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John 8:58

John 8:58 reads in the English Standard Version as follows:

  • John 8:58 (ESV): Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

"I am (egō eime)." Many trinitarians argue that this verse states that when Jesus said “I am” that he was claiming to be God, (i.e., Yahweh, the God who revealed Himself to Moses in the Old Testament). But saying “I am” does not mean a person is claiming to be God. The Greek that is translated as “I am” is egō eime (ἐγὼ εἰμί), and it was a common Greek way for a person to identify themself. For example, only ten verses after Jesus said, egō eime (“I am”) in John 8:58, the man who had been born blind identified himself by saying exactly what Jesus said; egō eime (“I am;” John 9:9). Thus, Jesus and the man born blind both identified themselves by saying egō eime (“I am”), only ten verses apart.

Sadly, unless a person looks at the Greek text, he will never see that “I am” was a common Greek way for a man or woman to identify themselves. In what seems to be a clear case of trinitarian bias in translating the Greek text, when Jesus says, egō eime (“I am”) in John 8:58, our English Bibles read, “I am.” But when Jesus says egō eime in other places in the New Testament, or other people say egō eime (“I am”), the Greek phrase gets translated differently. So, for example, some English translations of what the man born blind said are: “I am the one” (or “I’m the one;” CJB, HCSB, NASB, NET); “I am he” (BBE, ERV, KJV, YLT); “It is I” (Darby); and, “I am the man” (ESV, NIV). The only commonly used English Bible that has “I am” in John 9:9 is the New American Bible.

Jesus said egō eime (“I am”), in a large number of places, but it is usually translated “I am he,” “It is I,” or “I am the one,” which are good translations because, as was stated above, egō eime was commonly used by people to identify themselves. Examples of Jesus using egō eime include:

  • John 13:19: I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he
  • John 18:5-6: They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
  • John 18:8: Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.”
  • Jesus identifying himself to the apostles on the boat:
    • Matthew 14:27: But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
    • Mark 6:50: for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
    • John 6:20: But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”
  • Jesus identifying himself to the Jews, saying egō eime, translated “I am the one I claim to be” (NIV84).
    • John 8:24: I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.
    • John 8:28: So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

All these places where Jesus says egō eime but it is not translated “I am” shows that the translators understand that just saying egō eime does not mean the person is claiming to be God.

Reference: REV Bible Commentary on John 8:58.

Abraham "saw" the day of Christ

Two verses earlier than John 8:58 it reads:

  • John 8:56: Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

Abraham saw the day of Christ (i.e. "Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day"). This verse says that Abraham “saw” the day of Christ (the day of Christ is usually considered by theologians to be the day when Christ conquers the earth and sets up his kingdom—and it is still future. That would fit with what the book of Hebrews says about Abraham: “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). The Bible says Abraham “saw” a city that is still future. In what sense could Abraham have seen something that was future? Abraham “saw” the day of Christ because God told him it was coming, and Abraham “saw” it by faith. Although Abraham saw the day of Christ by faith, that day existed in the mind of God long before Abraham. Thus, in the context of God’s plan existing from the beginning, Christ certainly was “before” Abraham. Christ was the plan of God for man’s redemption long before Abraham lived.

Before Abraham was and before Christ came to be the Messiah, he was there in the mind of God. He was speaking of himself as the Messiah of God who was foretold even before Abraham.

  • Egō eimi [“I am”] does not identify Jesus with God, but it does draw attention to him in the strongest possible terms. “I am the one—the one you must look at, and listen to, if you would know God” —C. K. Barrett, The Gospel According to St John, p. 342.

Again, Jesus said that before Abraham was, “I am the one,” meaning, even before Abraham existed, Jesus was foretold to be the promised Messiah. Jesus gave the Jews many opportunities to see and believe that he was in fact the Messiah of God, but they were blind to that fact, and crucified him. This is the whole thrust of the Gospel of John.

  • John 20:31: but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Appendix

Further reading

  • REV Bible Commentary on John 8:58.
  • TrinityTruth Commentary on John 8:48.
  • NET Bible Commentary on John 8:58. Trinitarian perspective that Jesus is claiming deity.
  • Trinity World's Kenodoxia Jesus. Duration 39:29. Jesus did not come to exalt himself. John 8:53-54, "Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’" The argument goes: If Jesus declared himself to be deity (John 8:58), then he would be exalting himself. But, he did not exalt himself. Therefore, John 8:58 has a different meaning to a claim of deity.