Fil-ktieb tal-Eżodu, Alla jikkomunika ismu lil Mosè. F’Eżodu 3, 14, mis-siġra taqbad Alla jgħid li ismu bl-Ebrajk huwa: Ehjeh asher ehyeh—tradott fil-bibbja bil-Malti bħala “JIEN LI JIEN.”Mill-aspett narrattiv, dan l-isem iqajjem suspans, kurżita u sorpriża.
Suspans: Meir Sternberg jgħid li “In art as in life, suspense derives from incomplete knowledge about a conflict (or some other contingency) looming in the future. Located at some point in the present, we know enough to expect a struggle but not to predict its course, and above all its outcome, with certitude.” Ir-rivelazzjoni tal-isem divin isir f’ambjent ta’ suspans: min ser jirbaħ, Mosè jew il-Fargħun? L-isem ta’ Alla jista’ jkun tradott ukoll bħala: jien ser inkun dak li ser inkun, u hekkiservi bħala katalista għal dan is-suspans. Il-verb fl-imperfett ehyeh iqajjem dan is-suspans, imma fl-aħħar mill-aħħar huwa Alla li joħloq dan is-suspans u n-narratur hu dak li qed jara dan jiżvolġi quddiemu.
Kurżita: Skont Sternberg, “Unlike suspense . . . curiosity bears on things past relative to the moment of their becoming of interest . . . The question relates to an accomplished fact in the world: an incident, relationship, motive, character trait, plot logic, which has already played some part in the determining of the narrative present.” Ir-rivelazzjoni tal-isem ta’ Alla ssir kemm f’ambjent li jirreferi għall-passat, kif ukoll għall-futur. Infatti, Alla jfakkar lil Mosè f’missirijietu. F’dan il-każ il-verb ehyeh jista’ jkollu aspett abitwali, u hekk l-isem ta’ Alla jiġi tradott bħala: “jien irrid inkun dak li irrid inkun.” Dan il-verb hekk jista’ jkun li jservi pont bejn missirijiet Mosè u dak li Mosè irid jagħmel.
Sorpriża: Rigward is-sorpriża, Sternberg jikteb li: “The production of surprise, depends on the reader’s being lured into a false certitude of knowledge in such a way that the gap will surface only at the moment of its filling.” Dan l-isem ta’ Alla żgur li joħloq sorpriża. Meta Alla jgħidlu x’jismu, Mosè jibqa’ sieket. Imma l-ikbar sorpriża li għad trid titħabbar lil Mosè nsibuha fil-kapitli tal-Eżodu 32-34.
Għalkemm Alla jirrivela ismu, il-karattru ta’ Alla huwa karattru li jiżvela lilu nnifsu tul il-kapitli tal-Bibbja. Dan l-isem jagħti identita’ lil Alla li qed jiżvela b’mod kontinwu lilu nnifsu.