Exodus 3:15 tells Moses to give the Israelites a name for God that connects them to the faithful God of their ancestors and that will be remembered for all generations. God speaks these words to Moses at the burning bush, as Moses prepares to return to Egypt and lead the people out of slavery. The verse answers a practical question: when the people ask who sent him, what should Moses say?
God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘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 to all generations.
Exodus 3:15 (WEB)
What Exodus 3:15 Means
The verse begins by naming God as “the LORD, the God of your fathers.” The title “LORD” in English Bibles stands for the personal name of God, the name that Israel came to speak with reverence rather than pronounce aloud. Attaching it to “the God of your fathers” ties the new mission to a history the Israelites already knew. The God who appears now is the same God who made promises to their family line long before.
Next the verse lists three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Naming them one by one shows that God’s relationship with Israel is ongoing and personal, passed from one generation to the next. The phrase “has sent me to you” tells the people that Moses comes with real authority, not on his own initiative.
Finally God calls this name “my name forever” and “my memorial to all generations.” A memorial is something that keeps a person or event in mind. The verse promises that this name will be kept and spoken across generations. It does not promise that every hard circumstance will end quickly, but it does say that the God who acted in Exodus will not be forgotten.
The Context of Exodus 3:15
Exodus is the second book of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses. Its first audience was the Israelite people, who had been enslaved in Egypt for generations and needed to know whether their God still cared about them. The story of the burning bush takes place as Moses tends his father-in-law’s flock in Midian, far from the Egyptian court.
Just before verse 15, Moses asks God what he should say if the people want to know his name (verse 13). God answers with “I AM WHO I AM” in verse 14, and verse 15 then gives a fuller form of that name, joined to the story of the patriarchs. Verses 16 and 17 continue by instructing Moses to gather the elders and to recall God’s promise of land. Read this way, verse 15 is the hinge between a mysterious self-revelation and a concrete plan of rescue.
Key Phrases in Exodus 3:15
Exodus 6:3
And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name the LORD I was not known to them.
(WEB)
Later in Exodus God reflects on this same revelation, explaining that the patriarchs knew him by a different aspect of his character. Reading it alongside verse 15 shows that the name revealed to Moses is a deepening of what the ancestors already knew, not a replacement of it.
Psalm 102:12
But you, the LORD, will remain forever; your renown endures to all generations.
(WEB)
This psalm sets God’s enduring name and memory against the brief life of human beings. It echoes the promise that God’s remembrance lasts through all generations, offering comfort to anyone who feels their own life is fleeting.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 3:15
Lord, you are the God of those who came before us, and you have not changed. When I feel uncertain about what you are doing, help me remember how faithful you have been to my family and to your people across the centuries. Let your name be a steady anchor for my heart, and help me pass on what I know of you to those who come after me. Teach me to trust that your memory of your promises never fades. Amen.
