The verse in question, John 8:58, is a pivotal moment in the Gospel of John, where Jesus engages in a profound dialogue with the Jews. The Greek text of John 8:58 reads:
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί.
Transliterated into the Latin alphabet, this becomes:
Apekrithē Iēsous· amēn amēn legō hymin, prin Abraam genesthai egō eimi.
This verse is translated into English as:
“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’”
To break down the components of this verse in Greek:
- Ἀπεκρίθη (Apekrithē) - He answered
- Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous) - Jesus
- Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν (Amēn amēn) - Truly, truly (or Verily, verily; emphasizing the truth of what follows)
- λέγω (legō) - I say
- ὑμῖν (hymin) - to you
- πρὶν (prin) - before
- Ἀβραὰμ (Abraam) - Abraham
- γενέσθαι (genesthai) - was born or came into being
- ἐγὼ (egō) - I
- εἰμί (eimi) - am
The significance of Jesus’ statement lies in his use of “ἐγὼ εἰμί” (egō eimi), which translates to “I am.” This phrase alludes to the name of God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15, where God says, “I AM WHO I AM” (ἐγὼ εἰμί ὁ ὢν in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). Jesus’ declaration, especially in the context of claiming existence before Abraham, asserts his divinity and eternal existence, contrasting with the finite, created nature of Abraham and all other human beings. This statement was seen as blasphemous by the Jews, leading them to attempt to stone him, as noted in the subsequent verse, John 8:59.
