reveals God's sacred and self-sufficient identity to Moses as "I AM WHO I AM" (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה - Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh). This divine declaration signifies God's absolute, eternal self-existence and sovereignty, affirming He derives His being from no other source. It also implies His dynamic and active presence, ensuring His unwavering faithfulness to His promises and His people. God's very being is His essence, declaring His unchanging nature, unlimited power, and ultimate control over all existence and future events. When sending Moses to the Israelites, God shortens the revelation to "I AM has sent me to you," emphasizing His tangible reality and active involvement in their liberation.
Exodus 3 14 Context
Exodus 3:14 occurs during Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush in the wilderness of Midian. After 40 years of exile, Moses is called to lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Moses expresses doubt and asks for God's name, wanting assurance of His identity for the enslaved Israelites and a compelling answer for Pharaoh. The Israelites, living in a polytheistic Egyptian culture where various gods were attributed specific powers or domains, needed to know which God was acting. God's response, "I AM WHO I AM," is a profound and definitive self-revelation. It contrasts sharply with the finite, limited, and often anthropomorphic deities of Egypt, positioning the God of Israel as unique, transcendent, and truly existing beyond any human comprehension or control, yet imminently active in their history.
Exodus 3 14 Word analysis
- And God said to Moses: This initiates a direct, personal, and authoritative divine communication, marking a pivotal moment of revelation and commissioning for Moses.
- I AM WHO I AM: (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה - Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh). This is the absolute core of the verse.
- Ehyeh (אֶהְיֶה): Derived from the Hebrew verb hayah (היה), meaning "to be," "to exist," "to happen," or "to become." In the first-person singular imperfect Qal form, "Ehyeh" literally means "I am," "I was," or "I will be." It denotes existence that is active, dynamic, and continuous, not static.
- Asher (אֲשֶׁר): This is a relative pronoun meaning "who," "which," "that," or "what."
- Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh: Together, this phrase encapsulates profound truths about God:
- Self-Existence (Aseity): God exists of Himself, not depending on anything else. He is the ultimate reality, the uncreated Creator.
- Eternality & Immutability: He is not bound by time ("was," "is," "will be"), but transcends it. His being and character do not change.
- Active Presence: He is actively involved and present in creation and human history, always ready to be what His people need Him to be (e.g., Deliverer, Provider, Healer).
- Incomprehensibility/Sovereignty: He defines Himself and cannot be defined or contained by human categories. It's a statement of divine freedom and independence. He reveals what He wills.
- Relational Name: While profound, it is not an abstract philosophical concept but God's self-identification to initiate a covenant relationship with Israel.
- And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'":
- Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: This is a direct command to Moses, confirming his prophetic authority and responsibility to convey God's message and identity to His people.
- I AM (אֶהְיֶה): This is a shortened form of the previous full revelation. By referring to Himself as simply "I AM," God provides a name that is concise, tangible, and emphasizes His constant and active presence as the One who is currently intervening for Israel's deliverance. It underscores the immediate reality and authority of the One who commissions Moses.
- has sent me to you: This establishes the divine origin and authority of Moses' mission, reinforcing that it is God Himself, the ultimate reality, who is behind the liberation movement.
Exodus 3 14 Bonus section
The name "I AM WHO I AM" is a key to understanding the full name YHWH (יהוה), often rendered as "LORD" in English Bibles. While "Ehyeh" (I AM) is the first-person singular of the verb hayah, YHWH (the Tetragrammaton) is believed to be related to the third-person form of the same verb, potentially meaning "He is," "He causes to be," or "He will be." This implies that when God says "I AM WHO I AM," He is essentially saying, "My identity is bound up in My eternal, active existence, and this is the very being I bring into relationship with you." The deliberate ambiguity of "I AM WHO I AM" ensures that humans cannot contain or limit God within their conceptual frameworks; He remains ultimate mystery while simultaneously making Himself known. This powerful declaration serves as an enduring foundation for understanding divine sovereignty, immutability, and relational faithfulness throughout Scripture.
Exodus 3 14 Commentary
Exodus 3:14 is arguably one of the most profound verses in the entire Bible, offering God's personal self-definition that lays the groundwork for all subsequent biblical revelation. "I AM WHO I AM" transcends human philosophical speculation, directly affirming God's absolute uniqueness. He is not just "a god" among many, but the very essence of being, distinct from the created order. This revelation is both unyielding in its statement of divine independence and deeply comforting in its promise of God's dynamic and unwavering presence for His people. It assures Israel that the God who acts is not capricious or limited, but the eternally self-existent and covenant-keeping God. For believers, it means that our God is unchangeable, eternally capable, and fully sufficient in every situation, grounding our faith not in what we are, but in Who He is. This name provides the bedrock for understanding Jesus' bold "I AM" statements in the New Testament, establishing His inherent deity and oneness with the Father.