There is another scripture that has become a head scratcher and I have heard many different interpretations for it, so today I will offer mine, and prayerfully clear up some confusion surrounding this topic.
Exodus 6:1-3 (Most translations)
“And YAHWEH said unto Moses, “Now you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand He will send them off; with force He will drive them from the land!” ELOHIM spoke to Moses; He said to him, “I am YAHWEH. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as EL SHADDAI, although I did not make MYSELF KNOWN TO THEM BY MY NAME YAHWEH.”
This would seem to be a contradiction because we see them calling on the Name of YAHWEH before it was given to Moses and we know that the scriptures do not contradict itself. If there seems to be a contradiction it just means that there is something that we missed and did not connect the dots or haven’t checked various translations.
Genesis 4:26
“To Seth too was born a son, whom he called Enosh. That is when people began to call on the NAME OF YAHWEH.”
Genesis 12:8
“He (Abraham) left that place, went to the hill east of Beth-El and pitched his tent. With Beth-EL to the west and ‘Ai to the east, he built an altar there and CALLED ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH.”
Genesis13:1-4
“Abraham went up from Egypt—he, his wife and everything he had, and Lot with him---into the Negev. Avram became wealthy, with much cattle, silver and gold. As he went on his travels from the Negev, he came to Beth-El, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning of, between Beth-El and ‘Ai, where he had first built the altar; an there Avram CALLED ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH.”
Genesis 21:33
“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he CALLED ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH, the everlasting ELOHIM.”
Genesis 26:25
“There he (Isaac) built an altar and CALLED ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH, He pitched his tent there, and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
Genesis 28:16
“Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, YAHWEH is in this place---and I didn’t know it!”
So, we can clearly see that YAHWEH revealed His Name to our ancestors because they were calling upon His Name. So, how can this scripture be explained?
Exodus 6:2-3 (Concordant Version of The Old Testament)
“ELOHIM spoke to Moses and said to him: I am YAHWEH, and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as the EL who suffices; as to My Name YAHWEH, I was not REALIZED BY THEM.”
Realized is defined by Oxford dictionaries as “to become fully aware of something as a fact; UNDERSTAND CLEARLY.” So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob understood what EL SHADDAI meant, as ELOHIM being the “All Mighty” or as Concordant Version of the Old Testament says the EL who Suffices, meaning the EL who MEETS OR SATISFIES THE NEEDS OF as He is the protector and provider. But as for the Name of YAHWEH they did not REALIZE the full meaning of His Name, they did not understand clearly the, power, and essence of His Name as they did with His title EL SHADDAI! We get the full explanation of His Name when YAHWEH spoke to Moses. In Exodus 3:14 we get the explanation of the Name of YAHWEH.
Exodus 3:14 (Samaritan)
“And ELOHIM said to Moshe (Moses), EHYYEE ESHAAR EHYYEE. And He said, This you shall say to the Sons of Yisra’el, I WILL BE has sent me to you.”
The footnote in the Samaritan Torah for verse 14 says “I will be as I will be”. His Name also means according to Wikipedia as “I am that I am”, “I am who I am”, “I will become what I choose to become”, “I am what I am”, “I will be what I will be”, “I will create whatever I create”, or “I am the Existing One”. The Aramaic Peshitta says “THE LIVING ELOHIM.” YAHWEH is the Self-Existent One, the Self-Sufficient One, He exists! So after explaining what His Name means in verse 14, He just reinforces His Name that our ancestors knew except moving forward all would know what His Name fully means.
Exodus 3:15 (Samaritan)
“And ELOHIM said furthermore said to Moses, this you shall say to the Sons of Yisra’el, YAHWEH, ELOHIM of your fathers, ELOHIM of Abraham, and ELOHIM of Isaac, and ELOHIM Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to generation to generation.”
Moses knew exactly what YAHWEH was saying as we see what he says in the book of Yashar (Jasher).
Jasher 79:43-47
“And when the king saw this thing, he ordered the book of records that related to the kings of Egypt, to be brought, and they brought the book of records, the chronicles of the kings of Egypt, in which all the idols of Egypt were inscribed, for they thought of finding in it the Name of YAHWEH, but they did not find it. And Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Behold I have not found the Name of your ELOHIM written in this book, and I do not know His Name.” And the counsellors and wise men answered the king, ‘We have heard that the ELOHIM of the Hebrews is a son of the wise, the son of ancient kings.” And Pharoah turned to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I do not know YAHWEH whom you have declared, neither will I send His people.” And they answered and said to the king, YAHWEH ELOAH of ELOHIM is His Name, AND HE PROCLAIMED HIS NAME OVER US FROM THE DAYS OF OUR ANCESTORS, and sent us, saying, ‘Go to Pharoah and say to him, “Send My people that they may serve Me.”
This scripture from Jasher further proves that our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew the Name YAHWEH before His Name was explained in full detail to Moses. Furthermore, Pharoah was looking for YAHWEH’s Name in the book of idols and of course he wouldn’t find it there. Why?
Isaiah 42:8
“I am YAHWEH; that is My Name. I yield my esteem to NO ONE ELSE, nor My praise to ANY IDOL.”
YAHWEH is greater than any idol and His Name is great and kodesh (set-apart), so looking for His great Name amongst a book of idols was futile.
As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name