John 8:58 kjv
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
John 8:58 nkjv
Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
John 8:58 niv
"Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
John 8:58 esv
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
John 8:58 nlt
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM! "
John 8 58 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| "I AM" (Ego Eimi) Declarations & Divine Identity | ||
| Exod 3:14 | God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." ... "I AM has sent me to you." | God's name, self-existent deity |
| Deut 32:39 | "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me." | Yahweh's claim of sole divinity |
| Isa 41:4 | "Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first and the last, I am He." | God as eternal sovereign, no one before Him |
| Isa 43:10 | "...that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me." | God's unique, unparalleled existence |
| John 6:20 | But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." | Jesus calms fear; divine authority (walking water) |
| John 8:24 | "...unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." | Jesus's absolute claim to divine identity |
| John 8:28 | "...then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority..." | Revelation of divine authority through actions |
| John 13:19 | "...so that when it does occur you may believe that I am He." | Prophetic fulfillment confirms divine identity |
| John 18:5-6 | "I am He." ... When Jesus said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. | Manifestation of divine power |
| Mark 14:62 | And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand..." | Jesus's direct claim to the Sanhedrin |
| Rev 1:8 | "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." | Eternal, self-existent God's identity |
| Rev 1:17 | "Fear not, I am the first and the last," | Christ as eternal God, mirroring OT |
| Pre-existence & Eternal Nature of Christ | ||
| John 1:1-3 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him... | Christ's eternal existence and role in creation |
| John 17:5 | "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed." | Jesus's pre-incarnate glory with the Father |
| Prov 8:22-31 | The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work...I was daily his delight... | Personified Wisdom (often understood as pre-incarnate Christ) |
| Mic 5:2 | "...from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." | Prophecy of Messiah's eternal origin |
| Col 1:15-17 | He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created... | Christ's preeminence and role as Creator |
| Phil 2:6-7 | ...who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself... | Christ's divine nature before incarnation |
| Heb 1:2-3 | "...his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." | Christ's eternal role as Creator and sustainer |
| Abraham & Christ's Superiority | ||
| John 8:56 | "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad." | Jesus claims Abraham foresaw His coming |
| Gen 12:3 | "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | Abraham's significance, but leading to Messiah |
| Gal 3:8 | The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, announced the gospel beforehand to Abraham... | Abraham as a figure through whom Christ's salvation comes |
John 8 verses
John 8 58 Meaning
John 8:58 presents Jesus's profound declaration of His eternal pre-existence and divine nature, emphatically asserting His identity as the self-existent God. By stating "Before Abraham was born, I am," Jesus places Himself outside the bounds of human history and created time, identifying with God's revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14, where God identifies Himself as "I AM." This statement proclaims His timeless being and absolute deity, not merely His existence prior to Abraham, but His uncreated, everlasting essence.
John 8 58 Context
The declaration in John 8:58 concludes a heated discourse between Jesus and the Jewish leaders in the Temple. The argument revolves around Jesus's identity, His claims to divine authority, and His relationship with God the Father, in contrast to their reliance on Abraham as their father. Jesus speaks of knowing the Father, of giving spiritual freedom, and ultimately asserts His moral purity and heavenly origin.
When Jesus tells them in John 8:56, "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad," the Jews misunderstand, taking it literally in terms of human age. They mock Him in John 8:57, saying, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" This chronological challenge directly sets the stage for Jesus's shocking and ultimate claim. His response transcends their human, temporal understanding, elevating the discussion from historical lineage to eternal being, and directly confronting their concept of God. Their immediate reaction of picking up stones to stone Him for blasphemy confirms their clear understanding of His claim to divinity.
John 8 58 Word analysis
Truly, truly (ἀμὴν ἀμὴν, amēn amēn): This doubled affirmation, unique to John's Gospel (25 times), signals a declaration of supreme importance, authority, and truth from Jesus. It functions as a solemn oath, drawing attention to the momentous statement that follows.
I say to you: A direct, personal address conveying the absolute certainty and authority of the speaker, bypassing any intermediaries.
before (πρὶν, prin): A conjunction indicating temporal priority. It explicitly sets Jesus's existence prior to a specific historical event and individual.
Abraham: The revered patriarch and father of the Jewish nation, a pivotal figure in salvation history. For the Jews, claiming pre-existence to Abraham was astonishing.
was born (γενέσθαι, genesthai): An aorist infinitive of γίνομαι (ginomai), meaning "to come into being," "to become," or "to be born." This refers to Abraham's historical birth, marking his point of origin in time.
I am (ἐγὼ εἰμι, ego eimi): This is the core of the declaration.
- ἐγὼ (ego): The emphatic first-person singular pronoun "I," stressing the subject.
- εἰμι (eimi): The present tense verb "to be." Its use in the present tense, despite the preceding "before Abraham was born," is critical. It signifies eternal, timeless, self-existent being, rather than a mere past existence. This is a direct echo of God's self-revelation to Moses as "I AM" (Exod 3:14 LXX: ἐγώ εἰμι) – a name that denotes God's absolute, independent, and everlasting existence, without beginning or end. It implies ontological equality with God.
Words-group analysis:
- before Abraham was born: This phrase precisely establishes the chronological benchmark. It points to Abraham's entrance into linear time, highlighting that whatever follows "before" it must precede it in existence. The verb genesthai here confirms Abraham had a beginning.
- I am: The immediate juxtaposition of "before Abraham was born" (a past event marking a beginning) with the eternal "I am" creates a sharp theological contrast. While Abraham became in time, Jesus is eternally, perpetually existing without beginning or end. It's not "I was" (which would acknowledge past existence but within time), but "I am", asserting continuous, unchanging, timeless being. This signifies a profound claim of divine ontology.
John 8 58 Bonus section
The intense reaction of the Jewish audience immediately following this declaration is crucial. John 8:59 records that "they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple." This attempted stoning indicates their unambiguous interpretation of Jesus's words as blasphemy, understanding that He had claimed equality with God, which under Mosaic Law, was punishable by death (Lev 24:16). Their response provides irrefutable proof that Jesus's "I AM" was not simply a statement of being in the past (like "I was"), but a deliberate, absolute claim of divine identity and timeless existence. Without this context of immediate, violent rejection for perceived blasphemy, one might be tempted to dilute the meaning of ego eimi. However, the historical reaction confirms the weight and significance of Jesus's direct appropriation of the divine name.
John 8 58 Commentary
John 8:58 is one of the most direct and unmistakable assertions of Jesus's divinity and pre-existence in the Gospels. In this single statement, Jesus simultaneously refutes His adversaries' assumptions about His temporal limitations and unveils His eternal nature. By employing the divine "I AM" (Exodus 3:14) in direct relation to Abraham's origin, Jesus positions Himself not just as prior to Abraham in age, but as existing before time began for any created being. Abraham had a moment of birth (genesthai), a point when he came into being. Jesus, however, is (eimi). This radical difference in verbs underscores Jesus's unique, uncreated, and timeless existence as God. The Jewish leaders' response – immediately picking up stones to execute Him for blasphemy (John 8:59) – undeniably demonstrates that they understood His words as a direct claim to being Yahweh Himself. This verse is therefore a central pillar of Christian Christology, proclaiming Jesus as the eternal, self-existent God who condescended to enter time.