sins
Sin.
sinned Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.
Verse Meaning
Jesus" hearers would die in their sins (plural) unless they believed in Him. Only belief in Him could rescue them from this fate. Here Jesus viewed their manifold sins (plural) as the consequences of their sin (singular, John 8:21) of unbelief. [source][source][source]
"The attitude of unbelief is not simply unwillingness to accept a statement of fact; it is resistance to the revelation of God in Christ." [1][source]
They needed to believe that Jesus was "I am." In this context this phrase has heavy theological connotations (cf. John 8:28; John 8:58; John 13:19). It appeared enigmatic at first, but later Jesus" hearers realized that He was claiming to be God (cf. John 8:59). The NIV "the one I claim to be" is an interpretation of Jesus" meaning that is perhaps more misleading than helpful. Jesus was alluding to the title that God gave Himself in the Old Testament ( Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 43:13; Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 46:4; Isaiah 48:12). Essentially "I am" means the eternally self-existent being. [2] Unless a person believes that Jesus is God, in contrast with less than God, he or she will die in his or her sins. [source][source][source]
Context Summary
John 8:21-30 - The Father Made Known In His Son
Our Lord was absorbed in acquiring glory for His Father. He was sent by the Father, lived by the Father, could do nothing of Himself, and spoke only as the Father taught Him, John 8:28. He could dispense with all human help and stand alone, because the Father never left Him, John 8:29. To honor Him, please Him, work His works, live in His love, was the passion of His life, John 8:29; John 8:49.
There was a mystery in all this that baffled the men of His age. They were from beneath; they lived for worldly aims, were governed by earthly motives, and sought for the praise of men. His life was spent in fellowship with heaven. But to us there should be no mystery. We, too, should aim to do the will of God as the supreme goal of life. Our aims and ends are too low. The conversion of the unsaved, the upbuilding of the Church, are excellent, but they should be included in the sweep of a wider circle. Aim at the planet and you miss the sun; aim at the sun, and you include the planet. Our one intention should be that God be magnified in our bodies, both in life and death. But for this we must be willing to take up the cross and follow Jesus in His lifting up. [source]
Chapter Summary: John 8
1Jesus delivers the woman taken in adultery 12He declares himself the light of the world, and justifies his doctrine; 31promises freedom to those who believe; 33answers the Jews who boasted of Abraham; 48answers their reviling, by showing his authority and dignity; 59and slips away from those who would stone him
Greek Commentary for John 8:24
For except ye believe [εαν γαρ μη πιστευσητε] Negative condition of third class with εαν μη ean mē and ingressive aorist active subjunctive of πιστευω pisteuō “For unless ye come to believe.” That I am he Indirect discourse, but with no word in the predicate after the copula ειμι eimi Jesus can mean either “that I am from above” (John 8:23), “that I am the one sent from the Father or the Messiah” (John 7:18,John 7:28), “that I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12), “that I am the Deliverer from the bondage of sin” (John 8:28,John 8:31., and John 8:36), “that I am” without supplying a predicate in the absolute sense as the Jews (Deuteronomy 32:39) used the language of Jehovah (cf. Isaiah 43:10 where the very words occur ινα πιστευσητεοτι εγω ειμι hina pisteusēte -εγω ειμι hoti egō eimi). The phrase egō eimi occurs three times here (John 8:24,John 8:28,John 8:58) and also in John 13:19. Jesus seems to claim absolute divine being as in John 8:58. [source]
I am he [ἐγώ εἰμι] He is inserted in the versions and is not in the text. By retaining it, we read, I am the Messiah. But the words are rather the solemn expression of His absolute divine being, as in John 8:58: “If ye believe not that I am.” See Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:10; and compare John 8:28,John 8:58of this chapter, and John 13:19. [source]
John 8:25Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning [τὴν ἀρχὴν ὅ τι καὶ λαλῶ ὑμῖν] A very difficult passage, on which the commentators are almost hopelessly divided. There are two main classes of interpretations, according to one of which it is to be read interrogatively, and according to the other, affirmatively. The two principal representatives of the former class are Meyer, who renders “Do you ask that which all along ( τὴν ἀρχὴν ) I am even saying to you?” and Westcott, “How is it that I even speak to you at all ( τὴν ἀρχὴν )”? So also Milligan and Moulton. This latter rendering requires the change of ὅ τι , the relative, that which, into the conjunction ὅτι , that. The second class of interpreters, who construe the passage affirmatively, vary in their explanations of τὴν ἄρχην , which they render severally, altogether, essentially, first of all, in the beginning. There is also a third class, who take τὴν ἄρχην as a noun, and explain according to Revelation 21:6, “I am the beginning, that which I am even saying unto you.” This view is represented mostly by the older commentators, Augustine, Bede, Lampe, and later by Wordsworth. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
I adopt the view of Alford, who renders essentially, explaining by generally, or traced up to its principle ( ἀρχὴ ). Shading off from this are Godet, absolutely; Winer, throughout; Thayer, wholly or precisely. I render, I am essentially that which I even speak to you. If we accept the explanation of I am, in John 8:24, as a declaration of Jesus' absolute divine being, that thought prepares the way for this interpretation of His answer to the question, Who art thou? His words are the revelation of Himself. “He appeals to His own testimony as the adequate expression of His nature. They have only to fathom the series of statements He has made concerning Himself, and they will find therein a complete analysis of His mission and essence” (Godet). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]
John 1:51Son of man [] See on Luke 6:22. Notice the titles successively applied to our Lord in this chapter: the greater Successor of the Baptist, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Israel. These were all given by others. The title Son of man He applies to Himself. In John's Gospel, as in the Synoptists, this phrase is used only by Christ in speaking of Himself; and elsewhere only in Acts 7:56, where the name is applied to Him by Stephen. It occurs less frequently in John than in the Synoptists, being found in Matthew thirty times, in Mark thirteen, and in John twelve. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Jesus' use of the term here is explained in two ways. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
I. That He borrows the title from the Old Testament to designate Himself either: (a ) as a prophet, as in Ezekiel 2:1-3; Ezekiel 3:1, etc.; or (b ) as the Messiah, as prefigured in Daniel 7:13. This prophecy of Daniel had obtained such wide currency that the Messiah was called Anani, or the man of the clouds. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
(a.) This is untenable, because in Ezekiel, as everywhere in the Old Testament, the phrase Son of man, or Sons of men, is used to describe man under his human limitations, as weak, fallible, and incompetent by himself to be a divine agent. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
(b.) The allusion to Daniel's prophecy is admitted; but Jesus does not mean to say, “I am the Messiah who is prefigured by Daniel.” A political meaning attached in popular conception to the term Messiah; and it is noticeable throughout John's Gospel that Jesus carefully avoids using that term before the people, but expresses the thing itself by circumlocution, in order to avoid the complication which the popular understanding would have introduced into his work. See John 8:24,John 8:25; John 10:24,John 10:25. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Moreover, the phrase Son of man was not generally applied to the Messiah. On the contrary, John 5:27and John 12:34show that it was set off against that term. Compare Matthew 16:13,Matthew 16:15. Son of God is the Messianic title, which, with one exception, appears in confessions (John 1:34,John 1:49; John 11:27; John 20:31). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
In Daniel the reference is exclusively to the final stage of human affairs. The point is the final establishment of the divine kingdom. Moreover, Daniel does not say “the Son of man,” but “one like a Son of man.” Compare Revelation 1:13; Revelation 14:14, where also the article is omitted. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
II. The second, and correct explanation is that the phrase Son of man is the expression of Christ's self-consciousness as being related to humanity as a whole: denoting His real participation in human nature, and designating Himself as the representative man. It thus corresponds with the passage in Daniel, where the earthly kingdoms are represented by beasts, but the divine kingdom by a Son of man. Hence, too, the word ἄνθρωπος is purposely used (see on a man, John 1:30, and compare John 8:40). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
While the human element was thus emphasized in the phrase, the consciousness of Jesus, as thus expressed, did not exclude His divine nature and claims, but rather regarded these through the medium of His humanity. He showed Himself divine in being thus profoundly human. Hence two aspects of the phrase appear in John, as in the Synoptists. The one regards His earthly life and work, and involves His being despised; His accommodation to the conditions of human life; the partial veiling of His divine nature; the loving character of His mission; His liability to misinterpretation; and His outlook upon a consummation of agony. On the other hand, He is possessed of supreme authority; He is about His Father's work; He reveals glimpses of His divine nature through His humanity; His presence and mission entail serious responsibility upon those to whom He appeals; and He foresees a consummation of glory no less than of agony. See Matthew 8:20; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 12:8,Matthew 12:32; Matthew 13:37; Matthew 16:13; Matthew 20:18; Matthew 26:64; Mark 8:31,Mark 8:38; Mark 14:21; Luke 9:26,Luke 9:58; Luke 12:8; Luke 17:22; Luke 19:10; Luke 22:69. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The other aspect is related to the future. He has visions of another life of glory and dominion; though present in the flesh, His coming is still future, and will be followed by a judgment which is committed to Him, and by the final glory of His redeemed in His heavenly kingdom. See Matthew 10:23; Matthew 13:40sqq.; Matthew 16:27sqq.; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 24:27,Matthew 24:37,Matthew 24:44; Matthew 25:31sqq.; Mark 13:26; Luke 6:22; Luke 17:24,Luke 17:30; Luke 18:8; Luke 21:27. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]
John 13:19From henceforth [απ αρτι] “From now on,” as in John 14:7; Matthew 23:39; Revelation 14:13. Before it come to pass Προ Pro with ablative of the articular second aorist middle infinitive γινομαι ginomai (before the coming to pass). When it is come to pass Indefinite relative clause with οταν hotan and the second aorist middle subjunctive of γινομαι ginomai “whenever it does come to pass.” That ye may believe Purpose clause with ινα hina and present active subjunctive of πιστευω pisteuō “that ye may keep on believing.” Cf. Isaiah 48:5. That I am he As Jesus has repeatedly claimed to be the Messiah (John 8:24,John 8:58, etc.). Cf. also John 14:29 (πιστευσητε pisteusēte here); John 16:4. [source]
John 8:21Again [παλιν] Probably παλιν palin (again) in John 8:12 refers to a day after the feast is over since the last day is mentioned in John 7:37. So then here again we probably move on to another day still beyond that in John 8:12. And ye shall seek me As in John 7:34, “the search of despair” (Bernard), seeking for the Messiah when it is too late, the tragedy of Judaism today (John 1:11). And ye shall die in your sin Future middle indicative of αποτνησκω apothnēskō which is the emphatic word here (cf. Ezekiel 3:18; Ezekiel 18:18; Proverbs 24:9). Note singular αμαρτιαι hamartiāi (sin) here, but plural αμαρτιαις hamartiais (sins) when the phrase is repeated in John 8:24 (sin in its essence, sin in its acts). Ye cannot come Precise language of John 7:34 to the Jews and to the apostles in John 13:33. [source]
John 8:24For except ye believe [εαν γαρ μη πιστευσητε] Negative condition of third class with εαν μη ean mē and ingressive aorist active subjunctive of πιστευω pisteuō “For unless ye come to believe.” That I am he Indirect discourse, but with no word in the predicate after the copula ειμι eimi Jesus can mean either “that I am from above” (John 8:23), “that I am the one sent from the Father or the Messiah” (John 7:18,John 7:28), “that I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12), “that I am the Deliverer from the bondage of sin” (John 8:28,John 8:31., and John 8:36), “that I am” without supplying a predicate in the absolute sense as the Jews (Deuteronomy 32:39) used the language of Jehovah (cf. Isaiah 43:10 where the very words occur ινα πιστευσητεοτι εγω ειμι hina pisteusēte -εγω ειμι hoti egō eimi). The phrase egō eimi occurs three times here (John 8:24,John 8:28,John 8:58) and also in John 13:19. Jesus seems to claim absolute divine being as in John 8:58. [source]
John 8:58Before Abraham was [πριν Αβρααμ γενεσται] Usual idiom with πριν prin in positive sentence with infinitive (second aorist middle of γινομαι ginomai) and the accusative of general reference, “before coming as to Abraham,” “before Abraham came into existence or was born.” I am Undoubtedly here Jesus claims eternal existence with the absolute phrase used of God. The contrast between γενεσται genesthai (entrance into existence of Abraham) and ειμι eimi (timeless being) is complete. See the same contrast between εν en in John 1:1 and εγενετο egeneto in John 1:14. See the contrast also in Psalm 90:2 between God See the same use of ειμι eimi in John 6:20; John 9:9; John 8:24,John 8:28; John 18:6. [source]
What do the individual words in John 8:24 mean?
I saidthereforeto youthatyou will dieinthesinsof youiffornotyou believeIam [He]
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: πιστεύω
Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.
Greek Commentary for John 8:24
Negative condition of third class with εαν μη ean mē and ingressive aorist active subjunctive of πιστευω pisteuō “For unless ye come to believe.” That I am he Indirect discourse, but with no word in the predicate after the copula ειμι eimi Jesus can mean either “that I am from above” (John 8:23), “that I am the one sent from the Father or the Messiah” (John 7:18, John 7:28), “that I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12), “that I am the Deliverer from the bondage of sin” (John 8:28, John 8:31., and John 8:36), “that I am” without supplying a predicate in the absolute sense as the Jews (Deuteronomy 32:39) used the language of Jehovah (cf. Isaiah 43:10 where the very words occur ινα πιστευσητεοτι εγω ειμι hina pisteusēte -εγω ειμι hoti egō eimi). The phrase egō eimi occurs three times here (John 8:24, John 8:28, John 8:58) and also in John 13:19. Jesus seems to claim absolute divine being as in John 8:58. [source]
He is inserted in the versions and is not in the text. By retaining it, we read, I am the Messiah. But the words are rather the solemn expression of His absolute divine being, as in John 8:58: “If ye believe not that I am.” See Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:10; and compare John 8:28, John 8:58of this chapter, and John 13:19. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 8:24
As in John 8:24, on which see note. [source]
A very difficult passage, on which the commentators are almost hopelessly divided. There are two main classes of interpretations, according to one of which it is to be read interrogatively, and according to the other, affirmatively. The two principal representatives of the former class are Meyer, who renders “Do you ask that which all along ( τὴν ἀρχὴν ) I am even saying to you?” and Westcott, “How is it that I even speak to you at all ( τὴν ἀρχὴν )”? So also Milligan and Moulton. This latter rendering requires the change of ὅ τι , the relative, that which, into the conjunction ὅτι , that. The second class of interpreters, who construe the passage affirmatively, vary in their explanations of τὴν ἄρχην , which they render severally, altogether, essentially, first of all, in the beginning. There is also a third class, who take τὴν ἄρχην as a noun, and explain according to Revelation 21:6, “I am the beginning, that which I am even saying unto you.” This view is represented mostly by the older commentators, Augustine, Bede, Lampe, and later by Wordsworth. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- I adopt the view of Alford, who renders essentially, explaining by generally, or traced up to its principle ( ἀρχὴ ). Shading off from this are Godet, absolutely; Winer, throughout; Thayer, wholly or precisely. I render, I am essentially that which I even speak to you. If we accept the explanation of I am, in John 8:24, as a declaration of Jesus' absolute divine being, that thought prepares the way for this interpretation of His answer to the question, Who art thou? His words are the revelation of Himself. “He appeals to His own testimony as the adequate expression of His nature. They have only to fathom the series of statements He has made concerning Himself, and they will find therein a complete analysis of His mission and essence” (Godet). -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- [source]
Or, I am. See on John 8:24. [source]
See on Luke 6:22. Notice the titles successively applied to our Lord in this chapter: the greater Successor of the Baptist, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Israel. These were all given by others. The title Son of man He applies to Himself. In John's Gospel, as in the Synoptists, this phrase is used only by Christ in speaking of Himself; and elsewhere only in Acts 7:56, where the name is applied to Him by Stephen. It occurs less frequently in John than in the Synoptists, being found in Matthew thirty times, in Mark thirteen, and in John twelve. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- Jesus' use of the term here is explained in two ways. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- I. That He borrows the title from the Old Testament to designate Himself either: (a ) as a prophet, as in Ezekiel 2:1-3; Ezekiel 3:1, etc.; or (b ) as the Messiah, as prefigured in Daniel 7:13. This prophecy of Daniel had obtained such wide currency that the Messiah was called Anani, or the man of the clouds. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- (a.) This is untenable, because in Ezekiel, as everywhere in the Old Testament, the phrase Son of man, or Sons of men, is used to describe man under his human limitations, as weak, fallible, and incompetent by himself to be a divine agent. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- (b.) The allusion to Daniel's prophecy is admitted; but Jesus does not mean to say, “I am the Messiah who is prefigured by Daniel.” A political meaning attached in popular conception to the term Messiah; and it is noticeable throughout John's Gospel that Jesus carefully avoids using that term before the people, but expresses the thing itself by circumlocution, in order to avoid the complication which the popular understanding would have introduced into his work. See John 8:24, John 8:25; John 10:24, John 10:25. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- Moreover, the phrase Son of man was not generally applied to the Messiah. On the contrary, John 5:27and John 12:34show that it was set off against that term. Compare Matthew 16:13, Matthew 16:15. Son of God is the Messianic title, which, with one exception, appears in confessions (John 1:34, John 1:49; John 11:27; John 20:31). -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- In Daniel the reference is exclusively to the final stage of human affairs. The point is the final establishment of the divine kingdom. Moreover, Daniel does not say “the Son of man,” but “one like a Son of man.” Compare Revelation 1:13; Revelation 14:14, where also the article is omitted. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- II. The second, and correct explanation is that the phrase Son of man is the expression of Christ's self-consciousness as being related to humanity as a whole: denoting His real participation in human nature, and designating Himself as the representative man. It thus corresponds with the passage in Daniel, where the earthly kingdoms are represented by beasts, but the divine kingdom by a Son of man. Hence, too, the word ἄνθρωπος is purposely used (see on a man, John 1:30, and compare John 8:40). -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- While the human element was thus emphasized in the phrase, the consciousness of Jesus, as thus expressed, did not exclude His divine nature and claims, but rather regarded these through the medium of His humanity. He showed Himself divine in being thus profoundly human. Hence two aspects of the phrase appear in John, as in the Synoptists. The one regards His earthly life and work, and involves His being despised; His accommodation to the conditions of human life; the partial veiling of His divine nature; the loving character of His mission; His liability to misinterpretation; and His outlook upon a consummation of agony. On the other hand, He is possessed of supreme authority; He is about His Father's work; He reveals glimpses of His divine nature through His humanity; His presence and mission entail serious responsibility upon those to whom He appeals; and He foresees a consummation of glory no less than of agony. See Matthew 8:20; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 12:8, Matthew 12:32; Matthew 13:37; Matthew 16:13; Matthew 20:18; Matthew 26:64; Mark 8:31, Mark 8:38; Mark 14:21; Luke 9:26, Luke 9:58; Luke 12:8; Luke 17:22; Luke 19:10; Luke 22:69. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- The other aspect is related to the future. He has visions of another life of glory and dominion; though present in the flesh, His coming is still future, and will be followed by a judgment which is committed to Him, and by the final glory of His redeemed in His heavenly kingdom. See Matthew 10:23; Matthew 13:40sqq.; Matthew 16:27sqq.; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:37, Matthew 24:44; Matthew 25:31sqq.; Mark 13:26; Luke 6:22; Luke 17:24, Luke 17:30; Luke 18:8; Luke 21:27. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- [source]
“From now on,” as in John 14:7; Matthew 23:39; Revelation 14:13. Before it come to pass Προ Pro with ablative of the articular second aorist middle infinitive γινομαι ginomai (before the coming to pass). When it is come to pass Indefinite relative clause with οταν hotan and the second aorist middle subjunctive of γινομαι ginomai “whenever it does come to pass.” That ye may believe Purpose clause with ινα hina and present active subjunctive of πιστευω pisteuō “that ye may keep on believing.” Cf. Isaiah 48:5. That I am he As Jesus has repeatedly claimed to be the Messiah (John 8:24, John 8:58, etc.). Cf. also John 14:29 (πιστευσητε pisteusēte here); John 16:4. [source]
Probably παλιν palin (again) in John 8:12 refers to a day after the feast is over since the last day is mentioned in John 7:37. So then here again we probably move on to another day still beyond that in John 8:12. And ye shall seek me As in John 7:34, “the search of despair” (Bernard), seeking for the Messiah when it is too late, the tragedy of Judaism today (John 1:11). And ye shall die in your sin Future middle indicative of αποτνησκω apothnēskō which is the emphatic word here (cf. Ezekiel 3:18; Ezekiel 18:18; Proverbs 24:9). Note singular αμαρτιαι hamartiāi (sin) here, but plural αμαρτιαις hamartiais (sins) when the phrase is repeated in John 8:24 (sin in its essence, sin in its acts). Ye cannot come Precise language of John 7:34 to the Jews and to the apostles in John 13:33. [source]
Negative condition of third class with εαν μη ean mē and ingressive aorist active subjunctive of πιστευω pisteuō “For unless ye come to believe.” That I am he Indirect discourse, but with no word in the predicate after the copula ειμι eimi Jesus can mean either “that I am from above” (John 8:23), “that I am the one sent from the Father or the Messiah” (John 7:18, John 7:28), “that I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12), “that I am the Deliverer from the bondage of sin” (John 8:28, John 8:31., and John 8:36), “that I am” without supplying a predicate in the absolute sense as the Jews (Deuteronomy 32:39) used the language of Jehovah (cf. Isaiah 43:10 where the very words occur ινα πιστευσητεοτι εγω ειμι hina pisteusēte -εγω ειμι hoti egō eimi). The phrase egō eimi occurs three times here (John 8:24, John 8:28, John 8:58) and also in John 13:19. Jesus seems to claim absolute divine being as in John 8:58. [source]
Usual idiom with πριν prin in positive sentence with infinitive (second aorist middle of γινομαι ginomai) and the accusative of general reference, “before coming as to Abraham,” “before Abraham came into existence or was born.” I am Undoubtedly here Jesus claims eternal existence with the absolute phrase used of God. The contrast between γενεσται genesthai (entrance into existence of Abraham) and ειμι eimi (timeless being) is complete. See the same contrast between εν en in John 1:1 and εγενετο egeneto in John 1:14. See the contrast also in Psalm 90:2 between God See the same use of ειμι eimi in John 6:20; John 9:9; John 8:24, John 8:28; John 18:6. [source]