| Definition | Example |
|---|---|
| Predicate: The part of a sentence or clause that expresses what is said about the subject (usually contains the verb and additional information). Predicate Definition | John 6:41 – "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, 'I am the bread which came down from heaven.'" (Predicate: "came down from heaven") |
| Locative: Refers to a grammatical case or expression indicating a location or place where an action occurs. Locative Definition | John 14:3 – "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." (Locative: "where I am") |
| Absolute: A grammatical construction in which a noun and a modifier form a phrase that is loosely connected to the rest of the sentence. Absolute Construction | John 18:6 – "When Jesus said to them, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (Absolute: "they drew back and fell to the ground") |
Jesus' I AM Statements In John
| Type | Verse | Verse Location |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute | John 4:26 | Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." |
| Absolute | John 6:20 | But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." |
| Absolute | John 8:24 | "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." |
| Absolute | John 8:28 | So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me." |
| Absolute | John 8:58 | Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." |
| Absolute | John 13:19 | "From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He." |
| Absolute | John 18:5 | They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. |
| Absolute | John 18:6 | So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. |
| Absolute | John 18:8 | Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way," |
| Predicate | John 6:35 | Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst." |
| Predicate | John 6:41 | Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven." |
| Predicate | John 6:48 | "I am the bread of life." |
| Predicate | John 6:51 | "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." |
| Predicate | John 8:12 | Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." |
| Predicate | John 8:23 | And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world." |
| Predicate | John 8:18 | "I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me." |
| Predicate | John 10:7 | So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." |
| Predicate | John 10:9 | "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." |
| Predicate | John 10:11 | "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." |
| Predicate | John 10:14 | "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me," |
| Predicate | John 11:25 | Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies," |
| Predicate | John 14:6 | Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." |
| Predicate | John 15:1 | "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." |
| Predicate | John 15:5 | "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing." |
| Locative | John 7:34 | "You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." |
| Locative | John 7:36 | "What is this statement that He said, 'You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'?" |
| Locative | ||
| Locative | John 12:26 | "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him." |
| Locative | John 14:3 | "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." |
| Locative | John 17:14 | "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." |
| Locative | John 17:16 | "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." |
| Locative | John 17:24 | "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." |
Jesus' I AM Statements In Matthew
| Type | Verse | Verse Location |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute | Matthew 14:27 | But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I [lit. ‘I am’]; do not be afraid.” |
| Absolute | Matthew 22:32 | “‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” |
| Predicate | Matthew 24:5 | “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray.” |
| Matthew 26:22 | And they [Jesus' disciples] became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” | |
| Matthew 26:25 | Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.” | |
| Absolute | Matthew 6:49-50 | But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; / for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I [lit. ‘I am’]; do not be afraid.” |
Jesus' I AM Statements In Mark
| Verse | Verse Location | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Mark 13:6 | “Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am [he]!’ and they will lead many astray.” | Absolute |
| Mark 14:62 | Jesus said, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’” | Absolute |
Jesus' I AM Statements In Luke
| Verse | Verse Location | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Luke 1:19 | The angel replied [to Zechariah], “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.” | Absolute |
| Luke 21:8 | And he [Jesus, to his disciples] said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am [he]!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.” | Absolute |
| Luke 22:70 | All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.” | Absolute |
| Luke 24:39 | “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” |
Jesus' other I AM Statements
| Verse | Verse Location | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 9:5 | He [Paul] asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” | Absolute | |
| Acts 18:9-10 | One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; / for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” | ||
| Acts 22:8 | “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’” | ||
| Acts 26:15 | “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.’” | ||
| Rev 1:8 | “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” | Predicate | |
| Rev 1:17 | When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,” | Predicate | |
| Rev 2:23 | “And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.” | Predicate | |
| Rev 21:6 | Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.” | Predicate | |
| Rev 22:16 | “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” | Predicate |
Third, ἐγώ εἰµι appears in John 4:26;
6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, 8 by itself without a stated predicate or complement.
Through this examination, this study
will argue that the thirty-one occurrences of “I am” in Jesus’ utterances throughout
the Gospel of John reinforce John’s portrayal of Jesus’ divinity
This study will follow Williams’s perspective and regard Exod 3:14; Deut 32:39; Isa 41:4; 43:10, 25; 46:4; 48:12; 51:12; 52:6 in the Septuagint as the Old Testament background of the Johannine “I am” phrases uttered by Jesus. The discourse analysis of this study will be conducted on all thirty-one occurrences of “I
am” in Jesus’ utterances according to Porter’s categorization, which include the
absolute usage in John 4:26; 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, 8, the predicate usage
in John 6:35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5, and the locative usage in John 7:34, 36; 8:23; 12:26; 14:3; 17:14, 16, 24.
56 (This paper focuses on the “I am” phrases in Jesus’ utterances only. See Porter, John, 127–28.)