ABSTRACT
God promises to be with Moses (3:12), instructs him in the performance of certain marvels with his staff, and shows him how to produce other portents just as surprising to Moses as they will prove at Pharaoh’s court. But the Egyptian sorcerers know similar tricks (4:2-9, 7:10-12). Pharaoh is not impressed. He knows no such god as Moses names (5:2, 7:13). To the question about his name, God answers: I AM THAT I AM. Tell the Israelites this: “ I AM has sent me” (3:14). The Tetragrammaton, YHVH , is said to voice the same idea as God’s I AM . Moses must tell the people that I AM is the God of their fathers. When the elders hear that, God promises, they will listen (3:16, 18).
