Jesus Calls Himself God!

Jesus declared Himself to be the Great “I AM” (John 8:56-59), the Old Testament name for God (Ex 3:14-16). He’s saying that He is the God of the Old Testament Yahweh!

Formal Equivalence (Word-For-Word)

  • Received Text (Textus Receptus)

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

    57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

    58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

    59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. — John 8:56-59 KJV (48.83% / 66.58%)

    –

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

    57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

    58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

    59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going[a] through the midst of them, and so passed by. — John 8:56-59 NKJV (60.32% / 65.21%)

  • Majority Text

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and was glad.”

    57 The Jews therefore said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?”

    58 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.Exodus 3:14”

    59 Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through the middle of them, and so passed by. — John 8:56-59 WEB (World English Bible)

  • Critical Text

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
    57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
    58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
    59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. — John 8:56-59 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

    –

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”[a] 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. — John 8:56-59 ESV (62.36% / 68.74%)

    –

    56 Abraham your father rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it[a] and was glad.”

    57 So the Jews said to him, “You are[b] not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am!” 59 Then they picked up stones in order to throw them[c] at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple courts.[d] — John 8:56-59 LEB (Lexham English Bible)

Dynamic Equivalence (Thought-For-Thought)

  • Critical Text

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”

    57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?[a]”

    58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am![b]” 59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.— John 8:56-59 NLT (70.08% / 39.90%)

    –

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

    57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

    58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. — John 8:56-59 NIV (67.20% / 53.10%)

    –

    56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed[a] to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”[b]

    57 Then the Judeans[c] replied,[d] “You are not yet fifty years old![e] Have[f] you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth,[g] before Abraham came into existence,[h] I am!”[i] 59 Then they picked up[j] stones to throw at him,[k] but Jesus was hidden from them[l] and went out from the temple area.[m] — John 8:56-59 NET (66.28% / 53.94%)

  • NET Bible Translator Notes

    i. John 8:58 NET sn I am! is an explicit claim to deity. Although each occurrence of the phrase “I am” in the Fourth Gospel needs to be examined individually in context to see if an association with Exod 3:14 NET is present, it seems clear that this is the case here (as the response of the Jewish authorities in the following verse shows).

Highly Idiomatic Translation / Paraphrase (In Other Words)

  • Critical Text

    54-56 Jesus said, “If I were striving to get all the attention, it wouldn’t amount to anything. But my Father, the same One you say is your Father, put me here at this time and place of splendor. You haven’t recognized him in this. But I have. If I, in false modesty, said I didn’t know what was going on, I would be as much of a liar as you are. But I do know, and I am doing what he says. Abraham—your ‘father’—with elated faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered.”

    57 The Jews said, “You’re not even fifty years old—and Abraham saw you?”

    58 “Believe me,” said Jesus, “I am who I am long before Abraham was anything.”

    59 That did it—pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple. — John 8:54-59 MSG (The Message)

    –

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He knew I was coming and was glad.”

    57 The Jewish leaders: “You aren’t even fifty years old—sure, you’ve seen Abraham!”

    58 Jesus: “The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!”

    59 At that point the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus was hidden from them, and walked past them and left the Temple. — John 8:56-59 TLB (The Living Bible)

Amplified & Expanded Bibles

  • Critical Text

    56 Your father Abraham [greatly] rejoiced to see My day (My incarnation). [a]He saw it and was delighted.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not even fifty years old, and You [claim to] have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus replied, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, before Abraham was born, [b]I Am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus concealed Himself and left the temple. — John 8:56-59 AMP (Amplified Bible) b. John 8:58 I.e. I Am the One who is—the Lord, Heb Yahweh.

    –

    56 Your forefather Abraham was extremely happy at the hope and prospect of seeing My day (My incarnation); and he did see it and was delighted.

    57 Then the Jews said to Him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?

    58 Jesus replied, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I Am.

    59 So they took up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus, by mixing with the crowd, concealed Himself and went out of the temple [[a]enclosure]. — John 8:56-59 AMPC (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

    –

    56 Your father Abraham ·was very happy [rejoiced] that he would see my day [C the day of the Messiah’s arrival]. He saw that day and was glad.”

    57 [L Therefore] ·They [The Jewish leaders; L The Jews] said to him, “You have never seen Abraham! You are not even fifty years old [C Abraham had been dead for almost 2,000 years].”

    58 Jesus answered, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], before Abraham was even born, ·I am!” [C A claim to deity; see comments at Jn 8:24; 10:28.] 59 When Jesus said this, the people picked up stones to throw at him [C believing he had committed blasphemy worthy of death]. But Jesus hid himself, and then he left the Temple. — John 8:56-59 EXB (Expanded Bible)

Messianic Bible translations

  • Critical Text

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was thrilled.”

    57 Then the Judeans said to Him, “You’re not even fifty years old and you’ve seen Abraham?”[a]

    58 Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!”

    59 Then they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Yeshua hid Himself and went out from the Temple.[b] — John 8:56-59 TLV (Tree of Life Version, Formal Equivalent)

    –

    56 Avraham, your father, was glad that he would see my day; then he saw it and was overjoyed.”

    57 “Why, you’re not yet fifty years old,” the Judeans replied, “and you have seen Avraham?” 58 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! Before Avraham came into being, I AM!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to throw at him; but Yeshua was hidden and left the Temple grounds. — John 8:56-59 CJB (Complete Jewish Bible, Dynamic Equivalent)

Children’s Translations

  • Critical Text

    56 Your father Abraham was filled with joy at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad.”

    57 “You are not even 50 years old,” they said to Jesus. “And you have seen Abraham?”

    58 “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus answered. “Before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 When he said this, they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple area. — John 8:56-59 NIrV (New International Reader’s Version, Free Translation)

    –

    56 Your father Abraham was very happy that he would see my day. He saw that day and was glad.”

    57 The Jews said to him, “What? You have never seen Abraham! You are not even 50 years old!”

    58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth. Before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 When Jesus said this, the people picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus hid himself, and then he left the Temple. — John 8:56-59 ICB (International Children’s Bible, Free Translation)

Conclusion

Jesus declared Himself to be the Great “I AM” (John 8:56-59), the Old Testament name for God. He’s saying that He is the God of the Old Testament Yahweh!.

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
15 And God furthermore said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name from generation to generation.
16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I indeed care about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. — Exodus 3:14-16 LSB

In accordance with Leviticus 24:16, The Jews tried to kill him for blasphemy!

Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of Yahweh shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. — Leviticus 24:16 LSB

It was understood that Jesus was claiming to be Yahweh God, the Great I AM, the Jews took it as blasphemy. This reaction only makes sense if Jesus was claiming to be God.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. — John 8:56-59 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

Further, this didn’t happen just once, but many times.

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. — John 5:18 LSB

I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.” — John 10:30-33 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

⚠️ Warning: the cults have changed the scholarly greek translation of “I AM” to “i have been”. In Greek, the words recorded in John 8:58 are “‘prin abraam genesthai ego eimi.” Literally, this is “Before Abraham was existing, I am.” “Ego eimi” is literally, “I am.” This is the present tense. To say “I have been” is to use the perfect tense. In Greek, he would have been “aemane,” but Jesus didn’t use it here. He used the present tense “ego eimi” which is “I am.”

Conclusion: Not only did Jesus call himself (Yahweh) God, but the reaction of the Jews proves this is the case. It is plainly stated, that they understood that Jesus was “making himself out to be God”.

God in the Old Testament Jesus’ Reference to Himself
I AM (Exodus 3:14–15; Isaiah 48:12) I AM (John 8:58)
The Shepherd (Psalm 23:1) The Shepherd (John 10:11,14)
The Light (Gen. 1:3; Psalm 27:1) The Light (John 8:12)
The Rock (Psalm 18:2) The Rock (Matthew 7:24)
Ruler of all (Isaiah 9:6) Ruler of all (Matthew 28:18)
Judge of all nations (Joel 3:12) Judge of all (John 5:22)
The Bridegroom (Isaiah 62:5; Hosea 2:16) The Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1)
God’s Word never passes away (Isaiah 40:8) Jesus’ words never pass away (Mark 13:31)
The Sower (Jeremiah 31:27; Ezra 34:9) The Sower (Matthew 13:3–9)
First and the Last (Isaiah 44:6; 48:12) First and the Last (Revelation 1:17–18)

Jesus Seven Metaphorical 'I AM' Statements

  • “I am the bread of life”
    • NT: John 6:35,41,48,51
  • “I am the light of the world”
    • OT: Gen. 1:3; Psalm 27:1
    • NT: John 8:12; 9:5
  • “I am the door”
    • NT: John 10:7,9
  • “I am the good shepherd”
    • OT: Psalm 23:1
    • NT: John 10:11,14
  • “I am the resurrection and the life”
    • OT: Isaiah 26:19
    • NT: John 11:25, Revelation 1:18
  • “I am the way and the truth and the life”
    • OT: Psalm 119:160
    • NT: John 14:6; John 1:1, 14
  • “I am the true vine”
    • NT: John 15:1,5