Exodus 3:13

Exodus 3:13, in plain English

Moses asks God another question: if he tells the Israelites that God sent him, they'll want to know God's name—what should he say?

Why it's here

Moses is thinking practically now, moving from his own doubts to real obstacles. He knows the Israelites will ask: whose God? Which God is this? In a world of many gods, they'll need a name, something to distinguish the God of Moses from all the others. It's a good question, and it shows Moses is beginning to think about how to convince his people.

Who's speaking

Moses is speaking to God.

Where it sits in the story

This question opens the door to one of the most profound revelations in the Bible. God's name isn't just a label—it's a window into who He is. The answer He's about to give will echo through all of Scripture and human history.

The scholarly reading

Moses raises a second objection: when he goes to the Israelites and claims divine authorization, how will he answer their inevitable question about God's identity?

Language and setting

The conditional structure שִׁם־אֵלֶה אֶל־בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל (šem-ʾēleh ʾel-bənē-yisrāʾēl) shows Moses thinking pragmatically about his audience. He anticipates that the enslaved Israelites will demand credentials, proof that he speaks for the God of their ancestors. This is not abstract theology but practical missionary concern—how does one authenticate a message in the absence of institutional authority? The question מַה־שְׁמוֹ (mah-šǝmô, 'What is his name?') reflects the ancient conviction that a name disclosed essential nature and could be invoked for protection and power.

Voice

Moses, raising a practical-theological difficulty about divine authorization.

Significance

This question precipitates one of Scripture's most profound theological revelations. Moses's demand for specificity about God's name—rather than being rebuffed—becomes the occasion for God to reveal himself at a depth never before disclosed in Israel's tradition.

11But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12“I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.”

13Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?”

14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

Read all of Exodus 3 — In the silence of a desert, a bush burns without burning up — and God speaks His own name.