Not the Name Alone: A Linguistic Study of Exodus 3:14–15

Exodus 3:14–15 provide an answer to Moses’ question in v. 13, but with surprising unanimity scholars have concluded that v. 14 is the heart of the section due to the supposed significance of the name Yhwh for the determining Yhwh’s original character. This focus on v. 14 has led most scholars to ove...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wolde, Ellen J. van 1954- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2021
In: Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2021, Volume: 71, Issue: 4/5, Pages: 784-800
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B God / Name of God / Bible. Exodus 3
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B God’s name
B Exod 3
B Yhwh
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Summary:Exodus 3:14–15 provide an answer to Moses’ question in v. 13, but with surprising unanimity scholars have concluded that v. 14 is the heart of the section due to the supposed significance of the name Yhwh for the determining Yhwh’s original character. This focus on v. 14 has led most scholars to overlook the fact that v. 15a is a second answer to the question, and that v. 15b presents two complementary, but distinct dimensions of the deity. In v. 15b, the demonstratives וזה …‬ זה, the nouns שמי and זכרי, and the temporal adverbial compounds לעלם and לדר דר, each point toward two distinct referents: Yhwh and Elohim. The first clause highlights the timeless nature of Yhwh’s name, while the second clause underscores the need to memorialize Elohim as the God of the ancestors and future Israelite generations.
ISSN:1568-5330
Contains:Enthalten in: Vetus Testamentum
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685330-00001121