I Am that I Am 

(Hebrew: ‫אהיה אשר אהיה‬, pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh [ʔehˈje ʔaˈʃer ʔehˈje] is

a common English translation (King James Bible and others) 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 Torah.[citation needed] Hayah means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew; "ehyeh" is the first person
singular imperfect form. Ehyeh asher ehyeh is generally interpreted to mean I am that I am,
though it more literally translates 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
ofmonotheism that God exists 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" (watching) and "shaqed"
(almond branch) found in Jeremiah 1:11-12.

Roman Catholic Church interpretation

The Roman Catholic Church's interpretation has been summarized in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church. 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 WHAT 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.
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.

[changer]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).

[changer]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.

In the Hindu Advaita Vedanta, the South Indian sage Ramana Maharshi mentions that of all the

definitions of God, "none is indeed so well put as the biblical statement “I am that I am”". He
maintained that although Hindu scripture contains similar statements, the Mahavakyas, these are
not as direct as Jehovah. [1] Further the "I am" is explained by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj as an
abstraction in the mind of the Stateless State, of the Absolute, or the Supreme Reality,
called Parabrahman. It is pure awareness, prior to thoughts, free from perceptions, associations,
memories.

To New Age author Eckhart Tolle, God is and God is omnipresent, in everyone and everything.
A name, like all words, is just an abstract label, a "sign post" that points to a meaning: God is
presence. God is real. "And what is God's self-definition in the Bible? Did God say, "I have
always been, and I always will be?" Of course not. That would have given reality to past and
future. God said: "I AM THAT I AM." No time here, just presence."[2]

[changer]In popular culture

  In the 1999 Kevin Smith satire Dogma, a group of characters have been ordered by
angels on a mission from God to meet with Cardinal Glick (George Carlin) to stop him
from opening his church the following day, or else demonic forces will destroy the world.
They are accompanied by the “lost 13th apostle” Rufus (Chris Rock) who has descended
back to the mortal plane to help them. When they finally get to sit down in Cardinal
Glick’s office, they find it hard to explain their ludicrous-but-true mission to him, and
fumble around with an explanation for why they have come. Ultimately, Rufus leaps to
his feet and dramatically declares “We were sent by Him who is called I Am!!” Glick is
instantly dismissive and thinks they’re joking, causing Rufus to turn back to his
companions and make the deadpan remark “It worked for Moses…”
 In the cartoon Popeye, The character of Popeye often uses a variation of this phrase "I am
what I am."

[changer]References

1. ^ Talks with Ramana Maharshi, Talk 106, 29th November, 1935

2. ^ Tolle, Eckhart. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Novato, CA:
New World Library, 2004. ISBN 1-57731-152-3

[changer]External links

 Brush Up on Your Bible: The Many Names of God (I am that I am)