HelpingHand

In a discussion at another forum, someone claimed that YHWH's reply " I am that I am", or something along those lines, when Moses asked Him who he was, is a strong indication that Moses had a direct revelation from God, because it is supposed to be evidence of the Aristotelan-Thomistic idea of God as Pure Act whose essence is his existence.

Any ideas on how the ancinet Isrealites came to such a profound philosophical notion (if that's what it is)?

Avatar

Maybe he was prophesying the coming of Popeye.

dockeen

Would the nature of your question change depending on when the story in question might have been written?

jonJ

"Bob? Bob, this is Moses. I need your help, man. I've talked myself into a corner."

"How's that, Mo?"

"The guys have been asking why they have to do what I tell them, and the best I could come up with was some big guy in the sky who would beat the crap out of them if they didn't."

"That doesn't sound very bright."

"I was desperate, man. What am I supposed to say -- 'You're dumb peasants, and I'm an educated aristocrat?' You can imagine how that would have gone over."

"Okay, so what's your problem?"

"This guy in the sky -- now they want to know all about him. What's he like, what does he wear, what does he eat? I'm making crap up as fast as I can, but they're just not satisfied. I need some way to shut them down."

"OK -- just tell them he doesn't like questions. He's a big mean psychopath, right, and if you ask too many questions about him he'll bust your balls."

"That's a great idea! Thanks, Bob. You've saved my life."

"And wrap it up in an impressive slogan. People love impressive slogans. Especially if they don't mean shit."

"Will do! Thanks again, Bob. I owe you one."

Keith&Co.

I thought it was just a lazy way to say 'I'm so far beyond what you can comprehend, any answer i give is going to be wrong, at least in how your mind tries to process it.'

My dad said it was more like, (shrug) "Eh, so who should i be?"

Davka

The Hebrew can also be rendered as 'I will be who I will be.' I always thought it was something along the lines of 'tell them it's me, you dumbfuck!'

The implication being that the Hebrews were supposed to already know who god was, or some such BS.

Sheshbazzar

Without going into the technicalities of hundreds of verses of the Hebrew 'HaWaH' causative verb form for 'was', 'is', and 'shall be, "I AM that I AM" is only an approximation of the Hebrew phrase. The sense is one of a self existing reality that 'causes to exist all that exists' or 'bringing into being all that was, is, shall be'.

It is the ultimate expression of "I -'GODDIDIT', 'GODDOESIT', 'GODWILLDOIT'. The ultimate claim to be the sole source of all that 'WAS, IS, and WILL BE'.
'I AM THAT ONE MAKING HAPPEN'

Not really all that profound when one is an extreme monotheist. ALL things in heavens and earth originate with, and are only existent because YHWH willfully makes them to be.

Without YHWH there would be nothing, not even a vacuum or empty space. because even an empty space has dimensions that define its boundaries and duration.

Without YHWH there are no dimensions by which to measure or define anything. A material object does not exist unless it occupies a definable portion of space and of time in precise and measurable relationships to all other objects occupying, 'being', existent in space and in time.

wordy

Did not Martin Buber and a friend of him retranslate that text
to something like "I am that which I will become" or similar.

i think it shows that texts that are so old are impossible to translate.
One would have to know the person writing the text to get their intent with it.

George S

(Entire Wiki article on Causal Case: "The causal or causative case (abbreviated caus) is a grammatical case that indicates that the marked noun is the cause or reason for something. It is found in the Dravidian language Telugu and the Native South American language Quechua."

I am surprised that Hebrew wasn't mentioned.)
So, I AM [the cause] that I AM [was and will be]?

George S

In the ancient world, names were said to have power.

In a sense, to say that phrase means: I have no name. There is no word that encompasses all that I am. HaYaH uses the HYH triplet of consonants that is associated with the general concept of being.

אֶהְיֶה (transliterated ehyeh) is sometimes translated as I am, but also translated will be or shall be.

I am the essence of being, perhaps. Everything that exists at all I am, was and shall be.