Although all translators and commentators have admitted (or seem to have admitted) the correctness of the common version in the above text, so far as relates to the verb was, yet I suspect, after all, that it does not exactly convey the meaning of the text. I am aware that the difficulty may be got over, by the construction given by Mr. Wakefield; which is, as if he had said "My mission was settled and certain before the birth of Abraham." With this construction the text does not favor the idea of the pre-exisience of Christ to that of Abraham: but it is certain that the text does not necessarily imply so much as is here admitted; neither does the common version hardly make sense. To make out the pre-existence of Christ from this text it should read, "Before Abraham was I was." But whatever may be said of genesthai, no one will pretend that eimi can be rendered in the past tense: neither should genesthai, have been rendered, as the following passages will show. Matt. 24:6. "For all things must [genesthai] come to pass." Ch. 26:54—"that thus it must [genesthai] be. Mark 1:17—and I will make you [genesthai] to become fishers of men. Ch. 10:43.44—genesthai megas— to be great—genesthai protos—to be chief. Ch. 13:7—for these things must [genesthai] come to pass. Luke 9:36. And the voice [en to genesthai] being come, Jesus was found alone. John i. 12—to them he gave authority [genesthai] to be, (or to become) children of God. Ch. 3:9—how can these things [genesthai] be? Ch. 5:6.—Dost thou desire [genesthai] to be healed? Ch. 8:58. "Before Abraham [genesthai] be (come), I am:" that is, 'I am come before Abraham."— Compare Matt. 17: 11. Ch. 9:27. "Will ye also [genesthai] be his disciples?" Ch. 13: 19. "Now I tell you before [tou genesthai] it come to pass, that when it [geneetai] shall come to pass, ye may believe that I [eimi] am (he)." Acts 7:39—to whom our fathers would-not [genesthai] become obedient. Ch. 10: 40. Literally— and after [to genesthai me] my being there, I must see Rome. Ch. 22:17.[genesthai me en ekstasei] it happened to me To Be in an ecstasy:(common version,) I was in a trance. Ch. 26: 28. 29 [genesthai] to be a Christian—to be such as I am. Ch. 27: 29—wished day [genesthai] to be. (or to come.) Rom 7:4—[eis to genesthai humas] that it should be to you (to be married) to another. 1 Cor. 7:21—but if thou mayest [genesthai] be made free, use it rather. Philip. 1:13—my bonds in Christ [genesthai] are manifest in all the palace. James 3:10—these things ought not so [genesthai] to be. Rev. 1:1—must shortly [genesthai] come to pass. Ch. 22:6—must shortly [genesthai] be done.
Thus I have given every passage that I find in 'Concordantiae Erasmi Schmidii,' a Greek Concordance of the New Testament, where the verb genesthia is found; which is from ginomai, which signifies to be, to become, to come to pass, to be done, to happen, to be born, and is used in its various modes and lenses upwards of 700 times in the New Testament. It is from this verb that egeneto comes, found in John 1:3, and 14, rendered were made, and was made, in the common version.— But it is never used in the sense of create. In the above texts, it is in the Infinitive mood: Aorist (or Indefinite) tense: and in every one, except the text under consideration and Acts 22:17, (and perhaps Luke 9:36,) it evidently refers to time, present or future. In Acts 22:17, although the event was past at the time Paul gave the relation of it, yet the verb is present. The first verb, egeneto, carries the mind back to the time—" and it was to me, (for it is literally) even on my praying in the temple, (yes) Me, [genesthai] to be in an ecstasy, and [idein] to see him (Jesus) saying to me, &c." As the verb genesthai is here connected with the accusation, Me, something must be understood to govern it. See the rendering above. "It happened to) me tobe (or my being) in an ecstasy, (it was my good fortune) to see him, (namely Jesus, and to hear him) saying," &c.
Let the reader now judge what propriety there is in rendering prin Abraam genesthai, ego eimi, before Abraham was, I am. It is admitted, that there is an obscurity in the text; but to say "before Abraham is to be, (manifested understood) I am manifested," makes good sense, whether it be a full answer to the question or not; whereas "before Abraham was, I am," makes no sense whatever.
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