EXODUS 3:14

I AM WHO I AM

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) & KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)

TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT

WORDS OF GOD IN RED

After Moses encounters God on a mountain he asks God what he can tell the Isrealites about Him after he returns. God's begins His reply with “I AM THAT I AM.” Other versions of the Bible use the “I AM WHO I AM” wording. This comes from the ancient Hebrew word אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה (hāyâ) meaning to exist, be or become.

To get what Exodus 3:14 means in detail, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.

Verse Picture

Verse (KJV) with Popularity

“And God 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.

Very high popularity: 3,600 searches a month
Popularity relative to other verses in Exodus chapter 3 using average monthly Google searches.

Exodus 3:14 Translation & Meaning

What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].

KJV Verse Original Hebrew Meaning/ Definition
This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail.
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Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word.
And God אֱלֹהִים֙ Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative God
said וַיֹּ֤אמֶר To say (used with great latitude) said
unto אֶל Near, with or among; often in general, to unto
Moses, מֹשֶׁ֔ה Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver Moses
I AM אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) AM
THAT אֲשֶׁ֣ר Who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc THAT
I AM: אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) AM
and he said, וַיֹּ֗אמֶר To say (used with great latitude) said
Thus כֹּ֤ה Properly, like this, i.e., by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now Thus
shalt thou say תֹאמַר֙ To say (used with great latitude) say
unto the children לִבְנֵ֣י A son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.) children
of Israel, יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל He will rule as God; Jisraël, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity Israel
I AM אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) AM
hath sent שְׁלָחַ֥נִי To send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications) sent
me unto אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ Near, with or among; often in general, to me unto
you. אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ Near, with or among; often in general, to you

Verse Context

See Exodus 3:14 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.

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  • 12  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

  • 13  And Moses said unto God, Behold, 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?

  • 14  And God 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.

  • 15  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

  • 16  Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:




Sources:

The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.


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