Ego eimi

''Ego eimi'' ( grc, ἐγώ εἰμι ) "I am", "I exist", is the first person singular present active indicative of the verb "to be" in ancient Greek. The use of this phrase in some of the uses found in the Gospel of John is considered to have theological significance by many Christians.

Classical Greek

When used as a copula, with a predicate, "I am X", then usage is equivalent to English.

When used alone, without a predicate, "I am", "he is", "they are", typically mean "I exist" etc.
*Homer ''Odyssey'' 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 is largely consistent with earlier 'classical' use, even in Jewish texts:
*Septuagint 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 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 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 (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 (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 (YHWH), e.g. as the use of "LORD" in the King James Version. 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 or Hebrew Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh in Exodus 3:14.

Catholic

Modern Catholic scholarship also tends to see a theophany 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 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 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 ("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, 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 (1611) RV, RSV, NRSV

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