Exodus 3:14

"Moses said to God, “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?”"

Key Reflection

Moses was tasked with delivering a message to the Israelites that their ancestral God, whom they knew through generations of tradition, had sent him as their liberator. The pivotal question about the divine name reveals the significance of identity and authority in ancient Near Eastern cultures, where names often encapsulated an individual's essence or role. For Moses to respond appropriately would be crucial for validating his mission and establishing his credibility among a people deeply rooted in their religious heritage.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

I am that I am -That is, “I am what I am.” The words express absolute, and therefore unchanging and eternal Being. The name, which Moses was thus commissioned to use, was at once new and old; old in its connection with previous revelations; new in its full interpretation, and in its bearing upon the covenant of which Moses was the destined mediator.

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