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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 3:14 | "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" | Direct identification with the divine name. |
| John 1:1 | "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." | Pre-existence and divinity of Jesus. |
| John 1:14 | "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." | Incarnation. |
| John 10:30 | "I and the Father are one." | Unity with the Father. |
| John 17:5 | "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." | Christ's pre-incarnate glory. |
| Phil 2:6 | "who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;" | Christ's divine nature. |
| Col 1:17 | "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." | Christ's pre-existence and sovereignty. |
| Heb 1:2 | "...through whom also he created the universe." | Christ as Creator. |
| Heb 1:3 | "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." | Christ's role in sustaining creation. |
| 1 Pet 1:20 | "He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." | Christ's predestination for salvation. |
| 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." | Christ's eternal nature. |
| Isa 43:10 | "'Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.'" | God's unique eternal nature. |
| Gen 1:1 | "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." | God's pre-existence as Creator. |
| Mic 5:2 | "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." | Prophecy of Messiah's ancient origins. |
| Deut 32:39 | "'See now that I myself am He! There is no god beside me. I, I am he and no other gods exist besides me.'" | God's uniqueness and eternality. |
| Rom 4:17 | "...in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not not exist." | God's power over existence. |
| Gal 4:4 | "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law," | The timing of Christ's birth in God's eternal plan. |
| John 1:4 | "In him was life, and that life was the light of men." | Jesus as the source of life and light. |
| John 1:18 | "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who himself is God and is one with the Father, has made him known." | Jesus revealing the Father. |
| Rev 13:8 | "and all inhabitants of the earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain." | The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. |
| Prov 8:23 | "I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning of the earth." | Wisdom (often seen as a prefigurement of Christ) present from creation. |
| Ps 90:2 | "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." | God's eternal nature. |
John 8 verses
John 8 58 Meaning
"Before Abraham was, I AM." This declaration by Jesus in John 8:58 asserts His pre-existence and divine identity, claiming to be eternal, predating even the revered patriarch Abraham. The phrase "I AM" (ego eimi in Greek) is a direct allusion to God's self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14.
John 8 58 Context
In this passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus is engaged in a debate with Jewish leaders who question His authority and identity. They challenge His claims about freedom, suggesting they have always been Abraham's descendants and therefore are not slaves. Jesus, however, counters by linking true freedom to His own person, implying they are slaves to sin. He states that if they followed Abraham, they would do the things Abraham did. When they assert their lineage, Jesus makes the profound statement about His existence before Abraham. This causes a significant backlash from the crowd, who then pick up stones to throw at Him, perceiving His words as blasphemy – a claim to divine status. This hostility highlights the theological chasm and the dangerous implications of Jesus' self-understanding within the religious framework of the time. The historical context involves intense scrutiny of religious leaders and debates over identity, ancestry, and the coming Messiah within Second Temple Judaism.
John 8 58 Word analysis
- Before: (prin) This adverb of time emphasizes a period preceding a specific point. It sets up the temporal comparison with Abraham.
- Abraham: A pivotal patriarch in Judaism, considered the father of the Israelite nation and a symbol of faith and divine covenant.
- was: (egeneto) This verb implies becoming or coming into existence. However, in conjunction with the following phrase, it functions to mark the point of commencement for Abraham's historical presence.
- I AM: (ego eimi) This is the crucial phrase.
- Ego: "I".
- Eimi: "am".
- The absolute use of "ego eimi" by Jesus directly invokes God's personal name revealed in Ex 3:14, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" (I AM WHO I AM). This signifies uncreated, eternal existence. It's a claim of being the self-existent, unchanging God. The Jewish audience understood this significance immediately and it's why they accused Him of blasphemy and sought to stone Him.
- was (connected to "Abraham"): (pro–). This prefix means "before". When combined with the verb that follows (which indicates Abraham’s origin or beginning of existence as a historical figure), it underscores a duration prior to that.
Words-group analysis:
- "Before Abraham was": This phrase is not simply stating Jesus was alive before Abraham was born. It is articulating a state of being, an existence that preceded Abraham's historical advent by an immense, potentially infinite, period.
- "I AM": This is the emphatic, self-referential divine declaration. It is the essence of divine eternality, uncreatedness, and self-sufficiency. It’s the identification of Himself with the "Alpha and Omega," the beginning and the end.
- "Before Abraham was, I AM": This juxtaposition is designed to shock. It moves from the limited historical figure of Abraham to the absolute, timeless identity of Jesus as the eternal God. It highlights His pre-existence not as a created being, but as the uncreated divine essence.
John 8 58 Bonus section
The term "I AM" (ego eimi) in John 8:58 is intentionally without a predicate (e.g., "I AM the Son of God"). This absolute usage in Greek, especially with the context of its Hebrew equivalent, was the highest possible claim to divinity and being. Jesus wasn't merely stating He existed before Abraham; He was identifying Himself as the eternal "He Who Is," the ultimate reality. Scholars widely point out that this phrasing deliberately challenged the religious authorities and declared His own unique and divine status, thereby making Him both the subject of worship and the ultimate truth revealed. This particular utterance, coming after His discourse on spiritual freedom from sin, links true freedom directly to His person as the pre-existent eternal God.
John 8 58 Commentary
Jesus’ declaration "Before Abraham was, I AM" is a profound statement of His deity and eternal nature. It aligns Him with Yahweh, the God of Israel, by using His revealed name. This is not a mere claim of being older than Abraham, but of existing in eternity, uncreated and in the Godhead, before the foundational figure of Israel’s faith. The listeners’ reaction – attempting to stone Him – underscores their understanding of this claim as blasphemy, precisely because they interpreted it as a claim to be God. His "I AM" echoes the divine utterance, signifying His being as the eternal, unchanging God. This verse is a cornerstone for understanding the Christological claims within John's Gospel.
Practical usage examples:
- Witnessing: When asked about Jesus’ origins, one can point to His claim of being "I AM," the eternal God, which predates all earthly figures and creation.
- Understanding Scripture: Recognizing "I AM" as the divine name helps interpret other passages where Jesus makes similar claims or performs acts that demonstrate His divine authority.