The Meaning of Exodus 3:15 Explained

Exodus 3:15

KJV: 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.

YLT: And God saith again unto Moses, 'Thus dost thou say unto the sons of Israel, Jehovah, God of your fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name -- to the age, and this My memorial, to generation -- generation.

Darby: And God said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: Jehovah, the 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.

ASV: And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the 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 forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Exodus 3:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 3:13-22 - Moses Sent To Deliver Israel
How unlike this Moses was to the man who, forty years before, had acted with such impulsive haste, Acts 7:23. He had learned much since then, and most about himself. But there should be no shrinking when God says I am. Fill in this blank check with whatever you need for life or godliness, and God will do that and more also, with exceeding abundance.
Had we been called upon to demonstrate the life beyond death from the Old Testament, we should hardly have turned to this chapter. But our Lord read the profound significance of these august words, Matthew 22:31-32. Evidently the patriarchs must have been all living when God spoke, or He would never have described Himself as being still their God. Had they ceased to exist He must have said, not I am, but I was the God of the fathers. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 3

1  Moses keeps Jethro's flock
2  God appears to him in a burning bush
9  He sends him to deliver Israel
13  The name of God
15  His message to Israel, and Pharaoh, whose opposition is foretold
20  He is assured of Israel's deliverance

What do the individual words in Exodus 3:15 mean?

And said moreover God to Moses thus you shall say the sons of Israel Yahweh God of your fathers the God of Abraham of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you This [is] My name forever and this [is] My memorial to all generations
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ ע֨וֹד אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־ מֹשֶׁ֗ה כֹּֽה־ תֹאמַר֮ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ יְהוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י --אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָהָ֜ם יִצְחָ֛ק וֵאלֹהֵ֥י --יַעֲקֹ֖ב שְׁלָחַ֣נִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם זֶה־ שְּׁמִ֣י לְעֹלָ֔ם וְזֶ֥ה זִכְרִ֖י לְדֹ֥ר דֹּֽר

וַיֹּאמֶר֩  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ע֨וֹד  moreover 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
אֱלֹהִ֜ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
מֹשֶׁ֗ה  Moses 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹשֶׁה  
Sense: the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus.
כֹּֽה־  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
תֹאמַר֮  you  shall  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בְּנֵ֣י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֒  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
יְהוָ֞ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
--אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם  of  your  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אֱלֹהֵ֨י  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אַבְרָהָ֜ם  of  Abraham 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַבְרָהָם  
Sense: friend of God and founder of Hebrew nation via God’s elective covenant.
יִצְחָ֛ק  of  Isaac 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִצְחָק  
Sense: son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of Jacob and Esau.
וֵאלֹהֵ֥י  and  the  God 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
--יַעֲקֹ֖ב  of  Jacob 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.
שְׁלָחַ֣נִי  has  sent  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
זֶה־  This  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
שְּׁמִ֣י  My  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
לְעֹלָ֔ם  forever 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
וְזֶ֥ה  and  this  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
זִכְרִ֖י  My  memorial 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: זֵכֶר 
Sense: memorial, remembrance.
דֹּֽר  all  generations 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֹּור 
Sense: period, generation, habitation, dwelling.