Texts in Conversation
Wenamun says of the god Amun that he is still what he once was, an Egyptian phrase that may also mean the one who is who he is. In Exodus 3, God answers Moses with a name built the same way, saying that he is who he is.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Report of Wenamun 1:40
Papyrus Moscow 120
Ancient Near East
Yes, so spoke Amon-Re, king of gods, saying to Hrihor, my lord: ‘Send me,’ and he made me go, bearing this great god. But, behold, you have let this great god wait twenty-nine days, when he had landed [in] your harbor, although you certainly knew he was here. He is indeed (still) what he (once) was, while you stand and bargain for the Lebanon with Amon, its lord. As for what you say, that the former kings sent silver and gold, if they had given life and health, they would not have sent the valuables; (but) they sent the valuables [to] your fathers instead of life and health.
Exodus 3:14
Hebrew Bible
13 Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’—what should I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The Lord—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, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’
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Notes and References
“... Perhaps more problematic than Moses’ question is God’s answer. We will probably never unlock all the secrets of this enigma, but I would like to revive a suggestion made by Cyrus Gordon ten years ago that we compare the epithet of Amon-Ra in the Report of Wenamon. Here the chief deity is referred to as [...], a difficult expression but which can be translated as "The one Who Is Who He Is". In other words, when Moses reported back to Egypt that he had been sent by [...], his words would presumably have been intelligible to his audience. I would not claim that these parallels solve all the problems of Exod 3:13-14, but they deserve serious consideration in working out whatever difficulties may remain. ...”
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