What Is the Meaning of the Divine “I AM” in Exodus 3:14?

If the Bible is a story, then the major character is obviously God. An important question you can ask of God is what Moses asked, “What is his name?” (Ex. 3:13). A name is a window to the soul of the person. In Exodus 3 we get an answer to this question, but there are many interpretations of what this name means. It is not an exaggeration to say that the three Hebrew words that are translated “I am who I am” have been discussed more than any other phrase in the entire Old Testament. Let me list three possibilities.

The first option is to see in this name God’s absolute self-sufficiency. God is the self-existent one. He has life within Himself. In the language of Isaiah, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the self-sustaining one. It is impossible for God not to exist. And this God does not depend on anyone or anything. Nothing outside of God can affect Him in any sense; He is utterly unconditioned.

The hour of glory in the life of Christ is the hour of His suffering on the cross for our sake.

The second option translates the name of God as, “I make to be whatever comes to be.” God is the one who causes all things into being. If the first option references the eternality of God, the second option speaks of His creative power. He is the one who has created all things; He is the one who sustains all things. In the language of Isaiah, God does not grow weary or tired, for He is the Creator of the ends of the earth (Isa. 40:28).

The third option sees the emphasis within the name of God as His active presence. He is Immanuel, the one who is with us. Or, to put it another way, He is the one who was with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the language of Isaiah, He is the God who lives in the high and lofty place, but dwells among the contrite and lowly in spirit. If the first possibility references the eternality of God, the second His power, then the third speaks of the God’s desire for relationship with humanity.

While all three interpretations are obviously true of God, and all three have strong support, the third possibility seems best. It fits the context quite well. The Israelites had been suffering in Egypt as slaves for many generations, and Exodus 3 notes that God sees their pain, hears their cry, and is concerned with their misery. When Moses arrives to deliver them, and they ask him what is God’s name, the name “I Am” answers that very question: I have been with you in the midst of your suffering.

Such an interpretation also aligns perfectly with the life of Jesus, who is God with us, to suffer together with us and for us. The hour of glory in the life of Christ is the hour of His suffering on the cross for our sake. The cross is the window to the divine soul because in the cross His name shines the brightest.