I am that I am
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I am that I am (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh) is one English translation of the response God used in the Bible when Moses asked for his name (Exodus 3:14). It is one of the most famous verses in the Old Testament. Hayah means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew; "ehyeh" is the first person singular present/future form. Ehyeh asher ehyeh is generally interpreted to mean I am that I am (King James Bible and others), yet, as indicated, is most literally translated as "I-shall-be that I-shall-be."
The word Ehyeh is used a total of 43 places in the Old Testament, where it is usually translated as "I will be" -- as is the case for its first occurrence, in Exodus 3:12 -- or "I shall be," as is the case for its final occurrence in Zechariah 8:8. It stems from the Hebrew conception of monotheism that God exists within each and everyone and by himself, the uncreated Creator who does not depend on anything or anyone; therefore I am who I am. Some scholars state the Tetragrammaton itself derives from the same verbal root, but others counter that it may simply sound similar as intended by God, such as Psalm 119 and the Hebrew words "shoqed" (almond branch) and "shaqed" (watching) found in Jeremiah 1:11-12.
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[edit] Hebrew grammatical tense and purported implication
Theologians have many different explanations for the meaning behind this phrase. Many theologians explain that I am that I am is better translated to I be that I be. The ancient Hebrew language does not have a past, present, or future tense. Instead, it has an imperfective aspect and perfective aspect as indicators of time, with no actual determined time.
Perfective aspect is something that is completed, or will be definitely completed. Imperfect is something that has not been completed, might be completed or might be completed in the future (there is no definite).
Ehyeh is in the imperfective aspect, and can be understood as God saying that he is "in the process of being", a reference saying that his work is not yet complete, and may never be complete.
[edit] Catholic Church interpretation
The Catholic Church's interpretation has been summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a product of twenty centuries of theology and teaching since the establishment of the Church in the year 33 AD, and adapted from the Catechism of the 16th century Council of Trent. The interpretation is found in numbers 203-213.
Some of the salient points are the following:
203 God revealed himself to his people Israel by making his name known to them. A name expresses a person's essence and identity and the meaning of this person's life. God has a name; he is not an anonymous force. To disclose one's name is to make oneself known to others; in a way it is to hand oneself over by becoming accessible, capable of being known more intimately and addressed personally.
206 In revealing his mysterious name, YHWH ("I AM HE WHO IS", "I AM WHO AM" or "I AM WHO I AM"), God says who he is and by what name he is to be called. This divine name is mysterious just as God is mystery. It is at once a name revealed and something like the refusal of a name, and hence it better expresses God as what he is - infinitely above everything that we can understand or say: he is the "hidden God", his name is ineffable, and he is the God who makes himself close to men.
207 God, who reveals his name as "I AM", reveals himself as the God who is always there, present to his people in order to save them.
[edit] "A God merciful and gracious"
210 After Israel's sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses' prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love. When Moses asks to see his glory, God responds "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name 'the LORD' [YHWH]." Then the LORD passes before Moses and proclaims, "YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"; Moses then confesses that the LORD is a forgiving God.
211 The divine name, "I Am" or "He Is", expresses God's faithfulness: despite the faithlessness of men's sin and the punishment it deserves, he keeps "steadfast love for thousands"... By giving his life to free us from sin, Jesus reveals that he himself bears the divine name: "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will realize that "I AM"."
212 In God "there is no variation or shadow due to change."
213 The revelation of the ineffable name "I AM WHO AM" contains then the truth that God alone IS. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and following it the Church's Tradition, understood the divine name in this sense: God is the fullness of Being and of every perfection, without origin and without end. All creatures receive all that they are and have from him; but he alone is his very being, and he is of himself everything that he is.
[edit] Kabbalist interpretation
Kabbalists have long deemed that the Torah contains esoteric information. The response given by God is considered significant by many Kabbalists, because it is seen as proof in the divine nature of God's name, a central idea in Kabbalah (and to a lesser degree Judaism in general). One Kabbalist interpretation is that the response given to Moses means "I am my name", perhaps signifying that the power of God may actually be in his very name.
[edit] Other views
Some religious groups believe that this phrase or at least the "I am" part of the phrase is an actual name of God, or to lesser degree the sole name of God. It can be found in many lists where other common names of God are shown.
[edit] Assyrians (aramaic speaking minority) interpretation of the phrase
Aramaic and hebrew coexisted for centuries in the middle east and there was a lot of mixing and word exchange between aramaic and hebrew speaking people. In aramaic "asher" comes from "asharo", which means "the beginning" or "the start." The word Ehyeh in aramaic means "I am," just as in Hebrew. So for God to say "Ehyeh asher Ehyeh" this would mean "I am the beginning I am."
