Exodus 3:14 (The Burning Bush)
Torah / Exodus · The revelation of the unconditioned divine name Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
- First attested
- 6th century BCEMasoretic Text of Exodus; Dead Sea Scrolls fragments.
“And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Divine reality is pure, living existence itself, transcending every conceptual container.
Exodus 3:1–15 (Tanakh); Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed I.63.
The revelation of the unconditioned divine name "I AM WHO I AM" from the unconsumed bush on Mount Horeb.
In Exodus 3, Moses encounters a bush burning with fire upon Mount Horeb that is not consumed. Approaching the sacred mystery, he is commanded to remove his sandals upon holy ground. When Moses asks for the name of the God of his ancestors, the divine voice answers: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh ("I AM THAT I AM" or "I Will Be What I Will Be"). Across Jewish, Christian, and philosophical traditions, this represents God as pure, unconditioned Being itself (Ipsum Esse Subsistens).
Light
Experiencing unconditioned divine presence, sacred reverence, and inner authority.
Shadow
Superstitious awe, dogmatic fundamentalism, and projecting ego onto divine authority.
