Concerning the phrase “I AM BECOMING,” we all know that most Bibles translate it as “I AM THAT I AM.” [Exodus 3:14] This translation definitely makes little sense.
From my study in using Strongs Concordance and comparing various translations I have found the Concordant version to be most accurate. This is the only Bible I know that was translated entirely with the idea of accuracy rather than dogma or readability.
Here is how they translate the name in Exodus 3:14:
“What about his name? What shall I say to them? Then Elohim spoke to Moses: I shall come to be [just] as I am coming to be. And He said thus shall you say to the sons of Israel, I shall come-to-be has sent me to you.” Concordant Version of the Old Testament
Then the translation has a footnote which reads:
“I shall come…coming to be, literally I AM BECOMING WHO I AM BECOMING, or traditionally rendered as I AM THAT I AM, the name Yahweh is derived from this verb meaning BECOME, BE or COME.” Concordant Version of the Old Testament
One thing we know for sure. God did not tell Moses that He did not exist, but will exist in the future. Nevertheless the future tense even makes sense in light of the true meaning mentioned in the Immortal which was:
“I AM BECOMING THAT WHICH I DECIDE TO BECOME.”
When you make a decision around some goal of becoming that decision relates to what you will be in a future time or what you shall become.
Nevertheless I would guess that most scholars will acknowledge, if you back them in a corner, that I AM BECOMING WHO I AM BECOMING best represents the intent of the Hebrew.
In translating the Hebrew a little research will reveal that even a literal translation like the Concordant version is still not literal. They still have to add a lot of words that are not in the Hebrew just so we can make some sense of it when we read in English.
The real question is this: How did Moses interpret the answer? That can only be guessed at through scholarly research. The only way to know for sure is through soul communication.
The word decision or decide is definitely not in the original Hebrew, but when you realize how Moses understood the name you can see on hindsight that “I AM BECOMING THAT WHICH I DECIDE TO BECOME” fits the context better than any other statement.
Copyright 1999 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved
Download The Immortal, Book 1, Free as MP3, Text, or PDF
The Immortal is the story of an average truth seeker who stumbles across a fascinating teacher, only to discover that the man is John, the Beloved, the Revelator, an Apostle of Jesus, perhaps the most mysterious man in history, comes alive in this book. Legend has it that John never died and still roams the earth as a teacher. John finds JJ Dewey, the main character, to teach him the Twelve Keys of Knowledge to prepare the world for the new age of peace. The first question addressed in Book I is WHO OR WHAT AM I? The student gives all the standard answers…and they are all wrong. The lead character then realizes he is under the tutorage of no ordinary teacher and must apply himself in a quest for knowledge.