Exodus 3:13
“And Moses said unto Elohim, Behold, when I come unto the children
of Israel, and shall say unto them, The Elohim of your fathers hath sent me
unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto
them?”
Exodus 3:14
“And Elohim said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt
thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Exodus 3:15
“And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
Exodus 3:14 in
Hebrew
|
אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה |
I AM |
אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה
’eh-yeh
Strong's Concordance
hayah: to fall out,
come to pass, become, be
Original Word: הָיָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hayah
Phonetic Spelling: (haw-yaw)
Definition: to fall out, come to
pass, become, be
HEBREW
WORDS AT EXODUS 3:14 ARE:
In
Hebrew Language Script: אהיה אשר אהיה
Transliterated
Word to Word in English: Ehyeh
asher Ehyeh
Translated
Word to Word in Google Translate Tool: I will be who I will be
Translated
in Random Online Hebrew – English Translator athttp://www.etranslator.ro/hebrew-english-online-translator.php:
I will be who I will be
SEE THE EVIDENCE WITH YOUR OWN EYES WIDE OPEN. Exodus 3:14 in Hebrew Language, below it is a WORD to WORD English translation and on the right hand side, see for yourself with your own eyes how Translators took the liberty of changing direct translated words of Hebrew from, “ I shall become” to present day modern wrong translations of, “I AM”.
Source: http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/exo3.pdf
CATHOLIC JERUSALEM BIBLE RENDERING OF EXODUS 3: 14, 15
Sh'mot (Exodus) 3:14 CJB
“God said to Moshe, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will
be],” and added, “Here is what to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘Ehyeh [I Am or
I Will Be] has sent me to you.’”
Sh'mot (Exodus) 3:15 CJB
“God said further to Moshe, “Say this to the people of Isra’el:
‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God
of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has sent me to you.’ This is my name
forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation. (v)”
EH YEH or AH YEH = I AM or I
WILL BE.
Ehyeh or Ahyeh refers to the SELF EXISTENCE
of the Almighty Creator. Hence in English translations it is rendered as I AM,
or I WILL BE or a little amplified it means I SELF EXIST.
Exodus
3:14 AMPC – Amplified Bible
“And
God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE;
and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!”
How many times YHWH Tetragrammatons’
word is mentioned in the whole Bible?
The Sacred Name in the form of the Tetragrammatons’ as
YHWH appears more than 7000 times in the whole Bible.
How many times YAH word is
mentioned in the whole Bible?
50
times
In the Tanakh (Old Testament)
Yah occurs 50 times: 43 times in the Psalms, in Exodus 15:2; 17:16; and Isaiah 12:2; 26:4, as well as twice in Isaiah 38:11.
Prominent and important one is Psalms 68:4
Isaiah 68:4
“Sing unto Elohim, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name YAH, and rejoice before him.”
04 Times
In the New Testament
Revelation 19:1
“And after these things I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven, saying, Halleluyah; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and
power, unto Yahweh our Elohim:”
Rev 19:3
And again they said, Halleluyah. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Rev 19:4
And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped Elohim that sat on the throne, saying Amen; Halleluyah.
Rev 19:6
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Halleluyah: for Yahweh El Shaddai omnipotent reigneth.
PLAY ON WORDS IN
THE BIBLE
The Bible is a literary work of art. So it encompasses Idioms, Phrases, Metaphors, Similes and even play on words.
What is Play on Words?
Ø It’s a way of
using a word or phrase so that more than one meaning is suggested.
Ø Word play or
wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in
which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose
of intended effect.
Ø Word play is
quite common in oral cultures as a method of reinforcing meaning.
Wordplay in Genesis
Philip D. Stern July 22, 2021
Let’s start with the
name Abraham. Abraham starts life as Abram, a name with parallels in ancient
sources. Abram’s name means “high father” or more probably “exalted Ab,” where
Ab (meaning “father”) is a deity’s name or an epithet of a deity such as El,
the Canaanite father of the gods.
Yet there is no name
like Abraham. Why precisely did God change Abram’s name to Abraham, a name that
has no discernible meaning in Hebrew? Abraham means father (ab) of r-h-m,
but there is no word with the root r-h-m attested anywhere in
the Bible or in the known Ugaritic or Phoenician language texts. Hebrew (and
other Semitic languages) consists of mostly three-letter roots, such as z-k-r,
which means “to remember.” As a noun, the word zeker means
“memory.”
However, the
root r-h-m does exist in Classical Arabic, a dialect of Arabic
attested about a thousand years later than Hebrew. In Arabic, r-h-m usually
pertains to a particular kind of rain. ‘Arhamu, one form of this root, means
“more (and most) fruitful or plentiful, or abundant in herbage or in the goods
or comforts of life.1 It is tempting to conclude that
there is an otherwise unattested Arabic root r-h-m meaning “to
be plentiful,” but this is admittedly speculative. Because we can’t be sure
that such a root existed in Arabic, it is even a bigger leap to understand
the r-h-m of Abraham’s name as meaning “to be plentiful” in
Hebrew, even though it would fit well with a presumed meaning, “father of a
multitude (of nations).”
And yet, the Hebrew
text in Genesis 17:4-5 seems to suggest a wordplay on the theme of a
multitude. In the text, God says, “I hereby [make] a covenant with you, and you
shall be father to a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called
Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you father to a
multitude of peoples” (author’s translation).
On one level the pun seems to be simple; in expanding Abram to Abraham, God is punning on the first syllable, “ab,” and the final syllable, “ham,” which is the root of a Hebrew phrase for “father of a multitude” (ab hamōn), rendering Abraham the “father of a multitude.” Yet the brilliance of the wordplay goes beyond this, for the name Abraham sounds very much like the Hebrew phrase “ab rab ‘am.” Because ‘am is the Hebrew word for “people,” and rab is another Hebrew word for “multitude,” the name Abraham could also be another way of saying, “father of a multitude of peoples.”
This double play on
words explains why the Bible chose the phrase, “Father of a multitude of
peoples,” in relation to Abraham’s name change.
Let’s now consider the
names Adam and Eve. In the case of Adam, there is an obvious pun between Adam and
the Hebrew word ’adamah, meaning “earth.” Adam as the name of the
first man is fitting, too, because in Hebrew ’adam means
“man.” Thus, we have in the chapter that introduces the first man such verses
as, “There was no man [’adam] to work the earth [’adamah]” (Genesis
2:5). Here the pun is implied for Adam proper. It culminates in Genesis
3:19, in which God says to Adam, “By the sweat of your brow, you shall eat your
bread, until you return to the earth [’adamah], from which you were
taken.”
The name Eve is
actually pronounced ḥawwa in Hebrew. Genesis
3:20 puns that the name means “mother of all the living,” although the
direct derivation of this definition from the Hebrew is difficult to find.
However, Eve’s name may have a possible ancient Sumerian antecedent. The name
of the Sumerian goddess of healing, Ninti, can mean “lady of life” or “lady of
the rib” because the Sumerian word ti means both “life” and
“rib.” In one Sumerian myth, it was Ninti’s role to heal the accursed deity
Enki’s rib, which returned him to life.
It is possible that
this Sumerian myth inspired a bilingual play on words in Genesis 3:20.
Eve, which the Hebrew text calls life-giving “mother of all the living,” was
formed from Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:21), and not from some other, perhaps
seemingly more appropriate, body part.a So while the Hebrew does not convey
the pun, the Hebrew scribes, who were very learned and likely knew the Sumerian
myth, understood the pun and may have retained a modified version of it,
although it is doubtful if the average Israelite would have gotten the pun.
Another name in the
Book of Genesis given special treatment is Noah. A parallel for the figure of
Noah is Utnapishtim in the Gilgamesh Epic from Mesopotamia. Like Noah,
Utnapishtim builds an elaborate ark, which saves life. Unlike Noah, Utnapishtim
is rewarded with eternal life, and his name means, “soul of Utu [the sun god],”
possibly an allusion to Utnapishtim’s immortality.
We will return to the meaning of Noah’s name after we explain the quadruple play on Noah’s name in Genesis 5:29 and Genesis 6:6-8, saving the first for last. Genesis 6:6 says, “YHWH felt remorse that he had made human beings on the earth and was saddened in his heart.” The words “felt remorse” translate the Hebrew verb n-ḥ-m, which contains the consonants of Noah’s name n-ḥ. This is an anticipation of Noah and a wordplay on Noah’s name as it appears a couple of verses later, just as the puns on “man” and “earth” anticipated the introduction of Adam.
One might not be sure
that this is a purposeful wordplay, except for the fact that the same
root n-ḥ-m reappears immediately in the following verse
of Genesis 6:7, “And YHWH remarked, “I shall wipe out the human race that
I created from the face of the earth, from humans to beasts to creeping things,
to the birds of the sky, for I greatly regret [Hebrew
root n-ḥ-m] that I have made them.” The last clause is a repetition
of verse 6, except that it uses a different conjugation of the root n-ḥ-m.
The wordplay sets the stage for the next verse, “And Noah found favor in the
eyes of YHWH.”
The words “Noah” and
“favor” are an anagram: In consonants, Noah is written n-ḥ, while
the word “favor” is written ḥ-n.2 That this is purposeful wordplay
cannot be doubted. Yet the wordplay does not end here, since the word “greatly
regret” (root n-ḥ-m) also contains the letters of Noah’s name (n-ḥ) in
another wordplay. The author seems to have added the clause, “for I greatly
regret that I made them”—something that is already clear from the fact that he
is wiping out all living things—simply to play on the name Noah.
As a kind of rule of
biblical wordplay, at least two out of the three root letters must be the same.
What then does Noah’s
name mean? Again, the biblical writer provides an explanation. In Genesis
5:29, the text clearly puns on the verb n-ḥ-m, setting the stage
for the plays on words I have already pointed out. Here, Lamech, Noah’s father,
names him Noah, saying, “He [literally, “this one”] will provide relief
[root n-ḥ-m] from our work and from our hardships on the soil that
YHWH has cursed.”
Incidentally, Noah’s
father, Lamech, is singled out as the only person in the Bible graced to live
777 years. Seven is a special or holy number in the Bible: On the seventh day
of Creation, God rested (using the root for the Sabbath and, thereby, punning
on the noun “Sabbath”) and sanctified the work he had done (Genesis 2:1-3). The
777 years comes to show that he was a good seed and worthy to father Noah, who
was righteous and blameless in his time. Like his great-grandfather Enoch, who
walked with God after the birth of his son Methusaleh, Noah walked with God
(Genesis 5:22, Genesis 5:24; Genesis 6:9).
It has been suggested that Noah’s name is related to the Hebrew word nuaḥ (n-w-ḥ), meaning “to rest,” but I want to posit another meaning for the root n-w-ḥ—one based on comparative Semitics, specifically drawing on Akkadian, the ancient language of Assyria and Babylonia. Because of the large overlap between Hebrew and Akkadian vocabulary and grammar, I believe the root of the Akkadian cognate nâḫu meaning (among other things) “to relent, to be pacified, to abate (of storms, waves, fire, fighting)” provides a better understanding of Noah’s name.3
If this is the case,
then the question becomes exactly who is doing the relenting
and the abating? It is possible that the name Noah (n-w-ḥ) does
not simply apply to the character of the ark builder, but is also a pun on the
action of God himself, who ultimately relents from destroying the human race in
the flood story of Genesis and, just as apropos, allows the flood waters to
abate. Given the plays I’ve already shown above, these two meanings of Noah,
“relent” and “abate,” appear to be in line with the wordplay theme pervasive
throughout the flood story!
It is important to see
that the Hebrews adopted the ancient flood story that originated in
Mesopotamia. It is a story far more ancient than the Hebrew Bible and perhaps
even older than the people Israel, who would retell it over time and put their
own stamp on it, starting with Noah being righteous and blameless in his time.
Like Enoch, Noah walked with God, and unlike the corrupt and sinful people of
his time, Noah found favor in God’s sight. Therefore, God relented by letting
the flood waters abate.
Either way, we see
that the name Noah had relevance to the flood story—it was chosen for a reason!
In the Mesopotamian Atrahasis Epic, which recounts another flood story, people
were simply too numerous and noisy for the gods to tolerate. The unethical
behavior of the people of Noah’s time is different—and is the unique “spin” of
the Hebrew Bible.
I would like to
conclude with an example of another type of wordplay altogether: alliteration.
Alliteration is the use of the same letters or sounds in adjacent or closely
connected words that make them stand out in the ears of the hearer when read
aloud. However, more than biblical wordplay, this is a device in the
composition of the Bible that completely escapes the attention of those who
read the Bible in translation.
For our final example,
we return to Abraham. Genesis 21:4, Genesis 21:7-8 details the
circumcision of Isaac:
[Abraham] circumcised
his son Isaac at the age of eight days as God had commanded him … And [Sarah]
said, “Who would recount to Abraham that Sarah would nurse sons, that I gave
birth to a son in his time of old age?” Then the boy-child grew and was weaned,
and Abraham made a big feast on the occasion of Isaac’s weaning.
My English translation shows no sign of alliteration, yet it appears in the Hebrew original. The Hebrew verb I translate as “recount” is a rare word that one would not expect Sarah to use, but it was likely chosen for purposes of alliteration centered on the “m” and “l” sounds.4As the passage stands, the Hebrew reads mi millel l’ (“who would recount to”), which is alliterative in itself. When you add wayyamol (“he circumcised”) from verse 4, plus wayiggamal (“and he was weaned”) and higgamel (“weaning”) from verse 8, all with the “m-l” combination found in mi millel l’, you get an excellent example of the Hebrew writer shaping his text for purposes of alliteration.
These examples show
that the biblical writers engaged in wordplay at every opportunity in shaping
the biblical narrative. I believe that in Genesis (among other places in the
Hebrew Bible, such as the literary prophets) plays on words are a way of
showing the divine at work in the world, involving what they believed to be the
very words of God.
Source of Information and Credits: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/scholars-study/wordplay-in-genesis/
In Exodus chapter 6, after Moses complains about how Pharaoh has increased
Israel’s workload and refused to set them free, God appears to Moses and
reiterates his promise to take Israel out of Egypt and bring them to the
Promised Land.[1] As part of this message, God tells Moses
that his name is YHWH, even though he never shared this name with the
patriarchs, and only appeared to them as El Shaddai:
שמות
ו:ב וַיְדַבֵּר
אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי יְ־הוָה. ו:ג וָאֵרָא
אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי וּשְׁמִי יְ־הוָה לֹא
נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם.
Exod 6:2 God
spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am YHWH. 6:3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I
did not make Myself known to them by My name YHWH.
The text makes it clear that the name YHWH—known in scholarship as the Tetragrammaton (Greek for “four letters”)—is of great significance, marking a new era in ancient Israelite history, but it offers no explanation for its meaning.
YHWH
as Being
In contrast, God’s
earlier revelation at the burning bush, in which Moses is introduced to this
special name for the first time,[2] explains
or at least hints at its meaning:
שמות
ג:יג וַיֹּאמֶר
מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָא אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתִּי
לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם וְאָמְרוּ לִי מַה שְּׁמוֹ מָה
אֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם.
Exod 3:13 Moses
said to God, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them ‘The God of your
fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I
say to them?”
ג:יד וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר
אֶהְיֶה. וַיֹּאמֶר כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶהְיֶה שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם.
3:14 And God said to
Moses, “I am what I am.” And He said, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites,
‘Ehyeh (I-Am) sent me to you.’”
When Moses asks God his
name, God first answers by saying “I am what I am” and even follows this up
with “tell them Ehyeh (I-Am) sent you.” The word ehyeh (“I
am”) sounds very much like YHWH, and is meant as a play on words, explaining
that YHWH’s name means “he will be” or “being.”[3] Thus, God follows up this implied etymology with the
Tetragrammaton:
ג:טו וַיֹּאמֶר
עוֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה כֹּה תֹאמַר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵי
אֲבֹתֵיכֶם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁלָחַנִי
אֲלֵיכֶם זֶה שְּׁמִי לְעֹלָם וְזֶה זִכְרִי לְדֹר דֹּר.
3:15 And God said
further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: ‘YHWH, the God of
your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has
sent me to you.’ This shall be My name forever, this My appellation for all
eternity.” Source of Information &
Credits: https://www.thetorah.com/article/yhwh-the-original-arabic-meaning-of-the-name
Why did Yahshua not use the
personal name of Yahweh in his personal and direct communication with the
Heavenly Father?
IN A VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP
Point to be noted is that, Yahshua genuinely did not use the name in his direct communications with his heavenly Father. This is true and accurate.
Which son normally does use the personal name of his Father when talking to him directly? No, None.
In most of the cultures, of the world, it is considered to be demeaning and seriously insulting to take the name of your Father when talking or communicating with him directly. Always, one uses titles or endearing words such as Father, Daddy, Dad, Papa or Abba.
So also out of total respect and honour to his Heavenly Father, Yahshua never used the personal name of the Creator Yahweh when praying or talking directly to him.
Mark records that Yahshua used the term when praying in Gethsemane shortly before his death, saying: “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; remove this cup from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.” (Mark 14:36) The two other occurrences are in Paul's letters, at Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.
During the process of
understanding, getting convinced and convicted:
John 17:3 and Romans 8: 14, 15
Also due to the
Jewish Scribes Superstitions:
God, Adonai, Hashem, LORD, Elohim, etc
Yahshua used the name
of Yahweh with people:
(Matthew 4:10; 6:9; 22:37, 38; John 12:28; 17:6)
Psalms 83:18
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is YAHWEH, art the most high over all the earth.
“YHWH,” the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus 3; 15, The name YHWH, consisting of the sequence of consonants Yod, Heh, Waw, and Heh, is known as the tetragrammaton.
Yod, Heh, Waw, Heh is a longer rendition and presentation and Word play by the Creator of all languages itself, which we have seen happening at Exodus Chapter 3 and Verses 14 and 15. This is a longer and repeat rendition of I AM or I WILL BE as I WILL BE WHATEVER I CHOOSE TO BE OR BECOME. “So God said to Moses: “I Will Become What I Choose* to Become.”*+ And he added: “This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘I Will Become has sent me to you.’” (Or “I Will Prove to Be What I Will Prove to Be.”)– Exodus 3:14 (NWT -2013 Edition)
Psalms 68:4
Sing unto Elohim, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name YAH, and rejoice before him.
Ehyeh or Ahyeh of Exodus 3:14 (Yah or I AM) refers to the SELF EXISTENCE of the Almighty Creator. Hence in English translations it is rendered as I AM, or I WILL BE or a little amplified it means I SELF EXIST.
TO CONCLUDE
As a New Student of Scriptures: God, Lord, LORD, etc
As a Convinced, Convicted and Circumcised follower of Yahshua while
communicating with the Creator: Abba, Father.
As a Believer while preaching and teaching about the Creator to others: Yah, Yahweh etc.