וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃
At sinabi ng Diyos kay Moises: “AKO AY MAGIGING KUNG ANO AKO MAGIGING.” At sinabi Niya: “Ganito ang sasabihin mo sa mga anak ni Israel: ‹AKO AY MAGIGING› ang nagsugo sa akin sa inyo.”
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
I will be that I will be (Ex. 3, 14).The Holy One, praised be He! said unto Moses, "Go and tell Israel that I was with you during this subjugation and I will be with you during the next subjugation." So Moses said unto Him: "Sovereign of the Universe, is not the affliction terrible enough when it is really present [without telling of it beforehand]?" Whereupon the Holy One, praised be He! said unto Moses: "Then go and tell, 'I will be,' sent me unto you." Answer me, O Lord, answer me (I Kings 18, 37). R. Abuhu said: "Why did Elijah say twice. Answer me? We infer from this that Elijah said, before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe, answer me that a fire shall come down from Heaven and consume everything that is upon the altar; and answer me, to remove from their mind that they shall not think it was the result of sorcery,' as it is said (Ib.) Thou hast turned their hearts back again.":
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
(Zech. 14, 9) And the Lord will be king over all the earth; on that day shall the Lord be (acknowledged) One, and His name be One. Is He then not One to-day? R. Acha b. Chaninah said: "This world is not like the world to come; in this world, when good tidings are received, a man says: Blessed be He who is good and beneficent and upon the information of bad tidings, he says: Blessed be He, the true Judge. But in the world to come, only the first benediction will be pronounced [for there shall be no more bad tidings]." His name shall be One. What means this passage? Is then His name not One even today? R. Nachman b. Isaac said: "Not as this world is the world to come; in this world His name is written Yud, Hay, and pronounced Alef, Daleth, while in the world to come it will be pronounced as it is written, with Yud, Hay." Raba wanted to lecture [concerning the explanation of God's name] from the pulpit; so a senior scholar warned him against it, saying: "It is written (Ex. 3, 14) [This is my name] Le'olam [hence you must not openly discuss it]." R. Abina raised the following contradiction: "It is written, This is my name, Le'olam (to de concealed), and then it is written, This is my memorial unto all generations [showing that it should be read without concealing it];" i.e., "Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He! Not as My name is written shall it be pronounced: it is written Yud, Hay, but is prononced Alef Daleth."
Shemot Rabbah
“God said to Moses: 'I will be what I will be,' and He said: 'So shall you say to the children of Israel: I will be has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14).
“God said to Moses” – Rabbi Abba bar Mamal said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: You seek to know My name? I am named according to My actions. At [different] times I am named God Almighty [El Shaddai], [Lord of] Hosts [Tzevaot], God [Elohim], the Lord [Y-H-V-H].15The ineffable name, pronounced Adonai. When I judge [My] creatures, I am called Elohim. When I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tzevaot. When I abide a person’s sins, I am called El Shaddai. When I have mercy on My world I am called Y-H-V-H, as Y-H-V-H is nothing other than the attribute of mercy, as it is stated: “Y-H-V-H, Y-H-V-H, merciful and gracious God” (Exodus 34:6). That is, “I will be what I will be,” I am named based on My actions.
Rabbi Yitzḥak says: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Say to them: It is I who have been with you in the past, and it is I now, and it is I in the future;’ therefore, “I will be” is written three times.
Another interpretation: “I will be what I will be,” – Rabbi Yaakov son of Rabbi Avina said in the name of Rabbi Huna of Tzipporin: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Say to them: In this servitude I will be with them and into servitude they are going and I will be with them.’ He said before Him: ‘Is that what I should say to them? The present trouble is sufficient.’16An expression meaning that one should not concern oneself with future troubles that are not in one’s control. He said to him: ‘No, “so shall you say to the children of Israel: I will be has sent me to you.” I am informing you, but I am not informing them.’
Another interpretation: “I will be [ehyeh]” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said in the name of Rabbi Ammi: They are standing with mortar and bricks, and to mortar and bricks they are going. Likewise, regarding Daniel: “I, Daniel, was stricken [niyeti]17The verb root is the same as ehyeh. The verse in Daniel serves as a prooftext to the notion that the root heh yod heh can refer to suffering. and became ill” (Daniel 8:27). He [Moses] said before Him: ‘Is that what I should say to them?’ He said to him: ‘No, but rather “Ehyeh has sent me to you.”’18As in the previous opinion, God tells Moses to inform them only that God will help them in the present suffering and not about His help in any future suffering.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: I will be for whom I will be for individuals; but for the masses, even against their will, not for their well-being, while breaking their teeth, I will rule over them, as it is stated: “As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with outpoured fury, I will rule over you” (Ezekiel 20:33).
Another matter, as Rabbi Ananiel ben Rabbi Sason said: The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘When I wish, one of the angels, who is one-third the size of the world, extends his hand from the heavens and touches the earth, as it is stated: “He19An angel. extended the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head” (Ezekiel 8:3). And when I wished, I made three of them sit under a tree, as it is stated: “And recline under the tree” (Genesis 18:4). And when I wish, My glory fills the entire world, as it is stated: “Don’t I fill the heavens and the earth? – the utterance of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). And when I wished, I spoke to Job from the tempest, as it is stated: “The Lord answered Job from the tempest” (Job 38:1); and when I wish, from the midst of the bush.’
“God said to Moses” – Rabbi Abba bar Mamal said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: You seek to know My name? I am named according to My actions. At [different] times I am named God Almighty [El Shaddai], [Lord of] Hosts [Tzevaot], God [Elohim], the Lord [Y-H-V-H].15The ineffable name, pronounced Adonai. When I judge [My] creatures, I am called Elohim. When I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tzevaot. When I abide a person’s sins, I am called El Shaddai. When I have mercy on My world I am called Y-H-V-H, as Y-H-V-H is nothing other than the attribute of mercy, as it is stated: “Y-H-V-H, Y-H-V-H, merciful and gracious God” (Exodus 34:6). That is, “I will be what I will be,” I am named based on My actions.
Rabbi Yitzḥak says: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Say to them: It is I who have been with you in the past, and it is I now, and it is I in the future;’ therefore, “I will be” is written three times.
Another interpretation: “I will be what I will be,” – Rabbi Yaakov son of Rabbi Avina said in the name of Rabbi Huna of Tzipporin: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Say to them: In this servitude I will be with them and into servitude they are going and I will be with them.’ He said before Him: ‘Is that what I should say to them? The present trouble is sufficient.’16An expression meaning that one should not concern oneself with future troubles that are not in one’s control. He said to him: ‘No, “so shall you say to the children of Israel: I will be has sent me to you.” I am informing you, but I am not informing them.’
Another interpretation: “I will be [ehyeh]” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said in the name of Rabbi Ammi: They are standing with mortar and bricks, and to mortar and bricks they are going. Likewise, regarding Daniel: “I, Daniel, was stricken [niyeti]17The verb root is the same as ehyeh. The verse in Daniel serves as a prooftext to the notion that the root heh yod heh can refer to suffering. and became ill” (Daniel 8:27). He [Moses] said before Him: ‘Is that what I should say to them?’ He said to him: ‘No, but rather “Ehyeh has sent me to you.”’18As in the previous opinion, God tells Moses to inform them only that God will help them in the present suffering and not about His help in any future suffering.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: I will be for whom I will be for individuals; but for the masses, even against their will, not for their well-being, while breaking their teeth, I will rule over them, as it is stated: “As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with outpoured fury, I will rule over you” (Ezekiel 20:33).
Another matter, as Rabbi Ananiel ben Rabbi Sason said: The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘When I wish, one of the angels, who is one-third the size of the world, extends his hand from the heavens and touches the earth, as it is stated: “He19An angel. extended the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head” (Ezekiel 8:3). And when I wished, I made three of them sit under a tree, as it is stated: “And recline under the tree” (Genesis 18:4). And when I wish, My glory fills the entire world, as it is stated: “Don’t I fill the heavens and the earth? – the utterance of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). And when I wished, I spoke to Job from the tempest, as it is stated: “The Lord answered Job from the tempest” (Job 38:1); and when I wish, from the midst of the bush.’