10-27-2023, 04:01 PM
Hello everyone,
Like I said in my intro, I'm reading through Exodus and posting questions as I come upon them. My question for this post is, what does "I will be what I will be" mean?
From Exodus 3.14-15:
Most people recognize this phrase as "I am that I am," but this translation (https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo...pter-3.htm) has it "I will be what I will be" (future tense). Is the latter more accurate? And what does it mean? How would this meaning contrast to that of "I am that I am" (if we can ascribe a meaning to the latter).
I always took "I am that I am" to mean "I am existence" or "I am the foundation/essence of being"... as in God just is existence... or maybe that in order to give existence to creation, he had to give of himself (so the world is made from God). But putting it in future tense adds a hint of "becoming" or "I am not limited to any particular form; I can (and will) be anything".
Then I also recognize that this is God's answer to Moses's question "and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" God is telling Moses what he should say to the Hebrew slaves. This is what God thinks they need to hear. It may be non-answer. It may be like saying "Never mind what my name is. I'll just be whatever I will be."
Then again, God bothers to let Moses know that "This is My name forever, and this is how I should be mentioned in every generation." <-- This seems like he is trying to emphasize the permanence of his name, which ties it back to the essence of existence (so long as existence is, so will be his name), so the emphasis on the future might just be to emphasize that existence isn't just is, it is always. I suppose this fosters a sense of confidence in this God... as in, you can rely on me being the ultimate power of existence not just today but for all time.
Is the meaning of this phrase still debated today? Do Jewish scholars all agree on a meaning? What's your thoughts on what this phrase means?
Like I said in my intro, I'm reading through Exodus and posting questions as I come upon them. My question for this post is, what does "I will be what I will be" mean?
From Exodus 3.14-15:
Exodus Wrote:14. God said to Moses, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be)," and He said, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.'" 15. And God said further to Moses, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'The Lord God of your forefathers, 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 how I should be mentioned in every generation.
Most people recognize this phrase as "I am that I am," but this translation (https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo...pter-3.htm) has it "I will be what I will be" (future tense). Is the latter more accurate? And what does it mean? How would this meaning contrast to that of "I am that I am" (if we can ascribe a meaning to the latter).
I always took "I am that I am" to mean "I am existence" or "I am the foundation/essence of being"... as in God just is existence... or maybe that in order to give existence to creation, he had to give of himself (so the world is made from God). But putting it in future tense adds a hint of "becoming" or "I am not limited to any particular form; I can (and will) be anything".
Then I also recognize that this is God's answer to Moses's question "and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" God is telling Moses what he should say to the Hebrew slaves. This is what God thinks they need to hear. It may be non-answer. It may be like saying "Never mind what my name is. I'll just be whatever I will be."
Then again, God bothers to let Moses know that "This is My name forever, and this is how I should be mentioned in every generation." <-- This seems like he is trying to emphasize the permanence of his name, which ties it back to the essence of existence (so long as existence is, so will be his name), so the emphasis on the future might just be to emphasize that existence isn't just is, it is always. I suppose this fosters a sense of confidence in this God... as in, you can rely on me being the ultimate power of existence not just today but for all time.
Is the meaning of this phrase still debated today? Do Jewish scholars all agree on a meaning? What's your thoughts on what this phrase means?