And God said unto Moses,
I AM THAT I AM:
and he said,
Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you.
All Commentaries on Exodus 3:14 Go To Exodus 3
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
For although that immutable and ineffable nature does not admit of was and will be but only is (for it truly is, because it cannot be changed), and therefore it was proper for him to say, “I am who I am” and “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘He who is has sent me to you,’ ” nevertheless, on account of the changeableness of the times in which our mortality and our changeableness are involved, we do not falsely say was and will be and is. Was, in past ages; is, in present ones; will be, in future ones. Was, because he was never lacking; will be, because he will never be lacking; is, because he always is. .
