Expert: Scott Talbot - 7/20/2011

Question
How many times is the name I Am mentioned in the O.T and how many in the N.T.? Where is the scripture that ties God and Jesus together in this name, I AM?

Answer
Hi Calvin,

In Exodus 3, when God commissioned Moses to speak on His behalf to Pharoah and to the nation of Israel, He gave to Moses the name by which He wanted to be known:

Moses said to 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?' Then what shall I tell them?" God 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.' "

The name, Yahweh, or Jehovah, is the Hebrew equivalent of "I AM," and came to be the name used to describe God's self-existent and eternal character.

In John 8, the Pharisees challenged Jesus' identity and authority. This is where Jesus used the name of God, I AM, to describe Himself and claim deity. The Jews asked, "Who do you think you are? To this, He replied, "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

How many times is the name, I AM, mentioned in the OT and NT? That would be difficult to count. Even using a concordance would be challenging, as the phrase, I am, occurs numerous times in other contexts without reference to God's name.

Scott