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''Ego eimi'' ( grc, ἐγώ εἰμι ) "I am", "I exist", is the first person
singular Singular may refer to: * Singular, the grammatical number that denotes a unit quantity, as opposed to the plural and other forms * Singular homology * SINGULAR, an open source Computer Algebra System (CAS) * Singular or sounder, a group of boar, ...
present The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perception, perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is ...
active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...
indicative A realis mood (abbreviated ) is a grammatical mood which is used principally to indicate that something is a statement of fact; in other words, to express what the speaker considers to be a known state of affairs, as in declarative sentences. Most ...
of the
verb A verb () is a word (part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descri ...
"to be" in ancient Greek. The use of this phrase in some of the uses found in the
Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
is considered to have theological significance by many Christians.


Classical Greek

When used as a copula, with a
predicate Predicate or predication may refer to: * Predicate (grammar), in linguistics * Predication (philosophy) * several closely related uses in mathematics and formal logic: **Predicate (mathematical logic) **Propositional function **Finitary relation, o ...
, "I am X", then usage is equivalent to English. When used alone, without a
predicate Predicate or predication may refer to: * Predicate (grammar), in linguistics * Predication (philosophy) * several closely related uses in mathematics and formal logic: **Predicate (mathematical logic) **Propositional function **Finitary relation, o ...
, "I am", "he is", "they are", typically mean "I exist" etc. *
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
''
Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...
'' 15:433 ‘Wouldest thou then return again with us to thy home, that thou mayest see the high-roofed house of thy father and mother, and see them too? For of a truth they still live (''eisi'', 3rd person plural of ''eimi''), and are accounted rich.’ This is so unless there is an implied predicate in immediate context.


Koine Greek

Use without a predicate in
Hellenistic Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...
is largely consistent with earlier 'classical' use, even in Jewish texts: *
Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...
Exodus 3:14 "And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am (''ego eimi'') THE BEING; and he said, Thus shall ye say to the children of Israel, THE BEING has sent me to you." *
Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...
2 Samuel 2:19 And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he answered, "I am" (''ego eimi'') i.e. “It is I.” Note: But in the original language of Hebrew, what is translated here as "ego eimi" is an entirely different word than in Exodus 3:1

https://biblehub.com/texts/exodus/3-14.htm] *
Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
9:8-9 The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am he.” (''ego eimi'')


Christian exegesis


Patristic exegesis

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...
(ca. 340-400) took "I am" not as merely related to Abraham, but a statement including from before Adam. In his ''Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book III'' wrote: "In its extent, the preposition “before” reaches back into the past without end or limit, and so “Before Abraham was, γω ειμι clearly need not mean “after Adam,” just as “before the Morning Star” need not mean “after the angels.” But when He said “before ριν” He intended, not that He was included in any one's existence, but that all things are included in His, for thus it is the custom of Holy Writ to show the eternity of God.
John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος; 14 September 407) was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his homilies, preaching and public speaking, his denunciat ...
(ca. 349-407) attached more theological significance to ''ego eimi'', In his 55th Homily on John: "But wherefore said He not, Before Abraham was, "I was" (εγω ἦν), instead of "I Am" (εγω ειμι)? As the Father uses this expression, I Am (εγω ειμι), so also does Christ; for it signifies continuous Being, irrespective of all time. On which account the expression seemed to them to be blasphemous."


Modern Evangelical exegesis

The texts of particular uses of interest to many Christians are the series in Gospel of John 4:26, 6:20, 8:24, 8:28, 8:58, (excluding the man born blind, John 9:9) 13:19, 15:1, 18:5, which collectively are often identified as John's "'I am' statements". In Protestant commentaries it is often stated that "whenever John reports Jesus as saying ''ego eimi'', a claim to deity is implicit." In commentaries the English "I am" is sometimes capitalised "I AM" to demonstrate a connection with how the English Bibles often capitalize words where the Hebrew text has the
Tetragrammaton The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew language, Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', ''he (l ...
(YHWH), e.g. as the use of "LORD" in the
King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...
. For example; "These mighty words come from the Greek words ''ego eimi'', which is more accurately translated, "I AM!". This is also found in some Catholic commentaries. This connection is made because it is assumed that ''ego eimi'' is related to
I am that I am "I Am that I Am" is a Bible translations into English, common English translation of the Hebrew language, Hebrew phrase (; )– also "I am who (I) am", "I will become what I choose to become", "I am what I am", "I will be what I will be", "I crea ...
or Hebrew Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh in
Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...
3:14.


Catholic

Modern Catholic scholarship also tends to see a
theophany Theophany (from Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of a deity") is a personal encounter with a deity, that is an event where the manifestation of a deity occurs in an observable way. Specifically, it "refers to the temporal and spatial manifest ...
presented in the preponderance of the "I am" statements in the Gospels. Raymond Brown sees a play on words in the story recounted in John 6:20 where the disciples in the boat are terrified when they see a man walking towards them on the water, and Jesus reassures them, ‘I AM; do not be afraid.’ Brown sees a twofold meaning: the obvious story line meaning of 'it is I' and a higher
sacral Sacral may refer to: *Sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property ...
meaning inherent in Jesus' walking calmly on the storm-tossed waves and then bringing them safely ashore.


Other views

This assumption is questioned by those who point out that in the
Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...
and in Philo's Life of Moses Greek ''ho on'' "the being", not ''ego eimi'' "I am", carries the greater part of the meaning. Also that ''ho on'' "who is" occurs in Revelation 1:4,8 4:8, 11:17, 16:5.


Grammatical issues


Predicate

The absence of an immediate
predicate Predicate or predication may refer to: * Predicate (grammar), in linguistics * Predication (philosophy) * several closely related uses in mathematics and formal logic: **Predicate (mathematical logic) **Propositional function **Finitary relation, o ...
("I am X") may still require an implied predicate. For example A.T. Robertson in discussing John 8:24 notes the lack of a predicate after the copula ''eimi''. But identifies either an implied predicate: *"either "that I am ''from above''" (verse 23), "that I am ''the one sent from the Father'' or am''the Messiah''" (7:18,28), "that I am ''the Light of the World''" (8:12), "that I am ''the Deliverer from the bondage of sin''" (8:28,31f.,36), or: *"that I am" without supplying a predicate in the absolute sense as the Jews (De 32:39) used the language of Jehovah (cf. Isa 43:10 where the very words occur; ''hina pisteusete hoti ego eimi''). K. L. McKay considers the John "I am" statements to be primarily normal use with predicate, "I am X", "I am the true vine" etc.


Verbal tense and aspect


"...I am"

It is generally considered, for example by
Daniel B. Wallace Daniel Baird Wallace (born June 5, 1952) is an American professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, the purpose of whi ...
, that if that the intention of John was to state "I was" then the text should instead contain the corresponding past tense form which is ''ego ēn'' "I was", as in English and elsewhere in the New Testament. *
KJV The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...
(1611) RV,
RSV RSV may refer to: Biology and medicine * Respiratory syncytial virus, causing respiratory disease * Rous sarcoma virus, causing cancer in chickens Road vehicles * Several :Aprilia motorcycles, Aprilia motorcycles, e.g.RSV4 * Minicar RSV, a US saf ...
,
NRSV The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches.ESV The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Bible. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was "created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors." The ESV relies on recently published critic ...
,
NIV Niv may refer to: * Niv, a personal name; for people with the name, see * Niv Art Movies, a film production company of India * Niv Art Centre, in New Delhi, India NIV may refer to: * The New International Version, a translation of the Bible into ...
: "Before Abraham was, I am." * ASV, NASB (1995): "before Abraham was born, I am." *
The Passion Translation The Passion Translation (TPT) is a modern English translation of the New Testament, and of an increasing number of books from the Hebrew Bible. The entire TPT Bible is slated for completion in 2028. It was first published in 2011 by 5 Fold Medi ...
"I have existed long before Abraham was born, for I AM!” * YLT "Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming -- I am" * NKJV "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (Good News Translation GNT; International Standard Version ISV; Phillips; Jubillee Bible 2000; Modern English Version MEV and other translations render it in capital letters "I AM" as well, to indicate the Title element)


"...I have been"

However in John 8:58 a few Bibles have renderings of ''eimi'' in past tenses: * The
United Bible Societies The United Bible Societies (UBS) is a global fellowship of around 150 Bible Societies operating in more than 240 countries and territories. It has working hubs in England, Singapore, Nairobi and Miami. The headquarters are located in Swindon, Eng ...
''Hebrew New Testament'' has ''ani hayiti'' "I was" not ''ani hu'' "I am". * George R. Noyes, Unitarian - ''The New Testament'' (Boston, 1871). "Before Abraham was born I was already what I am" and (in the 1904 edition) "I was" * ''The
Twentieth Century New Testament The Twentieth Century New Testament (TCNT) is an English translation of the New Testament. Originally published in three parts between 1898 and 1901, it is considered the first translation of the Bible into present-day English. After further revis ...
'' (TCNT) supervised by
J. Rendel Harris James Rendel Harris ( Plymouth, Devon, 27 January 1852 – 1 March 1941) was an English biblical scholar and curator of manuscripts, who was instrumental in bringing back to light many Syriac Scriptures and other early documents. His contacts at t ...
and
Richard Francis Weymouth Dr. Richard Francis Weymouth (M.A., D.Litt.) (1822–1902) was an English schoolmaster, Baptist layman and Bible student known particularly for producing one of the earliest modern language translations of the New Testament. Life Born near Devon ...
(Britain, 1900). "I have existed before Abraham was born" *
James Moffatt James Moffatt (4 July 1870, Glasgow – 27 June 1944, New York City) was a Scottish theologian and graduate of the University of Glasgow. Moffatt trained at the Free Church College, Glasgow, and was a practising minister at the United Free Ch ...
, '' The Bible A New Translation'' (New York, 1935). "I am here – and I was before Abraham!" * J. M. P. Smith and E. J. Goodspeed ''An American Translation'' (1935) "I existed before Abraham was born!" * ''The
New World Translation The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The New Testament portion was released first, in 1950, ...
'' (1950, 1984) "before Abraham came to be, I have been."; (2013) "before Abraham came into existence, I have been." * J. A. Kleist S.J. and J. L. Lilly C.M., Roman Catholic - ''The New Testament'' (Milwaukee, 1956). "I was before Abraham" *
William F. Beck William Frederick Beck (August 28, 1904 – October 24, 1966) was an American Lutheran Minister (Christianity), minister best known for his Bible translations, biblical translation, Beck's American Translation, ''The Holy Bible, An American Tr ...
, Lutheran - ''The New Testament in the Language of Today'' (St. Louis, 1963). "I was in existence before Abraham was ever born" *
Kenneth N. Taylor Kenneth Nathaniel Taylor (May 8, 1917 – June 10, 2005) was an American publisher and author, better known as the creator of ''The Living Bible'' and the founder of Tyndale House, a Christian publishing company, and Living Bibles Internat ...
, ''The
Living Bible The Living Bible (TLB or LB) is a personal paraphrase, not a translation, of the Bible in English by Kenneth N. Taylor and first published in 1971. Taylor used the American Standard Version of 1901 as his base text. Origin In a 1979 interview ...
'' (Wheaton, 1979). "I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!" * The poet Richard Lattimore, ''The Four Gospels and the Revelation'' (New York, 1979). "I existed before Abraham was born" * ed. Stanley L. Morris, ''The Simple English Bible'' (1981) "I was alive before Abraham was born" * C. B. Williams, ''The New Testament in the Language of the People'' (Nashville, 1986). "I most solemnly say to you, I existed before Abraham was born."  This reading is supported by a minority of modern scholars:
Jason BeDuhn Jason David BeDuhn (born 1963) is a historian of religion and culture, currently Professor of Religious Studies at Northern Arizona University. Education BeDuhn holds a B.A. in Religious studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champai ...
, cites
Herbert Weir Smyth Herbert Weir Smyth (August 8, 1857 – July 16, 1937) was an American classical scholar. His comprehensive grammar of Ancient Greek has become a standard reference on the subject in English, comparable to that of William Watson Goodwin, whom he s ...
's grammar which shows examples in classical narratives of where a use of Greek present can be translated by English
present perfect progressive This article describes the uses of various verb forms in modern standard English language. This includes: * Finite verb forms such as ''go'', ''goes'' and ''went'' * Nonfinite forms such as ''(to) go'', ''going'' and ''gone'' * Combinations of s ...
, and BeDuhn argues for a "past progressive" translation such as "I have been". Thomas A. Howe accused BeDuhn of producing insufficient evidence for the claim that it is an idiom. BeDuhn has objected to Howe's critique, describing it as "a mess of circular argument, special pleading, and irrelevant 'evidence.'"
Robert Bowman Robert Bowman (also Rob, Bob, or Bobby) may refer to: Sports *Bob Bowman (coach) (born 1965), American swimming coach *Rob Bowman (footballer) (born 1975), English football player * Robert A. Bowman, President and CEO of MLB Advanced Media *Bob Bow ...
and BeDuhn conducted a lengthy online discussion in 2005 regarding the translation of this verse. The emails were collated and are available onlin
here
Kenneth L. McKay considers ego eimi in John 8:58 to be used emphatically as in "I exist" meaning ''I have been in existence'', therefore that Jesus has existed longer than Abraham, and considers John 8:58 "quite unlikely" to be a reference to Exodus 3:14. Against this
Daniel B. Wallace Daniel Baird Wallace (born June 5, 1952) is an American professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, the purpose of whi ...
replies that McKay's reading would not apply in first person discourse.


Before + participle ''genesthai''

In Greek the structure ''prin'' A ______, B ____ ("before A ___, B ___") does not indicate tense in the first verb after ''prin'' (before), whether this is "before becomes/became/will become" can only be inferred from the second clause "B ____" after the comma. For example: ''prin genesthai'' "before it will happen" (John 14:29) implies a future "it will become" even though the "I have told you" is past. This Greek structure resembles Wycliffe's 1395 translation from the Latin: :''Therfor Jhesus seide to hem, Treuli, treuli, Y seie to you, bifor that Abraham schulde be, Y am.''


Sozzini

In the case of John 8:58 since the structure "before" + deponent does not carry any indication of tense in Greek, some have considered that the more natural context of "before γενέσθαι + present verb" would be future, "before Abraham becomes". However the interpretation πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι as "before Abraham becomes" is rare, and
Fausto Sozzini Fausto Paolo Sozzini, also known as Faustus Socinus ( pl, Faust Socyn; 5 December 1539 – 4 March 1604), was an Italian theologian and, alongside his uncle Lelio Sozzini, founder of the Non-trinitarian Christian belief system known as Socinian ...
and
Valentinus Smalcius Valentinus Smalcius (german: Valentin Schmalz or ''Schmaltz''; pl, Walenty Smalc) (Gotha, 1572 – Raków, Kielce county 1622) was a German Socinian theologian. He is known for his German translation of the Racovian Catechism, and Racovian New Test ...
were perhaps the first to advocate the reading "before Abraham becomes ather of many nationsI am e, namely, the Messiah.


Calvin

Another consideration, advanced by
John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...
, is the comparison of Abraham 'coming into existence', "γενέσθαι", compared with Jesus declaring his existence with present tense "eimi", implies an eternal
pre-existence Pre-existence, preexistence, beforelife, or premortal existence, is the belief that each individual human soul existed before mortal conception, and at some point before birth enters or is placed into the body. Concepts of pre-existence can enco ...
. " He considers this to be contextually more probable and additionally sees a connection to Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"Commentary on John "Yet these words may be explained in two ways. Some think that this applies simply to the eternal Divinity of Christ, and compare it with that passage in the writings of Moses, I am what I am, (Exodus 3:14.) But I extend it much farther, because the power and grace of Christ, so far as he is the Redeemer of the world, was common to all ages. It agrees therefore with that saying of the apostle, Christ yesterday, and to-day, and for ever, (Hebrews 13:8.) For the context appears to demand this interpretation. He had formerly said that Abraham longed for his day with vehement desire; and as this seemed incredible to the Jews, he adds, that he himself also existed at that time. The reason assigned will not appear sufficiently strong, if we do not understand that he was even then acknowledged to be the Mediator, by whom God was to be appeased. And yet the efficacy which belonged, in all ages, to the grace of the Mediator depended on his eternal Divinity; so that this saying of Christ contains a remarkable testimony of his Divine essence."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ego Eimi New Testament Greek words and phrases