4/27/2020 John 8:58 "Truly, truly, I tell you," Jesus declared, "before Abraham was born, I am!

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John 8:58
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Bible > John > Chapter 8 > Verse 58

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Verse (Click for Chapter)
New International Version
"Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

New Living Translation

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am !”

English Standard Version

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Berean Study Bible

“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Berean Literal Bible

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

New American Standard Bible

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."

New King James Version

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

King James Bible

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Christian Standard Bible

Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am."

Contemporary English Version

Jesus answered, "I tell you for certain that even before Abraham was, I was, and I am."

Good News Translation

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4/27/2020 John 8:58 "Truly, truly, I tell you," Jesus declared, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

"I am telling you the truth," Jesus replied. "Before Abraham was born, 'I Am'."

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am."

International Standard Version

Jesus told them, "Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, before there was an Abraham, I AM!"

NET Bible
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!"

New Heart English Bible

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."

Aramaic Bible in Plain English

Yeshua said to them: “Timeless truth I speak to you: Before Abraham would exist, I AM THE LIVING GOD.”

GOD'S WORD® Translation

Jesus told them, "I can guarantee this truth: Before Abraham was ever born, I am."

New American Standard 1977

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

King James 2000 Bible

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

American King James Version

Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am.

American Standard Version

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am.

Darby Bible Translation

Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

English Revised Version

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Webster's Bible Translation

Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Weymouth New Testament

"In most solemn truth," answered Jesus, "I tell you that before Abraham came into existence, I am."

World English Bible

Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."

Young's Literal Translation

Jesus said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming -- I am;'
Study Bible

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4/27/2020 John 8:58 "Truly, truly, I tell you," Jesus declared, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

Before Abraham was Born, I Am

…57Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly,
I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him.
But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.…
Berean Study Bible · Download
Cross References
Exodus 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.'"

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 8:24
That is why 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, "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, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.

John 10:25
"I already told you," Jesus replied, "but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father's name testify on My
behalf.

John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.

John 17:24
Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me
because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Colossians 1:17
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Treasury of Scripture

Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Verily.

John 8:34,51
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin…

Before.

John 1:1,2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…

John 17:5,24
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world
was…

Proverbs 8:22-30
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old…

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I am.

Exodus 3:14
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM
hath sent me unto you.

Isaiah 43:13
Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let
it?

Isaiah 44:6,8
Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last;
and beside me there is no God…

Lexicon
“Truly,
Ἀμὴν (Amēn)
Hebrew Word
Strong's Greek 281: Of Hebrew origin; properly, firm, i.e. trustworthy; adverbially, surely.

truly,
ἀμὴν (amēn)
Hebrew Word
Strong's Greek 281: Of Hebrew origin; properly, firm, i.e. trustworthy; adverbially, surely.

I tell
λέγω (legō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's Greek 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell,
command.

you,”
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's Greek 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

declared,
Εἶπεν (Eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's Greek 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

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“before
πρὶν (prin)
Adverb
Strong's Greek 4250: Formerly, before. Adverb from pro; prior, sooner.

Abraham
Ἀβραὰμ (Abraam)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 11: Abraham, progenitor of the Hebrew race. Of Hebrew origin; Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch.

was born,
γενέσθαι (genesthai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle
Strong's Greek 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become,
used with great latitude.

I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's Greek 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

am!”
εἰμί (eimi)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's Greek 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and
defective verb; I exist.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(58) Before Abraham was, I am.--Better, Before Abraham was born, I am. (Comp. Note on John 1:6; and see
another striking instance in Luke 6:36, "Become ye merciful as your Father also is merciful.") Here they ask in
wonder, not unmixed with scorn, if He was coeval with Abraham. The answer is that Abraham, like all men,
came into being. There was a time when he was not. But there was never a time when the Son of God was not.
In the time before Abraham, in the eternity before time (John 1:1), He still was. No word which expresses
becoming can be used of His existence. He is the I AM, present equally in the human "was," and "is," and "is to
come."

Pulpit Commentary
Verse 58. - The reply of Jesus to this taunt is one of the most surprising and baffling kind on any hypothesis of
our Lord's consciousness being limited as that of all other of the sons of men. He gives the solemn emphasis of
the Αμὴν ἀμὴν once more - Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born (came into being), I am.
Abraham came into existence by birth (the Vulgate translates, Antequam fierat Abraham Ego sum): I am.
Numerous attempts have been made to explain this climacteric utterance on some humanistic theory. The
contrast is very remarkable between γενέσθαι and εἰμι. Jesus Christ declared his own timeless existence to have
been in his consciousness before Abraham came into being at all. The "I am" reminds us repeatedly, when used
by Jesus, of the "I AM THAT I AM" of Exodus 3:14, and the "thou art" of Psalm 90. (89:2, LXX.); Psalms
102:28. His human consciousness gave utterance to the awful depths of the eternal Ego. Now, some critics have
limited it in its meaning to "I existed in the counsel of God." But there are three objections to this interpretation:
one is

(1) that the present tense, εἰμί, and not the past, η΅ν, was used by our Lord; and

(2) on this interpretation Abraham must have also equally pre-existed in the counsel of God; and

(3) such a statement would throw no light on the previous discourse. The Racovian Confession of Faith, based
on the view of Socinus, explains, "Before Abram becomes Abraham, i.e. the father of many nations, I am it, the
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Messiah, the Light of the world." Not until my Messianic claims are acknowledged, and the many nations
become children of Abraham, does Abraham really become Abraham, does his name derive its full meaning.
This would be rabbinical trifling (J.P. Smith, 'Script. Test. to Messiah,' vol. 2). Beyschlag thinks that our Lord
realized in his Person not a conscious pre-existence before Abraham, or before all worlds, but an impersonal
principle, the image of God, which could only "be" in the eternal mind of God. There is a sense in which every
man may realize such pre-existence as this, not merely "the Son of God," nor the new man in Christ, but every
man whatsoever; but such a statement is entirely out of harmony with the whole passage that precedes. If the
Jews had understood it in this sense, they would not have taken up stores to stone him, but, after their wont,
would have said, "So also were we." "Ideas do not see one another." The first ἐγὼ εἰμί (ver. 12) brought out their
angry unbelief, but this excites their murderous assault. We have to observe that this remarkable expression does
not stand alone. St. John had reasons for saying "that the Word was with God, and was God. and was made
flesh" (John 1:1, 3, 14). If Jesus, in his Divine consciousness, had never elsewhere spoken of having had a being
before his manifestation (John 6:46, 62; John 17:5), of having taken part with the Father from the beginning
(John 5:17), of being "one with the Father" (John 10:30, 33), of being greater than the temple or the sabbath, as
being the Object of the eternal love in coming down from heaven, in laying down his life that he might take it
again (John 10:17, 18); and if the language of the apostles (Hebrews 1:1, 2; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 1:18)
had not entirely prepared our mind for the data on which such conclusions rested, a generation before this
Gospel was reduced to form, we might join the effort to resist such a claim as that of eternal pre-existence. But
the whole tenor of the Gospel and the entire New Testament teaching are seen, more and more, to turn upon this
fundamental position - that in Christ dwells all the fulness of the Godhead, that he had life in himself, and
eternity, and that the manhood has not only been lifted to the highest place in human remembrance, but to the
midst of the throne.
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