Re: A cautionary word on EHYEH/YHWH

wes.williams@twcable.com
Thu, 08 Aug 96 18:14:45 MST

Dear Edward:

<<
EHYEH ASHER EHYEH.
[I AM (is) WHO I AM]
"And he said, `Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel,
"EHYEH has sent me to you."'"
[I AM]

EHYEH means "I am". YHWH means "[?]" (name of the God who
spoke to Moses, and whose name was especially sacred). They are
not the same word, form, or (in any clear way) related to each
other except through this text. >>

Thank you for your involvement and the clarification. I am in
need of some clarification since I do not know Hebrew. I know
that EHYEH does not correspond to the present tense. My reference
here tells me it is a qal imperfect and I don't have a clue what
a qal is. If I remember properly, this is "causative" in form. In
other words, is not "I AM" a somewhat incorrect translation of
EHYEH? Would it not be more properly rendered "I will be?" or "I
will become?" or "I will cause to be?"

The KJV has the same word twice at Zech 2:5.

KJV Zechariah 2:5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto
her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in
the midst of her.

Is there a reason for translating it as "I AM" here instead of "I will
be" or something like that? I know that this is better suited for the
Hebrew forum but thought you or others might know.

Wes