by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
We continue with the last absolute (i.e., not metaphorical) εγώ εἰμι (“I AM”) declaration in Chapter 8 of the Gospel of John. Our Lord Jesus and the disbelieving Ἰουδαῖοι (Jewish authorities opposed to him; coming from the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, the ruling elite, etc.) continue with their running argument amidst all the people there at the Temple grounds in the vicinity of the treasury as narrated in the Gospel. The Lord had first told them that he was the light of the world (John 8:12). Then he told them that he was a true witness of who he was claiming to be and his Father was a co-witness (John 8:18). A few verses later, he then told them the judgment that awaited those who do not believe him (John 8:24). In John 8:28 he tells his audience that when he is lifted up, they will all know that he really is who he says he is. Finally, in John 8:58, the Lord Jesus gave a statement about himself, his attributes as a deity; claiming in effect that he is pre-existent, eternal and timeless!
The context of this statement is John 8:31-59. The Lord Jesus addressed those who believed in him as their Messiah that if they abide in him they will know the truth and the truth will set them free (vv. 31-32). Then verse 33 leads the discussion that these people ask how can the Lord assert this about truth setting them free when they are children of Abraham and the patently false statement that they have never been enslaved (totally discounting the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 B.C. and the resulting Babylonian exile, the Jews continued subjugation under the Medo-Persians, then under the Macedonians and Greeks of Alexander the Great, then under his Diadochi successors and now, under the Roman Empire).
The argument continues and the Lord Jesus accuses them that they were not really of God, but τοῦ διαβόλου (of the devil) in v. 44. The dialogue continues and the Ἰουδαῖοι insist that they are Abraham’s children and challenge the Lord that even Abraham died contrary to the Lord’s claim that all who abide in his word will never die. The Lord then states that Abraham rejoiced when the patriarch saw the Lord’s day (v. 56) come. The Ἰουδαῖοι then ridiculed him and said that he could not have seen Abraham. Then immediately, the bombshell statement in John 8:58. The chapter ends with verse 59 when his opponents picked up stones to execute him but the Lord Jesus escaped. Perhaps, some of the Jews who believed in him shielded and helped him get away.
Here is the Greek verse of John 8:58:
εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί.
This can formally or quite literally be translated as:
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
We can also render what the Lord said as: … “Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham came into being, I AM.”
The εγώ εἰμι (I AM) at the end of the statement is tantamount to saying the Lord existed before Abraham and because εἰμι is grammatically a present indicative verb, it means that he emphatically continues to exist. This obvious claim to divinity was immediately recognized by all, hence the Ἰουδαῖοι wanted to stone the Lord Jesus for blasphemy.
The εγώ εἰμι (I AM) at the end of the statement was an easy give-away. But at the beginning of what the Lord said is a more subtle claim to deity. Most English translations render “Amen, amen…” as “Very truly”, or Verily, verily”, or “Truly, truly” or some other equivalent expression. It is easy to miss if one sticks to the English translation but the original Greek reveals something more.
The Greek word ἀμήν, “amen” is actually a transliteration; a borrowed word from Hebrew (אָמֵן). In the New Testament (NT), “amen” is used more than 140 times, especially in the Gospels. It is also found 9 times in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of Matthew uses it in 32 verses. The Gospel of John has 25 verses where the word is used twice (in immediate succession) in any given verse. This type of usage is unique to the Apostle John, thus the count is actually 50 occurrences of “amen” in this Gospel alone.
Most Christians know this word and its usage as translated, as “truly” or “verily” if used as part of the introduction of a scripture passage; or “so be it,” or “may it be fulfilled” if it used as a part of the conclusion. The Hebrew meaning is the same as the Greek. As mentioned earlier, the Gospel of John uniquely uses the word twice in its verses to make a more impactful assurance or confirmation. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon calls this usage as equivalent of having “the force of a superlative” assertion (https://biblehub.com/greek/281.htm).
When the words “verily, verily…” is read in the King James Version or “truly, truly…” in other translations of John’s Gospel; the underlying Greek words said by our Lord Jesus are actually: ἀμήν, ἀμήν…, “amen, amen,” as we find here in John 8:58. This may very well point to the self-revelation of the divinity of the Lord Jesus as it is an echo or reminder of Isaiah 65:16.
Most English translations render the Hebrew phrase אָמֵ֔ן בֵּאלֹהֵ֣י (“bElohei amen”) as “in/by the God of truth.” However, the literal translation is actually, “In/by the God of Amen.” Isaiah 65:16 actually usesאָמֵן “amen,” twice (separately) in the verse; the first is when one blesses and the next is when one swears. The context of Isaiah 65:16 and the following verses make it crystal clear that it is the LORD God declaring new things (“new heavens and a new earth”) that will come to pass. Hence, the Lord Jesus used the phrase “Amen amen” as a self-identification with the Father/LORD God. It is like telling the Ἰουδαῖοι and all the people then and there that the Lord Jesus is also the LORD God speaking in those Isaiah verses.
Thus, the Lord Jesus is like “swearing by himself” as the LORD God does so in the Old Testament (OT); and assuring his audience then that what is being said to them is reliable, trustworthy and true. Because the source of the declaration is God himself!
We will continue next week.
God bless us all.