Shortest Sentence in the English Language

The shortest sentence in the English language is, “I am.”

This is a fact. Go ahead and try to come up with one that is shorter!

God announces His name in Exodus 3:14. The story begins in Exodus 3:1 when Moses approaches a burning bush with curiosity and ends up having an encounter with the living God.

Burning Bush that Summons

1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

God was made manifest in the burning bush

5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then he said, “I am the God of your father, ^a the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

God sends

7The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.10So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

What is God’s name?

11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”….14God said to Moses, “I am who I am. ^c This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

I AM

The shortest sentence in the English language is also the most powerful name in the universe — the name of God, the Creator of heaven and earth.

The Hebrew word for I am is:

Transliteration: hayah
Phonetic Spelling: (haw-yaw)
Definition: to fall out, come to pass, become, be

I read in many articles that I AM means Yahweh, but that is not what the Hebrew word is for any of the three I AMs that occur in Exodus 3:14! I went digging further and discovered THIS article that acknowledges hayah as the translation for I AM:

Scholars debate whether the word Yahweh actually derives from the verb hayah. Even if the word Yahweh does not derive from hayah, it sounds similar. And biblical authors often employed sound-alike phrases to indicate name meanings (e.g., Gen 25:25, 30). In this case, the meaning of God’s name Yahweh is explained with the sound-alike ehyeh, a Hebrew being verb usually translated, “I am” or “I will be.” But the usage of being verbs such as hayah/ehyeh in Hebrew differs slightly but significantly from the way being verbs are used in most Western languages.

God’s name is a verb.

God’s name is a verb, so His name active. In the same article that acknowledged that I AM is translated hayah, we read THIS:

In biblical Hebrew, the being verb hayah conveys not just existence but manifest existence. It indicates the appearance, presence, or standing of a thing. To state, “There was (yehiy, a form of hayah) light” (Gen 1:3) is to announce the manifestation, not just the existence, of light. To say, “The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was (yehiy) a mighty tempest” (Jonah 1:4) is to announce the appearance of a storm as a result of God’s wind.

God manifests!

As it turns out, there are many verses with the word manifest in them. Here are a few:

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (Luke 8:17 ESV) Other translations for manifest are “to be disclosed” (NIV), “to be brought into the open” (NLT)

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21 ESV) Other translations for manifest are “reveal myself” (NLT) and “show myself” (NIV)

…each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. (1 Corinthians 3:13 ESV) Other translations for manifest are “will be shown for what it is” (NIV) and “will reveal what kind of work” (NLT)

We can be still, because I AM is not.

If God is in you in the power of the Holy Spirit, He is active. He is producing. He is busy conforming each of His children into the likeness of Christ, as an example. (Romans 8:29) God is taking care of all matters that concern us and the Story He is telling with the world and eternity.

Notice two things about John 14:21. Jesus is talking and the ability for Jesus to manifest Himself in us is conditional. The verse says, And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. 

But there’s more.

Prior to that sentence is this one: Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. [And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.] I have been driving around this week contemplating my level of obedience. Am I believing the commands Jesus taught us? Am I making decisions to live His way even when it is difficult to do so?

When you and I live in obedience to Christ’s commands, then God the Father loves us because we love His Son, and then Jesus makes Himself manifest in us. I have been using the word manifest in my prayers this week: Jesus, develop me into a person that understands and obeys your commandments so that Jesus can be made manifest in me.

May He be able to manifest in each of us.

Picture Explanation: Someone traveled across the country with her dog and enjoyed what God manifested on the earth with His voice.

Speaking of comprehending what God is manifesting: If you are interested in being contacted to participate in a One Gritty Blink Bible study, click on the Oaks Ministries link below and send me an email so I can place you on a list to be contacted as online and face-to-face studies are planned. Let’s not just focus on things in this short life, but also what counts for eternity!

Note: No part of my posts are derived from A.I. Thoughts and writing stem from my mind and heart as I process life week-by-week and continue to grow in my understanding of God and how to apply His wisdom to the world around me.

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