An Expert Breakdown of Exodus 3:13-15: I Am Who I Am

Context of the Burning Bush Encounter

This moment at the burning bush is the dramatic call of Moses, where God commissions him to lead Israel out of slavery after appearing to him in a miraculous sign on Mount Horeb.

Moses, a shepherd tending his father-in-law’s flock, turns aside to investigate a bush that burns but isn’t consumed - only to hear God speak and tell him to remove his sandals because the ground is holy. God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, showing He is the same faithful God of their ancestors, and announces His plan to rescue His suffering people from Egypt. Moses, overwhelmed and unsure, asks what to say if the Israelites question God’s name, leading to a key revelation in Scripture.

God’s answer, 'I am who I am,' shows His eternal, self‑sustaining existence, and He tells Moses to say, 'I am has sent me,' linking His name to action as well as identity.

The Meaning of 'I Am Who I Am'

This declaration of 'I am who I am' is far more than a mysterious answer - it's a foundational revelation of God's nature and His covenant faithfulness to Israel.

The Hebrew phrase 'ehyeh asher ehyeh' (I am who I am) carries deep meaning: 'I will be who I will be,' pointing to God’s self-existence and freedom - He is not defined by past gods or human expectations, but exists in and of Himself, uncaused and eternal. In ancient cultures, knowing someone’s name gave a sense of power or control over them, but God here asserts that His name cannot be manipulated - He is who He chooses to be, and His identity is rooted in being present and active. By saying 'I am has sent me,' God ties His name to His action: He is not a distant deity, but the One who sees Israel’s suffering (Exodus 3:7) and is stepping in to deliver them. This name becomes the root of 'Yahweh' (the Lord), the personal name of God used throughout Israel’s history to remind them that He is always present.

God also reaffirms His connection to the patriarchs - 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' - showing that this is not a new god, but the same God who made promises long ago. That covenant was about land, descendants, and blessing, and now God is moving to fulfill it by bringing Israel out of Egypt. The name 'I am' is relational and redemptive, promising that the God who began this work will complete it. This continuity anchors Israel’s identity and hope in a God who remembers and acts.

God doesn't just reveal a name - He reveals His very being: 'I am who I am,' the self-existing, ever-present One who will be with His people forever.

This divine self-existence echoes later in Scripture when God reveals His glory and mercy (Exodus 34:6-7), and ultimately finds its fulfillment in Jesus, who says, 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58), claiming this very name for Himself. The name 'I am' thus bridges the Old and New Testaments, showing God’s unchanging presence across time.

The Comfort of God's Covenant Name

After revealing the name 'I am who I am,' God links it to the patriarchs’ names, grounding His mystery in the people’s history.

He tells Moses to say, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you' - a reminder that this is not a new deity appearing out of nowhere, but the same God who made promises centuries earlier. By naming the fathers, God reassures Israel that He remembers His covenant to give them land, make them a great nation, and bless the world through them.

God identifies Himself not just as 'I am,' but as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - linking His eternal presence to His promises long ago.

This connection brings deep comfort: even in slavery, God had not forgotten. The God who walked with Abraham, protected Isaac, and guided Jacob was now stepping in to act. He is not only eternal and self-existent, but also faithful across generations. This covenant memory becomes a foundation for Israel’s identity and hope - not because they were perfect, but because God is.

'I Am' and the Lordship of Jesus: From Exodus to the Gospels

This revelation of God as 'I am who I am' in Exodus 3 is a promise that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who takes this sacred name for Himself and is declared by the apostles as the Lord of all.

In John 8:58, Jesus says to the Jewish leaders, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.' These words shock because of their boldness and because He uses the divine name 'I am' - the Greek phrase egō eimi that translates 'ehyeh' from Exodus 3. The crowd immediately picks up stones to kill Him, not for blasphemy against a title, but because they understand He is claiming to be the eternal God Himself.

Later, the New Testament writers confirm this divine identity. In Romans 10:9, Paul declares that 'if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved' - using 'Lord' (Kyrios) as the equivalent of Yahweh, the sacred name revealed to Moses. Philippians 2:11 echoes this, stating that 'every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,' fulfilling the Old Testament hope that all nations would worship the one true God. These confessions are worship, recognizing Jesus as the self‑existent, eternal God who has come to rescue His people. God revealed His name to deliver Israel from Egypt, and He reveals Jesus as 'I am' to deliver all believers from sin and death.

Jesus doesn’t just speak about God - He claims the very name 'I am,' revealing Himself as the eternal God in flesh.

This connection shows that the Exodus story is part of a larger narrative that leads to Jesus. The same God who spoke from the burning bush walks among us, not in fire, but in flesh, saying 'I am the bread of life,' 'I am the light of the world,' and 'I am the resurrection and the life,' each time echoing that sacred name. The eternal 'I am' has come to be with us, to save us, and to lead us into a new exodus - not from Egypt, but from death itself.

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