Jesus declared
The Greek word for "declared" is "εἶπεν" (eipen), which means to speak or say. This verb indicates a direct and authoritative statement. In the context of the Gospel of John, Jesus often uses declarative statements to reveal His identity and mission. This particular declaration is not just a casual remark but a profound revelation of His divine nature.

before Abraham was born
The phrase "before Abraham was born" situates Jesus' existence in a time frame that predates the patriarch Abraham, who is a central figure in Jewish history and faith. The Greek word "γενέσθαι" (genesthai) is used here, meaning "to become" or "to be born." This implies a beginning or coming into existence. By stating that He existed before Abraham, Jesus is asserting His pre-existence, a concept that aligns with the prologue of John's Gospel, where Jesus is described as the Word who was with God in the beginning (John 1:1).

I am!
The phrase "I am" is translated from the Greek "ἐγώ εἰμί" (ego eimi). This is a direct reference to the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14, where God says, "I AM WHO I AM." In the Hebrew, this is "Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh," which conveys God's eternal, self-existent nature. By using "I am," Jesus is not only claiming pre-existence but also identifying Himself with Yahweh, the God of Israel. This is a profound and bold declaration of His divinity, which would have been unmistakable to His Jewish audience. It is a pivotal moment in the Gospel of John, as it encapsulates the central theme of Jesus' divine identity and mission.

(1) that the present tense, εἰμί, and not the past, η΅ν, was used by our Lord; and

(2) on this interpretation Abraham must have also equally pre-existed in the counsel of God; and

(3) such a statement would throw no light on the previous discourse. The Racovian Confession of Faith, based on the view of Socinus, explains, "Before Abram becomes Abraham, i.e. the father of many nations, I am it, the Messiah, the Light of the world." Not until my Messianic claims are acknowledged, and the many nations become children of Abraham, does Abraham really become Abraham, does his name derive its full meaning. This would be rabbinical trifling (J.P. Smith, 'Script. Test. to Messiah,' vol. 2). Beyschlag thinks that our Lord realized in his Person not a conscious pre-existence before Abraham, or before all worlds, but an impersonal principle, the image of God, which could only "be" in the eternal mind of God. There is a sense in which every man may realize such pre-existence as this, not merely "the Son of God," nor the new man in Christ, but every man whatsoever; but such a statement is entirely out of harmony with the whole passage that precedes. If the Jews had understood it in this sense, they would not have taken up stores to stone him, but, after their wont, would have said, "So also were we." "Ideas do not see one another." The first ἐγὼ εἰμί (ver. 12) brought out their angry unbelief, but this excites their murderous assault. We have to observe that this remarkable expression does not stand alone. St. John had reasons for saying "that the Word was with God, and was God. and was made flesh" (John 1:1, 3, 14). If Jesus, in his Divine consciousness, had never elsewhere spoken of having had a being before his manifestation (John 6:46, 62; John 17:5), of having taken part with the Father from the beginning (John 5:17), of being "one with the Father" (John 10:30, 33), of being greater than the temple or the sabbath, as being the Object of the eternal love in coming down from heaven, in laying down his life that he might take it again (John 10:17, 18); and if the language of the apostles (Hebrews 1:1, 2; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 1:18) had not entirely prepared our mind for the data on which such conclusions rested, a generation before this Gospel was reduced to form, we might join the effort to resist such a claim as that of eternal pre-existence. But the whole tenor of the Gospel and the entire New Testament teaching are seen, more and more, to turn upon this fundamental position - that in Christ dwells all the fulness of the Godhead, that he had life in himself, and eternity, and that the manhood has not only been lifted to the highest place in human remembrance, but to the midst of the throne.

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