YHN 8:58 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

8:58 This awkward English is necessary to catch the play on words, because ‘I am’ is the meaning of God’s name Yahweh.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I am.”

UST Jesus told them, “I am telling you the truth: I was God before Abraham was born!”

BSB “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was [born], I am![fn]”

MSB “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was [born], I am![fn]”

AICNT [[Therefore]][fn] Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham [was],[fn] I am.”

8:58, Therefore: Some manuscripts include. D(05) Latin(d)

8:58, was: Absent from some manuscripts. D(05) Latin(a b e ff²)

OEB ‘In truth I tell you,’ replied Jesus, ‘before Abraham existed I was.’

LSB Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

WEBBE Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”

WMBB Yeshua said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”

NET Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!”

LSV Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham’s coming—I AM”;

FBV “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am,”[fn] said Jesus.

8:58 Literally, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Once again Jesus uses the name of God himself given in Exodus 3:14. That the significance is not lost on his hearers is shown in their reaction of wanting to stone him for blasphemy.

TCNT Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

T4T Jesus said to them, “The truth is that I existed before Abraham was born!”

LEB Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am!”

BBE Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, Before Abraham came into being, I am.

Moff "Truly, truly I tell you," said Jesus, "I have existed before Abraham was born."

Wymth "In most solemn truth," answered Jesus, "I tell you that before Abraham came into existence, I am."

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

DRA Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am.

YLT Jesus said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming — I am;'

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

RV Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
(Jesus said unto them, Verily/Truly, verily/truly, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. )

SLT And Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was born, I am.

Wbstr Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am.

KJB-1769 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
(Jesus said unto them, Verily/Truly, verily/truly, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. )

KJB-1611 Iesus said vnto them, Uerely, verely I say vnto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Iesus sayde vnto them: Ueryly, veryly I saye vnto you, before Abraham was, I am.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Gnva Iesus sayd vnto them, Verely, verely I say vnto you, before Abraham was, I am.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto them, Verily/Truly, verily/truly I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. )

Cvdl Iesus sayde vnto the: Verely verely I saye vnto you: Or euer Abraham was, I am.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto them: Verily/Truly verily/truly I say unto you: Or ever Abraham was, I am.)

TNT Iesus sayd vnto them: Verely verely I saye vnto you: yer Abraham was I am.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto them: Verily/Truly verily/truly I say unto you: ere/before Abraham was I am. )

Wycl Therfor Jhesus seide to hem, Treuli, treuli, Y seie to you, bifor that Abraham schulde be, Y am.
(Therefore Yhesus said to hem, Truly, truly, I say to you, before that Abraham should be, I am.)

Luth JEsus sprach zu ihnen: Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch: Ehe denn Abraham ward, bin ich.
(Yesus spoke to/for to_them: Truly, truly, I said you: Before/marriage because/than Abraham was, am I.)

ClVg Dixit eis Jesus: Amen, amen dico vobis, antequam Abraham fieret, ego sum.
(He/She_said to_them Yesus: Amen, amen I_mean/say to_you(pl), before Abraham would_be_done, I I_am. )

UGNT εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς, ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν, λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγὼ εἰμί.
(eipen autois Yaʸsous, amaʸn, amaʸn, legō humin, prin Abraʼam genesthai, egō eimi.)

SBL-GNT εἶπεν ⸀αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί.
(eipen ⸀autois Yaʸsous; Amaʸn amaʸn legō humin, prin Abraʼam genesthai egō eimi.)

RP-GNT Εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγώ εἰμι.
(Eipen autois ho Yaʸsous, Amaʸn amaʸn legō humin, prin Abraʼam genesthai, egō eimi.)

TC-GNT Εἶπεν αὐτοῖς [fn]ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγώ εἰμι.
(Eipen autois ho Yaʸsous, Amaʸn amaʸn legō humin, prin Abraʼam genesthai, egō eimi. )

8:58 ο ¦ — NA SBL WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 8:39–59: Abraham saw Jesus

In this section Jesus continued to speak to those who did not believe in him. Although they said that they were Abraham’s children and that God was their Father, they did not do what those people would. They did not accept Jesus’ teaching and wanted to kill him. So he said that their real father was the devil, who was a murderer and a liar.

They replied that he was a Samaritan and had a demon. Jesus denied that and said that if they accepted what he said, they would never die. They said that Abraham died and asked if he was greater than him. Jesus replied that he knew Abraham and existed before him. Then they wanted to throw stones at Jesus, but he hid.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Those who rejected Jesus had the devil for a father

Jesus existed before Abraham

Paragraph 8:52–59

Jesus’ opponents were angry that he said that he was able to protect people from death. When Jesus then said that he had existed before Abraham, they became so angry that they tried to kill him.

8:58a

“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared,

Jesus answered them, “I assure you^(plur):
Jesus told them, “This is a true saying:

Truly, truly, I tell you: The Greek expression that the BSB translates as Truly, truly, I tell you introduces something important that Jesus would say. It is the same expression as is used in 8:51a. For example:

I tell you the truth (NIV)

In all truth I tell you

8:58b

“before Abraham was born, I am!”

even before Abraham was born, I am.”
I exist/live before Abraham existed/lived.”

before Abraham was born, I am!: Jesus said that he existed before Abraham was born. By this he implied that he was not just a human being and that he had existed before he was born on earth. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

before Abraham came into existence, I am! (NET)

before Abraham began to exist/live, I exist/live!

I am: This phrase refers to the name by which God revealed himself in Exodus 3:14:

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (NRSV)

When Jesus used this phrase, he indicated that he was God. If you use footnotes, it is good to include a footnote about this and refer your readers to Exodus 3:14.

Parallel YHN 8:58

Section 8:39–59: Abraham saw Jesus

Paragraph 8:52–59

8:58a

8:58b