The Great “I Am”
God´s name is a reflection of His being. So what is God’s name and what does it mean? Moses asked this question, when God appeared to him in the burning bush on Mount Sinai, (Ex. 3:14). The response was: “I AM WHO I AM”. In Hebrew it is YHWH or Yahweh, known to biblical scholars as the ‘Tetragrammatons’. This name, “YHWH” refers to God’s self-existence and His self-sufficiency. He is the only one that has life in Himself.
In the Hebrew language only consonants are used in the written form, thus YHWH is what we find in the ancient texts. Because of the Jewish fear of accidentally taking the name of God in vain, (Lev. 24:16), they avoided saying this name out loud. When reading the Scriptures, they would substitute YHWH for “Adonai”, which means Lord. As a result, the true pronunciation of the name was lost. With the common use of Adonai, (Lord), and Elohim, (God), it was not long before the vowels of these names found their way into the consonants YHWH, thus producing “Yahweh.”
The Hebrew text was later translated into Greek and then some time later to Latin. Some of the letters were substituted to imitate the sounds, thus the Y was changed to J and W to V, resulting in JeHoVaH. This variant of the name happened as late as the 16th century CE. What is important is the meaning of the name. YHWH is an archaic form of the “to be” verb. “I AM who I AM” or “I WILL BE who I WILL BE”. He answers to no one. He is and defines Existence, Reality and Life. YHWH is the covenant name for God and is used mostly in God’s dealings with His people Israel, whereas Adonai is used more often when dealing with other nations.
In the context in which the Lord’s name is used, we see its meaning and learn more about His nature. YHWY specifies presence or immediacy. God is near to those who call on Him for deliverance, (Psalms 107:13), forgiveness, (Psalms 25:11), and guidance, (Psalms 31:3). Jesus revealed Himself as the Son of God when He said: “…in all truth I tell you, before Abraham ever was, I AM, (John 8.58). By Jesus referring to Himself as the I AM, He was presenting Himself as the Mediator of a New Covenant, available to all peoples. The I AM is open ended, in that it is the Lord who fills in the rest of the sentence, such as I AM the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, etc…
Scriptures to meditate on:
Gen. 2:4; Ex. 3:13-15; John 8:58; 14:6; Psalms 83:18; Deut. 6:4