Topic(s):   Faith, Jesus

Todd Clippard

In John 8:24, it is the Deity of Christ that is to be believed. In the phrase "Except ye believe that I am he", the word "he" is supplied by the translators. The context of John 8 is Jesus' declaration and affirmation of His Deity. In verse 58, Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am."

The phrase "I am" is most significant. In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses to tell the people that "I AM" sent him. "I AM" is an unmistakable reference to Jehovah. The very phrase means one from all eternity. In Revelation 1:4, John writes of Jesus as "one who was, and is, and is to come." In Psalm 90:2, Moses said, "from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

Now, back to John 8:58. The Jews understood exactly what Jesus meant when He said, "before Abraham was, I AM." This is evident from their reaction to His statement - they took up stones to throw at Him.

Therefore, the translators did us no favor in adding the word "he" to the text. A better translation would have been, "before Abraham was, I AM."