John 8:58
What does John 8:58 mean?
A plain-English look at John 8:58 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What John 8:58 means
Jesus answers, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.” He claims more than priority; He claims eternal existence in the very language of God’s self-revelation. Not “I was,” but “I am”—present, absolute, divine. This is a clear assertion of deity and pre-existence. He stands not merely as a great man but as the Eternal One now incarnate. The One who grants freedom from death and sin can do so because He is the Living God. The declaration gathers all prior claims into a single, staggering revelation of who Jesus truly is.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, Before Abraham came into being, I am.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Jesus said to them, `Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming--I am;'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I AM.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Context
This climactic statement follows the challenge about Jesus’ age and Abraham. It resolves the debate over identity—greater than Abraham, yes, because eternally existent as “I am.” The immediate reaction in the next verse—an attempt to stone Him—confirms that they understood the claim as blasphemy according to their unbelief. The chapter reaches its peak: Jesus reveals Himself fully; hardened hearts reject and seek violence. Yet He will elude them, for His hour has not yet come, preserving the path to the cross in God’s timing.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Isaiah 48:12
Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
- Revelation 1:11
saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
- John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Isaiah 46:9
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me;
- Revelation 1:17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,
- Isaiah 43:13
Yea, since the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it?
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