Passage Study
God Reveals His Name: The One Who Will Be With His People
Exodus 3:13–3:22
Exodus 3:13–22 answers Moses’ question about God’s name with a revelation of the Lord’s living, self-existent, and faithful presence. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will act as He promised. His name gives Israel confidence for a confrontation with Pharaoh and points forward to Jesus, who reveals the Father and accomplishes the promised rescue.
- In this study
- 10 verses · 5 movements
Exodus 3
3:13Moses 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?”
3:14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
3:15God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations.
3:16Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.
3:17I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
3:18They will listen to your voice. You shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD, our God.’
3:19I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand.
3:20I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do among them, and after that he will let you go.
3:21I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
3:22But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing. You shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall plunder the Egyptians.”
CONTEXTUAL OVERVIEW
Moses anticipates Israel’s understandable question: who has sent him? A liberator’s personal authority will not be enough when he tells enslaved people to trust a new future and confront Pharaoh. God answers by giving Moses His own name and by binding that name to His remembered relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The answer is not a philosophical puzzle detached from the story. The Lord reveals Himself as the God who is and who will be present in the deliverance He has announced. His name is to be remembered through generations because His faithfulness is not limited to Moses’ lifetime.
HISTORICAL AND LITERARY CONTEXT
The name appears in a scene of covenant rescue. Israel has lived under a king who claims the power to define their lives, but the God of their fathers speaks His own name and announces what Pharaoh cannot prevent. The following chapters will show that this name is disclosed through judgment and deliverance, not merely through a verbal explanation.
The Hebrew expression rendered “I AM WHO I AM” is connected to the divine name YHWH. Its grammar has been discussed in several ways, including the sense “I will be what I will be.” The immediate narrative emphasis is clear: God will be faithfully present with His people and will keep the promise He has made.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
- The name · Exodus 3:15God’s name identifies Him as the living Lord whose presence and freedom cannot be reduced to Pharaoh’s claims.
- The elders · Exodus 3:16Moses is not sent as an isolated hero; Israel’s leaders are gathered to hear and carry the Lord’s word.
- The resistance · Exodus 3:13Pharaoh’s refusal is predicted, placing the coming conflict inside God’s declared purpose rather than outside His control.
CHRIST IN THIS PASSAGE
Jesus does not simply repeat the bush scene, but John’s Gospel deliberately records Him using “I am” language while revealing the Father’s saving work. Those sayings must be read in their immediate settings, yet together they present Jesus as more than a teacher: He makes known the God who acts to save and gives His life for His people.
The name revealed to Moses is joined to a mission of deliverance. Jesus brings that mission to its climax by making the Father known, bearing sin at the cross, and rising to give eternal life. The church therefore invokes God’s name with confidence, not as a religious formula, but because the crucified and risen Son has opened the way to the Father.
REFLECTION
When fear asks whether God is truly present, Exodus does not direct us first to our strength, numbers, or prospects. It directs us to the Lord’s name and His covenant character. His promise does not deny the reality of opposition; it gives a deeper ground for endurance within it.
Jesus teaches believers to know God as Father through Him. That confidence should make our witness both humble and steady. We do not announce a private spiritual idea; we bear the name of the God who has acted in history to rescue sinners and will complete His purpose.
Original Hebrew Word Study
Exodus 3:14
אֶהְיֶה
ehyeh · H1961
Usually translated: I am / I will be
Ehyeh is a form of “to be.” Its wording can carry the sense “I will be,” stressing that the God who names Himself will be present and faithful in the deliverance He promises.
Follow the Scripture trail
God Reveals His Name: The One Who Will Be With His People in the larger story
The connection: God’s revealed name assures Israel that the covenant God Himself will defeat Pharaoh and keep His word. Jesus reveals that same God to the world and fulfills His saving purpose through His death and resurrection, bringing people into lasting knowledge of the Father.
Respond to the passage
When you are tempted to measure God’s faithfulness by immediate circumstances, return to what He has shown of Himself in Jesus. Trust His character, speak His gospel plainly, and let His promised presence steady your next act of obedience.
- Why does Moses need God’s name rather than simply more reassurance about his own ability?
- How do the predicted resistance and predicted rescue work together in this passage?
- What is careful and helpful about connecting Exodus 3 with Jesus’ revelation of the Father?
Prayer
Faithful Lord, thank You that Your name reveals Your constant presence and covenant mercy. Keep me from defining You by my fears. Through Jesus, teach me to know You truly, trust Your saving purpose, and bear witness to Your name with humility. Amen.