Exodus 3:13-15

Back to Exodus 3

13 Moses 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?” 14 God 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.’” 15 God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘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 is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations. Exodus 3:13-15WEB

Classification

The Command/Principle

This passage contains two related positive commands, with immediate application, directed toward Moses:

• "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
• "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you"

The commands are given in answer to Moses's question, "when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?"

Categories

These commands are part of the Principles and Definitions, aiding in our understanding of the Creator-Creation Distinction and of the Name of God.

Fulfillment

The immediate commands, pertaining to the way that Moses should refer to God when speaking with the Israelites, are evidently fulfilled by Moses, inasmuch as Israel does later follow him out of Egypt in order to obey their God.

Topics

This principle has direct relevance to an understanding of the following topics:

• Creator-Creation Distinction
• Name of God