“Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”  God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” – Exodus 3:13-14

One of the most recognized names for God in the Old Testament is "Yahweh," the unique name that signifies His covenant authority over Israel. God disclosed this name to Moses at the burning bush while appointing him to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, an event described in Exodus. In the second section of the creation narrative (Genesis 2:4–25), Moses employs the name Yahweh eleven times. This portion of the account emphasizes God's closeness and personal interaction with humanity. While Genesis 1:1–2:3 underscores Elohim as the supreme, mighty creator, Genesis 2:4–24 underscores Yahweh as the sovereign, personal covenant-maker, who invites humanity into a relationship with Him.

Ancient Hebrew did not include written vowels, but vowels were spoken whenever the Hebrew Scriptures were read aloud. In the medieval period, Jewish scholars called the Masoretes created a system for writing vowels, although they did not add them to the word Yahweh, which is written as four letters (YHWH, in the Latin alphabet) in the Hebrew text. Interestingly, the English term Jehovah comes from a German transliteration of those four letters dating back to the 1500s, when translators merged YHWH with the vowels from Adonai, the Hebrew word for “Lord.” Today, linguists agree that "Jehovah" is a mispronunciation and that "Yahweh" more accurately represents the Hebrew consonants and vowels given to Moses. The name Yahweh is linked to the verb “to be,” as in the phrase “I Am Who I Am” (Ex. 3:14), meaning “I Am.”

In the English Bible, Yahweh is usually rendered as “LORD” (all caps) or “GOD” (all caps). To honor the sacredness of the divine name, ancient Israelites often referred to God as Adonai instead of Yahweh. Scribes further honored this practice by omitting the vowels in Yahweh, writing it only with consonants: YHWH. To prevent readers from accidentally pronouncing the name, later scribes inserted the vowels from Adonai between the consonants of YHWH, creating the hybrid term Yahowah, which is not a genuine Hebrew word. This served as a reminder to say Adonai instead of Yahweh. Some early English translations, possibly unaware that it was a hybrid name, transliterated Yahowah as Jehovah (e.g., Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4 in the KJV).

God revealed Himself as "I AM" (Yahweh) in Exodus 3:14 when He called Moses to free His people from Egypt. This name was apparently known to the patriarchs but seems to have been forgotten or overlooked by the Israelites in Egypt. Through Moses, God was now reminding them that the covenant-making God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was about to rescue them.

That Yahweh means “I Am” reveals several key aspects of God’s nature. First, it signifies that the Lord’s character is unchangeable. While we might say, “I was x last year, now I am y, and next week I could be z,” this does not apply to our Creator. Yesterday He says, “I Am,” today He says, “I Am,” and tomorrow He says, “I Am.” He cannot gain new knowledge or become more holy. None of His perfections can be diminished or enhanced. He is eternally consistent, with no shadow of change (James 1:17). Notably, Jesus also speaks of Himself using the same terms (the “I Am” statements in John; see 8:58, for example), indicating that He is one with the Father and deserving of worship and praise.

The name Yahweh also highlights a crucial difference between God's essence and our own. Both humans and the Lord possess the attribute of "beingness" — we both exist. However, our existence is derived, as we have not always existed. In contrast, God is self-existent: He has always existed and can never cease to be (Ps. 90:2).

Even the best among us are not completely reliable. We can change our minds, be caught off guard, become tired, or encounter situations that prevent us from keeping our promises. This is not true of our Creator. He is the Rock whose promises cannot fail and who is entirely and unfailingly dependable. We can place our very lives in His hands, for He will never, ever fail to fulfill His promises.