I AM HE or I AM?

[MissKate13]

Ego Eimi = I AM
There is no HE. It simply means.I AM.

There are several instances in John where Jesus applies to Himself the same expression that God used at the burning bush: “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14)

(John 8:24). The word “He” is in italics indicating the translators’ insertion. However, in keeping with the theme of John, as well as the immediate context, its insertion is unwarranted and obscures the power of Jesus’ statement. He was, in fact, forthrightly declaring His deity to the hard-hearted Jews by identifying Himself with the same Deity that Moses encountered at the burning bush.

This fact is evident in the context. Three verses later, in John 8:28, Jesus again states I AM. Translators place the “He” in italics.

For a third time, in John 8:58 , Jesus pointedly presses the fact to bring closure to His confrontation: Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

The Jews correctly understood that Jesus was making a direct claim to Deity, evidenced by the fact that they prepared to execute Him for the capital crime of blasphemy.

In John 4:19, Jesus stresses the same point to the Samaritan woman. The translators again add “He” following “I AM” Jesus was connecting Himself the the “I AM” of the burning bush.

The apostles were gripped by fear for their lives, seeing Jesus walking on the water toward their boat. “But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid’” (John 6:20). The English reader would likely never know that the words “It is I” are a translation of the Greek ego eimi, “I am.” Undoubtedly, Jesus was again calling attention to His divinity—as indicated by “I AM. Be not afraid.

”On the occasion when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in John 13:19, He said to them, “Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He” (John 13:19). The word He was added. Once again, Jesus was deliberately spotlighting His divinity to His disciples by identifying Himself with the burning bush episode. He intended to emphasize to them that they would realize that He is the great “I AM.”

My personal favorite is John 18:4-5. When the mob came to arrest Jesus, He asks, “Whom are you seeking?’ They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am He’” (John 18:4-5). Once again, “He” is in italics.

Notice the reaction. They drew back and fell to the ground. Remember, that these soldiers were not Romans. They were Jewish soldiers sent by the chief priests and Pharisees. They were well aware of the import of the expression “I AM.”

Jesus enlisted the use of “I am” in seven additional instances when He offered descriptions of His divine nature, each prefaced by EGO EIM.
1. “I am the Bread of Life” (6:35).
2. “I am the Light of the world” (8:12).
3. “I am the Door” (10:9).
4. “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:4).
5. “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25).
6. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6).
7. “I am the Vine” (15:5).
In each of these cases, a feature of Jesus’ Person is spotlighted that can only describe deity. No mere human being can rightfully be said to be the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, etc. These glorious affirmations pertain solely to Christ in His divine state.

Insering the word “He” was not only unnecessary, its insertion obscures and softens the force of Jesus’ claim explicitly linking Himself directly to the statement spoken by God to Moses at the burning bush. Indeed, the very heart and core of Christianity is Christ as the divine Son of God. One cannot even be a Christian unless that divinity is orally confessed prior to conversion (Romans 10:9-10).

Unless you believe Jesus when He says EGO EIMI, translated I AM, you will die in your sins.

[tam]

Peace to you,

[Replying to tam in post #16]

Exodus 3:14 YHWH says to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

I AM in the Hebrew means I exist (past, present and future). YHWH was pointing to His eternal nature.

John 8;58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” I AM in the Greek means I exist (past, present and future). Jesus was pointing to His eternal nature.

Ego (from ego eimi) in the Greek means "I".
Eimi (from the greek) means a few things including "am".

Simply using the words ego eimi does not mean that a person is declaring themselves to be [YHWH]. This has been pointed out in the thread. Instead, what you are presenting is an interpretation... and flaws in that interpretation have been pointed out on this thread as well. You have not addressed those flaws.


There also doesn't have to be a 'he' after "I am" in this statement at John 8:58. Because what Christ said is very true. He IS before Abraham. "I am before Abraham was"... "Before Abraham was, I am"...

Emphasis is on the fact that He (Christ) existed before Abraham. Timing is the context. "You are not yet fifty years old, yet you have seen Abraham". Yes, He had indeed seen Abraham despite His limited years in the flesh, because He existed before... long before Abraham was even born.

This does not mean He is claiming to be [YHVH].

If that had been His claim, He could have made it outright on numerous instances. Instead, when some of the Jews tried to stone Him, He explained that even men could be called 'gods' (why explain that if He was in fact claiming to be THE God?)... and He then emphasized that He is God's Son. On another instance, instead of saying that His Father is the One whom the Jews claim as their God, He could have said "I am the one you claim as your God."

Instead He clearly stated that His Father is the One whom the Jews claim as their God. His Father is [YHWH].

He never claimed to be that Himself.

As Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24)

My Lord taught that He is the Son of God and that we are to believe in Him.

Remember that famous verse?

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Believe in whom? The SON.

Who did Christ tell the Samaritan woman He was? The Messiah.

To whom did God tell us to listen? His Son.

There are many direct statements spread throughout the NT supporting the fact that we are to believe in the Son of God, the Christ.

There is no such statement supporting the claim that we must believe that Christ is "THE I AM" or we will die in our sins.

It’s your choice. Believe what you will.

I CHOOSE to listen to my Lord and to believe Him and His words.


Peace again to you,
your servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy

[MissKate13]

[Replying to tam in post #21]

All I’m saying is that the word made flesh is eternal. Eternal means "everlasting, having no beginning and no end."

“The word was made flesh (John 1:14).

The word was with God in the beginning (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1).

“apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:3)

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Col. 1:17)

Absolutely NOTHING existed before creation, with the exception of God, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. They existed in eternity.

Eternity has no time, no beginning, no end. It has always been and always will be.

Not only did Jesus exist before Abraham, He existed before creation. (John 1:3, Col. 1:17).

Can we agree on this much?

[1213]

[Replying to 1213 in post #18]

I AM does not translate from the Hebrew or Greek as God.

So, you think "I am" doesn't mean God in this?

[MissKate13]

[Replying to 1213 in post #18]

I AM does not translate from the Hebrew or Greek as God.

So, you think "I am" doesn't mean God in this?

I’ve explained what I AM means. I AM means I exist - past, present, future - eternal

Research for yourself. Look at any Hebrew or Greek lexicon.

Is Jesus YHWH? YES! However, the words I AM (eh.yeh Hebrew; ego eimi Greek) are translated I AM.

I AM is never translated as YHWH.

The question is do you believe Jesus is eternal?

[tam]

Peace to you,

[Replying to 1213 in post #18]

I AM does not translate from the Hebrew or Greek as God.

So, you think "I am" doesn't mean God in this?

I’ve explained what I AM means. I AM means I exist - past, present, future - eternal. Research for yourself. Look at any Hebrew or Greek lexicon.

Just quickly because I work on the weekends:

Here is the meaning of Eimi according to BlueLetterBible:

to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

You can read more on the definition of the word here:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon ... jv/tr/0-1/


I AM (or ego eimi) is not defined as "I exist - past, present, future - eternal". That appears to be something some men are reading INTO it.


(Even if someone said "I exist", that does not mean that person is claiming to be "the I AM" or God.)



Peace again to you.

[Eddie Ramos]

Peace to you,

Ego Eimi = I AM
There is no HE. It simply means.I AM.

There are several instances in John where Jesus applies to Himself the same expression that God used at the burning bush: “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14)...

Also Paul uses word ego eimi about himself, does it mean he is claiming to be the God?

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am (= ego eimi) chief
1. Tim. 1:15

If one looks very closely, the Greek Phrase (transliterated as) "Ego Eimi" (in that particular order and without words inserted in between) is never used to speak of anyone other than Christ/God. The example proposed in 1 Timothy 1:15 is written in the Greek as "Eimi Ego" not as "Ego Eimi".

"....of whom first am I".

The fact that this order was rearranged during translation bears no weight, as this was done to merely make the sentence flow better in English.

Here is another example of where the translators rearranged the words from the original text. And although this time the words "Ego Eimi" are in the correct order, they are not side by side like they are every time it's used exclusively of Christ/God.

Matthew 8:9 (KJV 1900)
For I am (Ego Eimi) a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

But the correct order of the Greek words are, "For I (Ego) a man (anthropos) am (Eimi).
If one looks in study helps like the Blue Letter Bible, this site will actually confuse the student more because when it provides the Strong's numbers for each word, it does so while keeping the English translation the same, so passages like Matthew 8:9 will seem like "Ego Eimi" are right next to one another, the same way they are when referring to Christ/God. But when we look at an actual interlinear, we se that such is not the case with Matthew 8:9, 1 Timothy 1:15, or any other passage that is speaking of common man.

Not that I think the above matters (languages do not translate word for word or in the same order in many instances), but what you have said above does not appear to be correct.

Acts 10:21 has ego eimi in that specific order in the greek, when speaking of Peter.

Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?



You can see the order in the following two interlinear links:

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/10-21.htm
https://www.blueletterbible.org/tools/i ... act/10/21/




Peace again to you,
your servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy

Every word, in every order, in every tense, contained within the inspired word of God matters. But how the word is translated can vary by language. But no translation is inspired by God, only the original text which God has faithfully preserved as he said he would.

Now, concerning Acts 10:21, yes, this historically is speaking of Peter, but who is this speaking of spiritually is a far more important truth. I say this because the Bible is first and foremost a spiritual book cloaked as a historical book. Therefore, it's the spiritual meaning of any passage that we should be looking for, rather than what appears to be written in the plain text.

Colossians 1:9 (KJV 1900)
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Romans 7:14 (KJV 1900)
For we know that the law (the Word of God) is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

1 Corinthians 2:13 (KJV 1900)
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but (words) which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

So, in Acts 10:21, while historically Cornelius was looking for Peter, he was actually looking for salvation, which is Christ (I AM). Now we can better understand Peter's words when he said, "Behold, I AM whom you seek". In other words, you've come to me because it is the I AM whom you are seeking. And this of course was relating to salvation. We can confirm this by the following passage:

Acts 11:13–15 (KJV 1900)
And he (Cornelius) shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 14 Who shall tell thee words (the gospel), whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

So, it's the spiritual understanding of a passage that allows us to see that whenever the Greek words, "Ego Eimi" are used in that specific order, that it is indeed a reference to Christ and it's teaching us more about who Christ is.

[MissKate13]

[Replying to tam in post #25]

Is the word eternal?

[1213]

I AM is never translated as YHWH.

Ok, thank you. So, why do you think it means Jesus is claiming to be God, when he uses the word "I am"?

The question is do you believe Jesus is eternal?

Bible tells Jesus ...is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation.
Col. 1:15

I understand that it means Jesus is created image of God. Do you think that means something else? If yes, please explain what and why.

[MissKate13]

Ok, thank you. So, why do you think it means Jesus is claiming to be God, when he uses the word "I am"?

You’re welcome!
Jesus is claiming to be eternal, and by extension, He is claiming to be God, because God alone is eternal.

In John 8:58, Jesus was equating Himself with the "I AM" title God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.

Bible tells Jesus ...is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation.
Col. 1:15

That doesn’t answer my question. I asked if you believe Jesus is eternal. Yes? No?

I understand that it means Jesus is created image of God. Do you think that means something else? If yes, please explain what and why.

I understand you’d like to discuss Col. 1:15, and I’m happy to do that once we exhaust the I AM discussion and whether or not you believe Jesus is eternal.

[MissKate13]

Here is the meaning of Eimi according to BlueLetterBible: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

I AM (or ego eimi) is not defined as "I exist - past, present, future - eternal". That appears to be something some men are reading INTO it.

(Even if someone said "I exist", that does not mean that person is claiming to be "the I AM" or God.)

And here is “eimi” from Strong’s. I hope you take the time to read it through.

◄ 1510. eimi ►
Strong's Concordance
eimi: I exist, I am
Original Word: εἰμί
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: eimi
Phonetic Spelling: (i-mee')
Definition: I exist, I am
Usage: I am, exist.
HELPS Word-studies
1510 eimí (the basic Greek verb which expresses being, i.e. "to be") – am, is. 1510 (eimí), and its counterparts, (properly) convey "straight-forward" being (existence, i.e. without explicit limits).

1510 /eimí ("is, am") – in the present tense, indicative mood – can be time-inclusive ("omnitemporal," like the Hebrew imperfect tense). Only the context indicates whether the present tense also has "timeless" implications. For example, 1510 (eimí) is aptly used in Christ's great "I am" (ego eimi . . . ) that also include His eternality (self-existent life) as our life, bread, light," etc. See Jn 7:34, 8:58, etc.

Example: Jn 14:6: "I am (1510 /eimí) the way, the truth and the life." Here 1510 (eimí) naturally accords with the fact Christ is eternal – meaning "I am (was, will be)." The "I am formula (Gk egō eimi)" harks back to God's only name, "Yahweh" (OT/3068, "the lord") – meaning "He who always was, is, and will be." Compare Jn 8:58 with Ex 3:14. See also Rev 4:8 and 2962 /kýrios ("Lord").