But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 God answered: I will be with you; and this will be your sign that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God at this mountain. 13 “But,” said Moses to God, “if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what do I tell them?” 14 God replied to Moses: I am who I am. Then he added: This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. 15 God spoke further to Moses: This is what you will say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations.
In Exodus 3:11-15 (NABRE), Moses, feeling inadequate, questions God’s choice in sending him to deliver Israel from Egypt. God reassures him with the divine promise, “I will be with you” (v. 12), a key biblical theme (cf. Isa. 41:10; Matt. 28:20). The divine name revealed in v. 14, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh), signifies God's self-existence, eternal being, and unchanging nature. In v. 15, God instructs Moses to tell Israel that “The LORD (YHWH), the God of your ancestors” has sent him, linking the revelation to God's covenantal faithfulness (Gen. 15:7; Ex. 6:2-3).
The New Testament directly connects this passage to Jesus' divine identity. In John 8:58, Jesus declares, “Before Abraham came to be, I AM”, applying the divine name to Himself, which provokes an attempt to stone Him for blasphemy (John 8:59). At His arrest in John 18:5-6, Jesus responds, “I AM” (ego eimi), causing the soldiers to fall back, demonstrating His divine authority.
Theologically, the revelation of God’s name in Exodus is central to His plan of salvation. God’s self-revealing name assures Israel of His unchanging faithfulness and ultimate deliverance, foreshadowing Christ’s role as the Redeemer (Luke 1:68-75). Jesus, as the “I AM,” fulfills God's salvific promises, bringing eternal liberation from sin (Matt. 1:21; Acts 4:12). God's presence with Moses prefigures Christ’s enduring presence in His Church (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:8), and the divine name speaks to God's sovereignty over history and salvation (Rev. 1:8; Rev. 22:13).
Heavenly Father, You are the great I AM, the eternal and unchanging God, who revealed Yourself to Moses and fulfilled Your promise in Christ. In Jesus, we see Your glory and saving power. Strengthen our faith to trust in Your presence as Moses did, and let us bow before Your majesty as those who fell at the name of Jesus. This we pray through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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