In this chapter, Maimonides explains how and why God is “the intellectus, ens intelligens, and ens intelligible” (al-‘aql wa al-‘aqil wa al-ma’qul العقل والعاقل والمعقول). His reasoning goes like this

  • Comprehension, for us, first exists in potentia; we have the ability to comprehend the idea of an object before we actually comprehend it. At this point, the three — (1) the comprehender (to the extent that he or she is a thinking being), (2) the power of comprehension, and (3) the idea of a tree — are undoubtedly distinct
  • When comprehension moves from being in a state of potentiality to actuality, i.e., when we actually comprehend the idea of a tree, these three become one; this process is not particular to God, but according to Maimonides is the very nature of intellect. Thus, when (and to the extent that) the intellect is in action, it is identical with the ens intelligens and the ens intelligible.
  • God is never in a state of potentiality:

    Now, it has been proved that God is an intellect which always is in action, and that — as has been stated, and as will be proved hereafter — there is in Him at no time a mere potentiality, that He does not comprehend at one time, and is without comprehension at another time, but He comprehends constantly; consequently, He and the things comprehended are one and the same thing, that is to say, His essence … God is therefore always the intellectus, the intelligens, and the intelligible.

This quality, of course is peculiar to God; ordinary intellects such as those belonging to humans do not constantly comprehend ideas, but instead are always moving between potential comprehension and actual comprehension.