Exodus 3:13

13 Moses said to God, Lo! I shall go to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, [The] God of your fathers sent me to you; (and) if they shall say to me, What is his name, what shall I say to them?

Exodus 3:13 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 3:13

And Moses said unto God
Having received full satisfaction to his objection, taken from his own unfitness for such a service, and willing to have his way quite clear unto him, and his commission appear firm and valid to his people, he proceeds to observe another difficulty that might possibly arise: when I come unto the children of Israel:
out of Midian into Egypt; and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you;
with a message to them to receive him as his ambassador and their deliverer: and they shall say unto me, what is his name?
a question it was probable they would ask, not through ignorance, since in their distress they had called upon the name of the Lord, and cried unto him for help and deliverance; but either to try Moses, and what knowledge he had of God: or there being many names by which he had made himself known; and especially was wont to make use of a new name or title when he made a new appearance, or any eminent discovery of himself, they might be desirous of knowing what was the present name he took: what shall I say unto them?
what name shall I make mention of?

Exodus 3:13 In-Context

11 And Moses said to him, Who am I, that I go to Pharaoh, and lead out the sons of Israel from Egypt? (And Moses said to him, Who am I, that I go to Pharaoh, and lead out the Israelites from Egypt?)
12 And the Lord said to Moses, I shall be with thee, and thou shalt have this sign, that I have sent thee; when thou hast led out my people from Egypt, thou shalt offer to God on this hill (when thou hast led my people out of Egypt, thou shalt worship God here on this mountain).
13 Moses said to God, Lo! I shall go to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, [The] God of your fathers sent me to you; (and) if they shall say to me, What is his name, what shall I say to them?
14 The Lord said to Moses, I am that I am. (And) The Lord said, Thus thou shalt say to the sons of Israel, He that is, sent me to you.
15 And again God said to Moses, Thou shalt say these things to the sons of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, sent me to you; this name is to me without end, and this is my memorial in generation and into generation. (And then God said to Moses, Thou shalt say this to the Israelites, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, sent me to you; this is my name forever, and this is my title for all generations.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.