The Secret Lost When God Reveals His Name to Moses

To best understand the Bible we need to consult the original Hebrew. Every translation is an interpretation.

Now some translations are better than others, and the vast majority of Jews and Christians do not understand Hebrew. Yet, sometimes momentous ideas are lost in translation.

Among the most important ones is God’s encounter with Moses at the Burning Bush. God tells Moses to return to Egypt, confront the Pharaoh, and lead the Israelites to freedom.

Yet, Moses knows the Israelites will challenge him. He has not lived among them for twenty years.

Even then, he was a prince who lived in Pharaoh’s palace. The Israelites will ask Moses who sent him.

Why should they follow him? He needs God to help him prove his status. So Moses asks God to tell him the Divine name.