I AM That I am YAM?

Dan Baxley

servant@yahshuaservant.com

See Also -- IAM or YAM

 

(Exo 3:14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.  KJV

 Special Note from the author of this article:  I would like to make it plain that this article is covering a new look at the "IAM that IAM" and the Greek influence upon the Hebrew Scriptures and no one, that is, NO ONE, is making this observation.  This is not a point of "salvation", and it is not an absolute and I admit to this being my own speculation and even guessing in some places to make my point.  Scripture is always first and it is the scriptures you should be most atune to not the rantings of someone like me with a new "theory" to push.  But I do find this observation concerning IAM that IAM interesting and worth a look. 

IAM = HaYaH

  Knowing and understanding that our God and Savior has a personal Name and that the God of Israel also has a Personal Name we can look at the Hebrew Scriptures and the correct wording, without the Greek, and we come up with the Hebrew "ha" for the Greek "I" and the Hebrew YaH in place of the Greek for "AM".  Marvelous isn't it?  Ha-YeH, or I YaH, I-YeH, if you insist on including the Greek or discarding the Greek all together we have Ha-YaH, or THE YaH.  If you think I am making this up then let's have a look at Strong's Hebrew Dictionary:

(Exodus 3:14, IAM)  H1961 - hayah - A primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, that is, be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): - beacon, X altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), continue, do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, X use.

So, what do we see if we stay with the Hebrew only?  "And God (El) said to Moses, The YaH that (that is to say) The YaH:  and He said, thus shall you say to the children of Israel, The-YaH (eh-YeH) has sent me to you."  It just keeps getting better, doesn't't it.  For IAM we can look at Strong's H1961 -- hayah, and it does not get much better than this.   

I Would like to thank those that have questioned this and given me the opportunity to clarify some points in this article, so thank you Adam and Duane (you know who you are), also I will mention a book given me to read that also mentions and makes plain, IAM is Ha-YeH in the original Hebrew Scriptures -- the book titled, "Jesus And YAHWEH The Names Divine" by Harold Bloom, page 128, and, of course, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, H1961, where we see the Hebrew rendered "hayah" with the "a" marked as a vowel.  What can we make of this? Understanding the Dictionary does not recognize the Holy Name in many of its definitions, is that to those with this knowledge see the ha-YaH for what it really is -- the declaration of the Name of the God of Israel and our Savior YaH-shua is declared to Moses and the world.  Moses did not confuse this but the world has but Moses knew exactly what he was hearing and did not question this because there was nothing to question, especially when you read the wording as Moses heard it --  

Now let's return the Exodus 3:14 with this corrected --

(Exodus 3:14) And God said to Moses, ha YaH (that is) ha Yah: and he said, This shall you say to the children of Israel, The YaH has sent me unto you.

How simple is this?  Can it be any plainer?  The KJV and all modern translation following the "tradition" of the KJV bible allowing the Greek influsence to muddy the clear reading of the orginal Hebrew.  IAM is a Greek mess, and when it is further degenerated by the English misunderstanding we do not see the Name at all.  Once we resort back to the Hebrew we see YHWH declaring Himself.

The main thrust of this article, as mentioned before, is considering the Scripture in light of the Greek influence which many translations, especially the King James Version, have gone to as their primary source and exhibit this Greek influence throughout the Scriptures.  This is a kind of misdirection and hiding of our Savior and Creator's true identity has backlashed on the original instigator of this covering, or attempted covering of the Holy Name.  In the attempted deception, certainly influenced by Satan, the truth still comes forward.  The absolute truth of the IAM that IAM is HaYaH that HaYAH once restored.  This, my friends, is the truth, uncovered, and stands in plains sight but ignored.  It is not IAM that speaks but he-YaH - The YaH.

The rest of this article is full of speculation but I think may demonstrate how a plan to hide the Creator God can, and perhaps has, boomaranged on the deceiver, and in this deceptiong we can still see the True God of Creation as the misused Greek, IAM or YAM, points to a god known as YAM, identified as the God of the Flood and thus coming full circle pointing to His personal Name, YaH - YaHWeH -- the God of the Flood.

GOD OF THE FLOOD

(Exo 3:14-15) God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'YHWH, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.  NIV  (LORD is replaced with the real four letters of His Name, YHWH)

Let me introduce you to the God of the Flood, the God that spoke to Moses and identified Himself as YaHWeH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  So, which of the many gods did Abraham (Father of the Faithful) worship?  YaHWeH is His Name forever, and to be a memorial for all generations.  But wait, what about the first part, where God is telling Moses He is IAM?  First, the 'I AM that I AM" is from the Greek and should actually read, YAM, and guess what?  There is a God known as YAM and YAMM -- this God is the God of the Flood (more on that later).  So, dear reader, let me introduce you to YAM, God of the Flood, the God of Abraham, known as YHWH, God of Israel –  but only one Name chosen as a "forever memorial" to Himself -- YaHWeH -- not Yam or I AM.  

  But wait, there may be some confusion here, as pointed out to me recently by a fellow Bible student and brother in YaHshua, and the reason for this update -- to clarify, making plain that YAM is not His Name, it is a name given by men to a god they felt responsible for the Great worldwide flood -- they called Him Yam, meaning "surf", a god of the ocean, of powerful waters.  This name, Yam or I AM, is not the personal name of our Creator..  YHWH is His Name as the latter part of the verse makes plain.  It is not the name Yam that the God of Israel says is to be remembered forever.  It is the Name YaHWeH that is to be forever, and a memorial for all generations.  The name Yam is, and I will say it again, "given to the Creator by ancient man" to identify the Ceator of the Flood as the cruel god that destroyed the world by water.  The irony to this whole incident, between the Egyptians and the people of Israel, is the fact the Isrealites were then delivered from theevil hand of the Egyptians by water, by the Yam-Surf.  They moved through Yam Surf (Translated, Red Sea) on dry ground with the Eyptian warriors following, only to be engulfed by the Surf falling in on them, destoryed by the Red Sea the Yam Surf. 

  It has been pointed out by many scholars the Ten Plagues the Egyptians suffered had been a slap at their many gods.  Each plague representative of a god they worshipped being unable to deliver them from the plagues.  Isn't it interesting then, this too, the Red Sea (Yam Surf) represented a god they held in distain would be their complete undoing.

  Yam is the name by which they, the ancients, knew of the Creator and the destoryer of the earth.  Once Moses understood which of the many gods was speaking to him, YHWH then went on to give Moses His Personal Name, the Name Moses was to use "forever" and give to his people as a "memorial".  To make sure there was not mistake, YaHWeH further identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  YHWH, this is the Name our Creator has applied to Himself as His personal Name, a Name to be remebered, and what do we see?  We see a Name forgotten, denied, refused, ignored and presented as meaningless and of no use.  How pathetic, men seem to be hell-bent on doing just the opposite of what their Creator wants.  Israel, What is the Name of your God, tell us if you can!

  What is the importance of this information?  Read the definition below and what follows and you will see why we need to know this and you will see, I pray, how rejecting the legal Identity of your God and Savior can lead to error and misunderstanding what the Scriptures have to say concerning key points in biblical doctrine and prophetic understanding.   Remember, and keep in mind, YAM or IAM is not His name but a name given to Him by man.  We see a similar error when addressing the personal Identity of our Savior, YaHshua.  Men have named him, Iesous, then Jesus but the birth name delivered by angelic messanger to Mary and Joseph was YaHshua, or YaHoshua, if you prefer. 

  What I will attempt with this article is to lay out another understanding of the "I AM that I Am" statement of Exodus 3:14, a statement, I believe, misunderstood by the scholars of today.  Why is it the Biblical scholars misunderstand what is being said, as I will demonstrate?  Because they see through a fog of religious intellect telling them the words are inspired by the Holy Spirit, as though the Holy Spirit printed the KJV bible from the "Inspired Greek", when in fact it was not Greek the Apostles spoke.  Our Savior was not teaching in the Greek language, he was a Jew sent to the children of Israel, it was only later an Apostle was called (Paul) to take the message, actively, to the gentiles.  This idea of the Holy Spirit inspiring the Greek Language solves a lot of problems for the scholars -- keeping the Jewishness of our Savior at arms length and giving support to things, such as names, in such a way as to discount the orginal meaning and identity of our Creator and our Savior and our Heavenly Father.  This concept is taught in the Christian schools and universities and for this reason a cloud is created over the mind of the student, blocking this simple logic of orginal names being changed for other names and this makes it difficult for the educated bible scholar to see the importance of the true Identity of our Creator which is a key to unlocking much of the prophetic understanding of Scripture.   

  Many would defend the name Jesus as the name of salvation and when you say that name did not exist when the first New Testament Scrioptures were written, then they say it does not matter, names mean nothing.  backed into a corner the inevitable answer is, the Holy Spirit inspired the name Jesus to be written. 

  We are dealing with the name YAM and I AM and YHWH and the misunderstanding of what this "I AM that I AM" really means and why it is misunderstood.  It is my hope this will further the readers understanding and encourage you to study your bible as a book of words about THE WORD and not to confuse the two. 

Exert taken from Wikipedia, YAM (god):

Yamm, from the Canaanite word Yam, (Hebrew ??) meaning "Sea", is one name of the Ugaritic god of Rivers and Sea. Also titled Judge Nahar ("Judge River"), he is also one of the 'ilhm (Elohim) or sons of El, the name given to the Levantine pantheon. Others dispute the existence of the alternative names, claiming it is a mistranslation of a damaged tablet. Despite linguistic overlap, theologically this god is not a part of the later subregional monotheistic theology, but rather is part of a broader and archaic Levantine po

Yam is the deity of the primordial chaos and represents the power of the sea untamed and raging; he is seen as ruling storms and the disasters they wreak. The gods cast out Yam from the heavenly mountain Sappan (modern Jebel Aqra; "Sappan" is cognate to Tsephon (Tsion). The seven-headed dragonLotan is associated closely with him and the serpent is frequently used to describe him.

Of all the gods, despite being the champion of El, Yam holds special hostility against BaalHadad, son of Dagon. Yam is a deity of the sea and his palace is in the abyss associated with the depths, or Biblical tehwom, of the oceans. (This is not to be confused with the abode of Mot, the ruler of the netherworlds.) In Ugaritic texts, Yam's special enemy Hadad is also known as the "king of heaven" and the "first born son" of El, whom ancient Greeks identified with their god Kronos, just as Baal was identified with Zeus, Yam with Poseidon and Mot with Hades. Yam wished to become the Lord god in his place. In turns the two beings kill each other, yet Hadad is resurrected and Yam also returns. Some authors have suggested that these tales reflect the experience of seasonal cycles in the Levant.

My Comments:

 

This is my introduction to you to the God, the Creator God, the God of the Flood, to you -- IAM, IAM (YAM, YAM) is presented to you and He is the God of Abraham, He is the God of Israel and the God of the New Covenant also known as YHWH, and YaHshua.

 

 If you read Exodus 3:14, you will see YHWH identifies Himself, to Moses, as YAM (Greek English = I AM, not the English I’am – another error accepted due to lack of knowledge concerning the identity of our God and Savior)

 

“God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'IAM has sent me to you.' " NIV  (The emphasis, by capitalization, is placed in the text by the translators)

 

Understanding modern translation (following the KJV example) traditions used many words from the Greek Septuagint of the Old Testament.  This can be seen in the use of the letter “I” in place of the more correct English/Hebrew “Y” which is the English equivalent of the Greek “I”.  On the surface this may seem unimportant but in the English language the letters “I” and “J” have changed and modern usage even means something different and should be changed to the correct English equivalent for the Hebrew “Yod”, which is the “Y”, not the “I”.  Because this has not been done we see the confusion leading to ignorance and a misunderstanding of what our Creator is saying, really saying to Moses.  If the Hebrew “Y” instead of the “I” were used no one would suggest some of the definitions they attempt for this verse as they try to define what our Creator is saying concerning His Identity.  “YAM (not I am) has sent me to you”.  

 

From the information found in Wikipedia (read the opening paragraph at the top of this page) you can easily chase down the origin of YAM (again, not I am, but IAM or YAM) and see the connections this God has with the power of the waters, the ocean and all the seas.  He is the flood God and from the Canaanite legends you can see a tale of conflict between the children of El (the Bull) and Yam’s representative, Judge Nahar.  The article above suggests Judge Nahar is a possible title for Prince Yam.  Certainly you have to piece this together but what this shows is that there had been a God known as “YAM” and we see this God making Himself known to Moses and then fine tuning His identity for Moses as YHWH (Exodus 3:15-16) in the next two verses, the God of Abraham.  The worship of the god that had flooded the earth had been replaced by the worship of the children of Adam (EL, the Bull), identified as Baal and Ashroth, his sister and consort (wife).

 

 The children of Adam came down from the Garden (high mountain area) entering into the general population of men and were seen as gods.  Cain became a builder of cities, and the founding of metal work and musical instruments.  How was he able to do this?  If he were known to be a child of God from on High wouldn’t he be seen as a god himself?  We see this in the ancient world and societies, making their Kings as gods, from god, the direct children of the God.  When the population believes their leaders are gods or sons of gods they willingly serve them and what better way than to take on building projects.  We see this the world over, the pyramids being the most obvious example.    

 

As far as I know this is new knowledge, not hidden but not recognized.  For those of you having accepted the birth Name of our Savior this should be welcome information assisting in further confirmation of our God’s Identity.  This is information hidden too long and if accepted will clear up the real meaning of what our Creator is saying to Moses in identifying Himself to Moses, to the Israelites and to us.  This is also a bridge to understanding what happened with the children of Adam and Eve and how they became mythical gods, or a family of gods with all of the faults of humans.  This uncovers the misguided and corrupt worship of mankind by mankind.  Historically it has not been that long the rulers of the Roman Empire were considered gods, or from the gods. 

 

 When you take the gods of the Canaanites, the gods of the Greeks, and the gods of the Egyptians you see a common thread.  The names are different but the gods are very similar and in fact the same.  From the writings uncovered by archaeologist over the past few decades we see, what I believe, is the worship of the family of Adam and Eve.  Adam identified as the god EL also known as the Bull, a slothful god given to wine and credited for being the Father of all mankind.  His son Cain becomes a person of worship as does his sister Ashroth.  The become the gods of fertility and war against the God of the oceans where beasts of all types live.  This battle between man and God ends, in Biblical history, with the “flooding” of the world and the destruction of all mankind, save Noah and his family.  From this it can be understood why the children of Noah, from whom we descend, harbored evil feelings against a god that would do such a thing.  They, children of Noah, their sons and daughters and their sons and daughters, returned to worshiping themselves – making man god.  We see this throughout ancient history and in more recent history in the practice of Monarchs claiming direct connection with our Creator as rules of this Earth, ordained by God. 

 

 The ancients took it so far as to marry within their own family -- the kings marrying their own children – the blood of the gods is holy and must stay within the godhead, within the family.

 

  Our Creator identifies Himself as the God that was known for having destroyed man from the face of the earth and was seen as a mean god, as cruel, unfair god by the ancients.  He was known as the god of the surging Oceans -- oceans that still covered the better part of the earth.  He tells Moses He is that God, the God of the “SURF”, YAM, and then He tells Moses He is YHWH, the God of Abraham, it is the latter Name revealed to Moses that he is to tell the Israelites He will be known for all their generations.  When Moses tell the Israelites that YAM has sent him and that this is the same God as YHWH, the God of their father Abraham they then had a better understanding of whom they were dealing with.  To take this a step further, YHWH then goes on to deliver the Israelites from under the hand of the Egyptians by an act only the God of the Sea could do.  Keep in mind, YHWH had punished the Egyptians with plagues and each of these curses, plagues, violated a cherished god of the Egyptians.  That’s right, for every plague suffered it was a demonstration of how each of the favored gods of Egypt were helpless, unable to save them.  YAM’s final insult was to open up the Red Sea (Known as YAM-SURF, in ancient days) and delivered the people through the waters and by the same waters destroyed the Egyptian army.  Many connections can be made with this God when it comes to water, that liquid we cannot live without.  

 

Yam-Surf is not Reed-Sea as some disbelievers among even Christians suppose.  Some have real difficulty with a Creator God that can part the Sea, or even flood the whole world.  It is truly alarming how many claiming to teachers of the Word excuse away language in the Scriptures as “symbolic”, in other word, it does not really mean what it says.  The Red Sea is not red but it is a sea and the Red Sea is not a sea of Reeds located to the far north.  Yam Surf, or Red Sea is to say, Angry Sea.  You have heard the term, “seeing red”, this is how YaM-Surf became the Red Sea.  Remember, YaM means sea and this YaM became angry as seen by the raging waves (Suph) of water covering the earth and eventually crashing down on the army in pursuit of YHWH's choosen people. 

 

YAM-SURF?  Really?  If you have an NIV Study Bible turn to Exodus 15:4, 22 and read reference note (a) as follows -- "Hebrew Yam Suph; that is Sea of Reeds" -- see also verse 22.  We see the correct restoration of I'am for YAM and understanding the definitions for Yamm and Yam as meaning Sea it becomes obvious the "assumption" by Biblical scaholars (so called) that Suph means Reeds is in error.  Yam (Sea) Suph (Reeds?), hardly as it is easy to see the term Suph and Surf is one and the same.  YAM (Sea) Suph (the Surf) -- the "surf" pounds the beaches and is represented by high rising waves while the "sea" is the whole body of water.  This clearly identifies YAM as the God of the Flood and as the God that delivered Israel through the Sea, destroying the Egyptian army seeking to destroy the people of the Living God YAM, known to Abraham as YHWH and to the first Christians as YaHshua, Creator of all things (John 1:1), Savior of Israel and to those accepting Him. 

 

Let's go the Strong's, again, and see just what is being said, and what is being assumed, as it appears in Stron's Hebrew dictionary:

 

H5488

????

su^ph

soof

Probably of Egyptian origin; a reed, especially the papyrus: - flag. Red [sea], weed. Compare H5489.

You will notice this definitions begins with "probably", and I think we can all agree, this is not a firm foundation upon which to speculate and then take speculation as fact.  It is suggested we compare H5489, so moving on --

 

H5489

????

su^ph

soof

For H5488 (by ellipsis of H3220); the Reed (Sea): - Red sea.

Referenced back to H5488 and "by ellipsis (leave out) H3220 -- let's go see what is being "left out" --

H3220

??

ya^m

yawm

From an unused root meaning to roar; a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article) the Mediterranean; sometimes a large river, or an artificial basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the south: - sea (X -faring man, [-shore]), south, west (-ern, side, -ward).

So, this is what is being left out, and this is what is ignored in the defining of the word YAM (I AM, in the Greek).  Apply this definition with that of H5488 and you do not come up with "reed", or "sea of reeds", you come up with -- roaring sea, noisy surf, larg body of water.  going back to the first statement made to Moses, "IAM that IAM" and seeing the correct application of this we should now be able to see YHWH as YAM the god of the waters, the powerful, surging, surf.  This is the God the ancients knew of as the God that broght the Great Flood on their ancestors.  Once identified, He, Yam, went on to tell Moses He is the God of Abraham and that He would be known for all generations as YHWH.  Moses did not argue, did not shrug his shoulders and say, "Yam, whose that?"  Moses knew as did others of that time that the God Yam had brought total destruction upon all flesh and He had now identified Himself, not by a name given to Him by men but by His own personal identity.

 

You do not have to accept any of this, like I said, I am not a scholar and my observations are my observations.  so, what is the value of this?  I believe it keeps, or helps to keep, the truth seekers on the path and to gain a better understanding of our Creator and of some of the remarks made by our Savior.  It demonstrates the truth of the word and the charactger of our Creator.  He is concerned about identifying Himself to us and we should be receptive.  Once Moses understood he did not approach Pharaoh as representing Yam, god of the Flood but as YHWH (YaHWeH) Creator of all things, Master of all things, not just water.  This is then demonstrated to Pharaoh and all of Egypt by the plagues.  His salvation for Isreal, however, ended in a dramtic way, by water and lots of it, not in some marsh of reeds. 

 

Peace to you and yours --

See Also --  I AM or YAM? 

email: servant@yahshuaservant.com