I am who I am (Bible & Quran)

In the below interview with Dr. Samuel Zinner, he shows how the Biblical passage in Exodus 3, where God informs Moses of His identity, also has a subtle divine echo in the Quran.

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “ I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘ I am has sent me to you.’”

When we look at the Arabic, we can see an echo of this expression, “I am who I am,” in the Quran in the following verses: 20:12, 28:30, and 27:9. This grammatical expression only occurs in these passages when God addresses Moses.

20:12 “ I am your Lord; remove your sandals. You are in the sacred valley, Tuwã.