The term I Am That I Am is derived and translated from the old Hebrew term, Ehyeh asher ehyeh. The term itself is a direct reference to God, and is used often within Jewish Old Testament scripture. The Biblical source of the term, is from Exodus Chapter 3 verse 14, when Moses asks God what his name is, and God responds to Moses stating I Am That I Am. The expression is probably one of the most renown from the whole Torah, also known as the Five Books of Moses. There is some minor dispute occasionally over the exact translation of the term Ehyeh asher ehyeh into English. The word hayah in Hebrew means was or existed, and the Hebrew term ehyeh is the first person singular imperfect form of the same word. Thus many scholars believe that the exact translation should read I shall be that I shall be, not I Am That I Am. Not all religious scholars agree with this however, and much prefer to use the oldest Bible version of the English translation.
Within Judaism and the Hebrew Bible, the term or word ehyeh occurs exactly forty three different times in various areas of scripture. In English translations of the Torah, the term ehyeh is usually translated to mean I will be, and such is the case with the first and last appearance of the word. This first occurrence is in Genesis Chapter 26 verse 3, and the very last occurrence is in Zechariah Chapter 8 verse 8. The root of the Hebrew word's meaning, lies within the idea of monotheism itself, which is that God is only one, and that he exists without any rival. By stating I will be or I Am That I Am, God is telling Moses that he does not depend on anything else, and that he exists unto himself alone. There are some religious scholars and academics that have concluded that Tetragrammaton itself is based upon the same verbal root of ehyeh, however others claim it only sounds similar, such as in the case of the Old Testament Book of Psalm Chapter 119.
There are some religious branches that claim that the phrase I Am That I Am, is the true name of God, and the only name that can be accurately attributed to him. These groups also claim that other names attributed to him, such as God the Father, the Holy Spirit, Jehovah, Yahweh, the Rock, the Truth, are all inaccurate and contrary to what God himself spoke to Moses. Obviously this is an extremely puritan view, and most mainstream Abrahamic religions reject the notion outright, as both Jesus and the Apostles used other names to describe God. Others have even come forward and claimed that the term Yahweh actually translates to mean I am who I choose to be. So as you see, many people will get tangled up and bent out of shape over the terms used to described God, with certain groups splintering into fringe sects as a result. I tend to stay out of such trivial manners, as they are simply white noise that serves only as a frustrating distraction.
Many Kabbalists and Protestants even have their very own interpretation of the term I Am That I Am. Within the Christian Protestant faith, they use the ancient Greek term from New Testament scripture John Chapter 8 verse 58, which is ego eimi, translated into English it means I Am, or I Exist. With regard to Kabbalists, they claim that the portion of the Torah referring to the term is esoteric, and cannot be understood by anyone other than Moses himself, and that the translation into written text is simply metaphorical. Some believe that God didn't talk to Moses in Hebrew, but through his own language, which Moses was blessed enough to hear and comprehend at the time. That wraps up this quick article on one of the many names of God, I hope that you learned something new. If you enjoyed this article, then I would like to encourage you to keep browsing through our website, as we have tones of other religious and angel related articles.
