Ex 3:11-15

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Questions

I AM THAT I AM: The Hebrew verb translated as "I am" in verse 14 is hayah, which comes from the verb for "to be." "I AM THAT I AM" is the most common translation of the Hebrew, although some linguists argue for alternate translations: "I will be who I will be," "I am because I am," or "I may be who I may be" (see The Anchor Bible reference below); or "I AM the one who always is," or "I am the Ising One" (see Word Biblical Commentary reference below).

LORD: Whenever the phrase "the LORD" (note the small capital letters) appears in the King James Version and some modern translations, it is a translation of the Hebrew YHWH (sometimes referred to by scholars as the tetragrammaton because it has four letters). Although it's not obvious in translation, the word YHWH is intimately connected with the Hebrew verb in verse 14, ehyeh, translated as "I am." Thus it can be said that YHWH means "he who is" or "the one who is" or something with a similar meaning. The word YHWH, since it was the name of God, was not pronounced by Jews, who were wary of taking the divine name in vain. When reading the scriptures out loud, they would substitute the word adonai, meaning "the Lord." It is unknown with certainty how YHWH (note that the vowels are missing) was pronounced. The traditional English spelling and the one most often used by Latter-day Saints is "Jehovah," while most non-LDS Christian publications these days use either "Jehovah" or "Yahweh."

Different scholars have interpreted the meaning of this passage differently. Here are some different interpretations:

Immutability of God: Building on the imperfect aspect of the Hebrew verb and translating "I AM THAT I AM" as "the One who always is," God's response here may be emphasizing that the nature of his being is more real and significant than anything mortal because it is eternal and unchanging. An implied lesson of this meaning is that in order to become more like God, we should develop characteristics (e.g. integrity and pure love) that are eternal in nature. (See also Rev 1:8 where God says, "I am Alpha and Omega.")

Transcendent nature of God: Some scholars suggest that God does not give Moses a straightforward name here because God transcends the confines of a name. Furthermore, when Adam named the animals in Gen 2:19-20 (cf. Gen 3:20), he was effectively exercising his dominion over them. So for Moses to call God by a simple name would be implicitly confing God to the confines of a name. God effectively answers Moses by saying "I will be whoever and whatever I need to be." (See also the discussion of pu in Taoism at RobertC's Tetragrammaton link below.)

Causation: The tetragrammaton given in verse 15 (YHWH, written LORD, often translated Jehovah) is formed by using the causative prefix Y in front of the verb "to be." Verse 15 then relates the to be verb in the phrase "I AM THAT I AM" with a causative connotation. The causative connotation may emphasize God's role as the architect of the universe, Israel's destiny (eventually escaping bondage in Egypt), and each human's individual destiny (cf. Joseph stating that his brothers selling him ento Egypt was God's will in Gen 45:5).