A human question, and its answer
What Is His Name?
At the burning bush, Moses pressed God with a further question: if he went to Israel and said God had sent him, they would ask God's name, and what should he say? "What is his name? what shall I say unto them?" God's answer, "I AM THAT I AM," is one of the most profound self-revelations in Scripture.
“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?”Exodus 3:13
Who asked, and why
Who asked, and why. Moses asked this at Horeb, after God had commissioned him to lead Israel out of Egypt (Exod 3:13). In the ancient world a name was not a mere label but a revelation of character, authority, and reality. Moses knew his people had been slaves for generations in a land of many gods, each with its own name and story. If he came claiming that the God of their fathers had sent him, they would rightly want to know which God, by what name, with what power. Moses was not being evasive; he was asking for the credentials that would give his message weight. He needed to know the One who was sending him well enough to speak for him. Behind the question is a man who longs to be sure of the God he serves, standing before a mystery he cannot name on his own. It is the question of everyone who wants to know not just that there is a God, but who this God truly is.
The answer
The answer. "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" (Exod 3:14). Then God added, "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" (Exod 3:15). The name reveals a God who simply is, self existent, dependent on nothing, bound by no beginning or end. Unlike the idols of Egypt, made and named by men, this God names himself out of his own eternal being. He is not a link in a chain of causes; he is the ground of all that exists. Yet this eternal I AM is not remote. He ties his name to a covenant history, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to a people whose affliction he has seen. The infinite God has drawn near to the enslaved.
How Christ answers it
How Christ answers it. Centuries later, in a temple courtyard, Jesus astonished his hearers by taking this very name upon himself. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). His listeners understood at once, for they took up stones to stone him. He was claiming the name of the eternal God. Again and again Jesus said "I am," the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life. The name that answered Moses from the fire now walked the roads of Galilee in flesh. The great I AM did more than reveal his name; he came to bear it among us and to lay down his life for us. To know God's name is no longer only to hear "I AM THAT I AM," but to see his face in Jesus Christ, in whom the eternal God has made himself fully known.
Questions people ask
What does "I AM THAT I AM" mean?
It reveals God as self existent and eternal, the One who owes his being to nothing and no one. He is not made or named by others but is the source of all existence, the God who simply and always is (Exod 3:14).
Why is this name connected to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
God ties his eternal name to his covenant with real people, showing that the infinite God is also personal and faithful across generations. "This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations" (Exod 3:15).
Did Jesus really claim this name?
Yes. In John 8:58 Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am," deliberately taking the divine name upon himself. His hearers understood the claim and took up stones, recognizing that he was declaring himself to be God.