# G1510 - eimi **Strong's:** [G1510](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1510/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** i-mee' **Part of speech:** verb (the principal verb of being in Greek; highly irregular) **Hebrew equivalent (LXX):** [H1961 - hayah](/codex/h1961-hayah/) (הָיָה, "to be"), the verb behind YHWH's *ehyeh* and the divine name itself. **NT occurrences:** ~2,462 (extremely frequent, *eimi* is one of the most common verbs in Greek) ## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG) 1. **To be, to exist** (substantive / existential sense), to be in actuality ([Hebrews 11:6](/codex/hebrews-11-6/) *hoti estin* "that He is"). 2. **To be present, to come** (locative / adventive sense), to be at a place. 3. **To occur, to happen, to come to pass** (eventive sense). 4. **(Copular) to be**, joining subject to predicate in identity / quality / class statements ("Jesus is Lord"). 5. **(Identifying) to be the same as**, strong identification. The verb is the bedrock of Greek predication. Like English *to be*, it covers existence, identity, presence, and copulative function, but in a much more theologically loaded way given its connection to OT divine self-revelation. ## Theological force, the *egō eimi* sayings of Jesus The first-person singular present *eimi*, *egō eimi* (ἐγώ εἰμί), "I am", is the **most theologically loaded two-word phrase in the Greek New Testament** when spoken by Jesus. Two distinct usages: **1. Predicated *egō eimi*, "I am [the X]"** The seven famous "I AM" sayings of John, where Jesus identifies Himself with a predicate of theological-Messianic weight: - [John 6:35](/codex/john-6-35/), [48](/codex/john-6-48/), *egō eimi ho artos tēs zōēs*, "I AM the bread of life" - [John 8:12](/codex/john-8-12/); 9:5, *egō eimi to phōs tou kosmou*, "I AM the light of the world" - [John 10:7](/codex/john-10-7/), [9](/codex/john-10-9/), *egō eimi hē thyra*, "I AM the door" - [John 10:11](/codex/john-10-11/), [14](/codex/john-10-14/), *egō eimi ho poimēn ho kalos*, "I AM the good shepherd" - [John 11:25](/codex/john-11-25/), *egō eimi hē anastasis kai hē zōē*, "I AM the resurrection and the life" - [John 14.6](/codex/john-14-6/), *egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē*, "I AM the way, and the truth, and the life" - [John 15:1](/codex/john-15-1/), [5](/codex/john-15-5/), *egō eimi hē ampelos hē alēthinē*, "I AM the true vine" Each pairs *egō eimi* with a predicate that attributes a divine-Messianic role to Jesus. While individually any one *egō eimi* + predicate is grammatically ordinary, the cumulative pattern in John forms a Christological argument: Jesus claims roles only God / the Messiah can fulfill. **2. Absolute *egō eimi*, "I AM" without predicate** The theologically explosive case: Jesus uses *egō eimi* with no following predicate, in contexts where the audience would hear divine self-identification: - **[John 8:24](/codex/john-8-24/)**, *ean gar mē pisteusēte hoti egō eimi*, "unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins" (no predicate) - **[John 8:28](/codex/john-8-28/)**, *tote gnōsesthe hoti egō eimi*, "then you will know that I AM" - **[John 8.58](/codex/john-8-58/)**, *prin Abraam genesthai egō eimi*, "before Abraham was, I AM", the audience picks up stones (v. 59); they understood the deity claim - **[John 13:19](/codex/john-13-19/)**, *hina pisteusēte hotan genētai hoti egō eimi* - **[John 18:5-6](/codex/john-18-5-6/)**, Jesus's arrest in Gethsemane: *egō eimi*, and the soldiers fall to the ground (v. 6) The absolute *egō eimi* directly invokes: - **LXX [Exodus 3:14](/codex/exodus-3-14/)**, *egō eimi ho ōn*, "I AM the One who is" (God to Moses; see [Exodus 3.14](/codex/exodus-3-14/) and [H1961 - hayah](/codex/h1961-hayah/)) - **LXX [Isaiah 41:4](/codex/isaiah-41-4/); 43:10, 13; 46:4; 48:12**, God's repeated *egō eimi* self-identifications When Jesus speaks the absolute *egō eimi* in [John 8:58](/codex/john-8-58/) ("before Abraham was, I AM"), He is **directly claiming the divine name**. The audience reaction (stones for blasphemy) confirms the recognition. This is one of the strongest single-verse arguments for Christ's deity in the entire NT. The *egō eimi* pattern is **systematic** in John, it cannot be coincidental or grammatical accident. ## Notable verses (beyond the *egō eimi* pattern) ### Existential / philosophical - **[Hebrews 11:6](/codex/hebrews-11-6/)**, "he who comes to God must believe that *He is* (*hoti estin*)", God's existence as foundational - **[Acts 17:28](/codex/acts-17-28/)**, "in Him we live and move and *exist* (*esmen*)", Paul on Mars Hill citing pagan poet - **[Revelation 1:4](/codex/revelation-1-4/), [8](/codex/revelation-1-8/); 4:8**, *ho ōn kai ho ēn kai ho erchomenos*, "the One who is, who was, and who is to come", three forms of *eimi* spanning past / present / future, the divine-name paraphrase ### Copular (basic predication) - Thousands of verses; *Iēsous Christos kyrios estin* "Jesus Christ is Lord" ([Philippians 2:11](/codex/philippians-2-11/)) - "I and the Father are *one*" ([John 10:30](/codex/john-10-30/), *esmen*, plural form of *eimi*) ### Locative / adventive - "where I am, there will my servant be also" ([John 12:26](/codex/john-12-26/)) - "where two or three are gathered" ([Matthew 18:20](/codex/matthew-18-20/)) ## Connection to [John 8:58](/codex/john-8-58/) The most theologically explosive single use of *eimi* in Scripture. The exchange ([John 8:56-59](/codex/john-8-56-59/)): - Jesus: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it and was glad." - Jews: "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" - Jesus: *prin Abraam genesthai egō eimi*, "before Abraham came into being, I AM" - Jews: pick up stones to throw at Him (v. 59) The verb-tense contrast is sharp: - *Genesthai* (aorist infinitive of *ginomai*), "came into being" / "was born", the verb proper for *creatures* coming into being - *Egō eimi* (present indicative), "I AM", Jesus's eternal-present existence The structure echoes [John 1.1](/codex/john-1-1/)'s contrast (*ēn* for the Word vs *egeneto* for created things). Jesus claims: - He existed *before* Abraham came into being. - He exists in the *eternal present* (*eimi*, not *ēn*, though the LXX [Ex 3:14](/codex/exodus-3-14/) also uses *eimi* / *ho ōn*). - The implicit quotation of [Exodus 3:14](/codex/exodus-3-14/)'s *egō eimi ho ōn*. The audience response, stoning for blasphemy, confirms they heard the divine self-identification. Jesus did not correct the inference. ## Patristic / scholarly note The patristic tradition uniformly reads the absolute *egō eimi* sayings as deity-claims. [Justin Martyr](/codex/justin-martyr/) (*Dialogue with Trypho* 49, 75, c. AD 160), Tertullian (*Against Marcion* IV.7, c. AD 207), Athanasius (*Discourses Against the Arians* II.31), [Cyril of Alexandria](/codex/cyril-of-alexandria/) (*Commentary on John*) all cite [John 8:58](/codex/john-8-58/) as a foundational deity proof. Modern conservative: D. A. Carson (*The Gospel According to John* PNTC, 1991); Andreas Köstenberger (*John* BECNT, 2004); Larry Hurtado (*Lord Jesus Christ*, 2003); Richard Bauckham (*Jesus and the God of Israel*, 2008). The "divine identity Christology" school, that Jesus is identified *with* YHWH, not as a second deity, finds in the *egō eimi* sayings its NT centerpiece. The Watchtower / NWT response, translating [John 8:58](/codex/john-8-58/) as "I have been" rather than "I AM", has no Greek warrant; *eimi* is unambiguously present tense, and the deliberate echo of [Exodus 3:14](/codex/exodus-3-14/) LXX is too systematic to dismiss. ## Verses in this codex _See Obsidian's backlinks pane for every verse page linking here._ ## See also - [H1961 - hayah](/codex/h1961-hayah/), Hebrew equivalent; the verb behind YHWH - [H3068 - YHWH](/codex/h3068-yhwh/), the divine name *eimi* / *hayah* names - [Exodus 3.14](/codex/exodus-3-14/), *ehyeh asher ehyeh* / *egō eimi ho ōn* - [John 1.1](/codex/john-1-1/), *ēn* (imperfect of *eimi*) of the Word - [John 8.58](/codex/john-8-58/), locus classicus of absolute *egō eimi* - [John 14.6](/codex/john-14-6/), predicated *egō eimi*, "I am the way and the truth and the life"