Hebrew Word Study – I Am – Anoki  אנכי   Aleph Nun Kap Yod 

Why Does God Begin the Ten Commandments With An Egyptian Word?  

Exodus 20:2: “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

In our study verse, God has brought His people out of slavery from Egypt and is now leading them to the Promised Land.  However, before they can enter the Promised Land God must give them laws or instructions on how they are to live.  In Exodus 20:2 God is now ready to deliver the Ten Commandments to Moses and he starts off by saying: “I am the Lord thy God.”  

On the surface there seems to be nothing strange about this introduction except when you look at it in the Hebrew, you discover the first words “I am” are not in Hebrew. It is a Middle Egyptian word Anoki and means “I am.”  

Why would the first word of the Ten Commandments, the most important message for God to deliver to His people, the most basic statement of our special relationship with the infinite God of the Universe be not a Hebrew word but a Middle Egyptian word?

The Midrash has much to say about this and has some intriguing ideas. Some rabbis suggest that God wanted to speak with His people in the language they had learned while in Egypt. This is interesting because it shows that God not only wants to relate to us on a sacred level or even just a spiritual level but on an earthly level as well, an Egyptian dimension so to speak. God is there for us in every aspect of our lives, including the most basic and the commandments that connect us to God not only on a spiritual or sacred level but on a physical level as well. 

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What is the meaning of this particular “I am.”   This is not yahi in Hebrew which is the word for “I am” but this is a different “I am.”  This is an “I am” that means “I truly am.”  I existed before creation and I am separate and independent of Creation.  This “I am” is an existence that is infinite, it cannot be swept away. Our physical realm will soon cease to exist but the realm of the Anoki “I am” will continue. 

It is almost as if God is saying: “I am the stars, the sun, the moon, the planets, the animals, vegetation, and all humanity. It all exists because of me, remove me and it will no longer exist. It exists because I exist.”    

God begins sharing His laws with “Anoki” a word that the people who came out of Egypt knew very well.  There is not a word in Hebrew that quite expresses the same thing, although YHWH is very close. Anoki has a dimension to it that suggests we can be joined in this Anoki, I am. But it also means to put aside our own “I am” for the other Anoki, “I am.  I am not sure there is an English expression for this but it literally is suggesting, “we am.”  That is pretty bad grammar in English but fits in this context. 

God’s Anoki is genuine and has enabled us to be, to exist. He is not created and thus we humans exist because He has called us into existence, our existence is only at the granting of the Anoki and is granted only when we connect not compete with the Anoki. If we follow the commandments we will connect with the Anoki or the “I am.” 

God is telling His people and us at the start of the impartation of the Ten Commandments that He wants us to be joined with His Anoki and the Ten Commandments are our instructions in how to achieve this. It starts with the recognition of God’s Anoki and the denial of our personal anoki. 

Just between you and me that is a little too philosophical to fit my comfort zone so I will break it down this way,  God wanted to show that the following commandments were not just for the Hebrews alone, but were intended for all of humankind.  Egypt was the world-ruling power of that day, it was the symbol of the entire earth. God began his delivery of the Ten Commandments by starting off with a word that spoke to the entire world, not just the Hebrew nation. – Anoki, “I am.”  In other words, we all exist, everything on this planet and beyond, exist because of the Anoki, He is the source and the control of all existence. Follow his instructions and you will have a joyful and peaceful existence.  

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