John 8:58

Context

Chapter 8 of the Gospel of John records a lengthy dispute between Jesus and the Jews in the Temple at Jerusalem. In John 8:31, Jesus speaks about truth and freedom to the Jews who had believed in him. A dispute then follows over whether they are truly the descendants of Abraham.

In verse 56, Jesus says that Abraham rejoiced to see his day. His hearers respond in verse 57, "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" This verse is Jesus' answer to that question. In verse 59, his listeners take up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hides himself and goes out of the Temple.

Interpretation

The Greek text contrasts two verbs. For Abraham it uses "to come into being" (genesthai) in a past tense, while for Jesus himself it uses "to be" (eimi) in the present tense.

• The mainstream Christian reading: Most Protestant traditions, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Holiness, and Pentecostal churches, as well as the Catholic and Orthodox churches, read the verse this way. They regard it as a declaration of both Jesus' preexistence (his existence before coming into the world) and his deity. They interpret "I am" as connected to "I AM THAT I AM" in Exodus 3:14 and thus as evoking the divine name. They also see the listeners' attempt to stone Jesus as evidence that they understood his words as blasphemy. The verse serves as a key proof text in explaining the doctrines of Christology and the Trinity.
• A different emphasis in scholarship: Rather than linking the verse directly to Exodus 3:14, some scholars see it as an echo of passages in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) of Isaiah in which God says, "I am he" (ego eimi). Even on this view, the conclusion that the statement is a divine claim generally remains the same.
• A reading that affirms only preexistence: Jehovah's Witnesses hold that the verse states only that Jesus existed before Abraham, not that he is equal with God. Accordingly, their own Bible, the New World Translation, renders the phrase with an expression of continuing past existence, "I have been."

Debates and Points of Contention

There is little difference among Protestant denominations in the interpretation of this verse. The dispute centers mainly on translation.

• The position of Jehovah's Witnesses: They argue that the present tense "am" here expresses a state continuing from the past, so that rendering it "have been" is natural.
• The response of mainstream scholars and churches: They point out that "I am" is used here absolutely, without a predicate. They also argue that the present tense should be preserved because the expression stands in continuity with similar phrases earlier in the same chapter, such as "that I am he" in verses 24 and 28.

Both the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) and the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) retain the present tense, rendering the phrase "I am."

Some also caution that it goes too far to link every "I am" saying in John's Gospel with the divine name. They argue that sayings with a predicate, such as "I am the bread of life," should be distinguished from absolute uses such as this verse.

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently cited in sermons and Bible studies on the deity and preexistence of Jesus. It is also treated in sermon series on the "I am" sayings of John's Gospel, and it is raised as a key verse when explaining doctrinal differences with Jehovah's Witnesses.

Related Passages

• Exodus 3:14
• Isaiah 43:10
• John 1:1
• John 17:5
• Colossians 1:17