The Exodus 3:14/John 8:58 Nothing-Burger

This Kindle book, And the Word was a god: Conversations on the Most Disputed Text in the New Testament - John 1:1 is available on Amazon by clicking here

Visit a local listing for this book here

The Exodus 3:14/John 8:58 Connection a big Theological Nothing-Burger

Many argue that the Greek words ego eimi (EGW EIMI) “I am”, spoken by Jesus at John 8:58, prove that Jesus is God. They arrive at their conclusion by connecting the phrase
“I am” with the words spoken by YHWH in Exodus 3:14 and is traditionally translated: "I AM THAT I AM."

"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." KJV

The Septuagint Bible was well known amongst the 1st century Christian writers and when you look at Exodus 3:14 you quickly see that this Bible completely destroys the John 8:58/Exodus 3:14 connection.*

The words in the Septuagint (LXX) is not simply ego eimi, it is ego eimi ho on (EGW EIMI hO WN)...I am THE BEING. In other words, the words in the Septuagint focus on THE BEING, not the "I am." The "I am' is simply used to identify THE BEING. The silliness of focusing on the "I am" is akin to me saying "here is the President" and then having everyone settling their attention on the words "here is."

The Septuagint’s rendering of Exodus 3:14 has "And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am THE BEING; and He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: THE BEING has sent me to you."

The words "ho on" appear in the Gospel of John, it is even used in John's prologue at verse 18.

John also wrote the Book of Revelation, and ho on appears five times (Revelation 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5). In each instance, it is used in reference to God, not Jesus.

The only way anyone could connect Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58 would require a bad or devious translation of both Scriptures. Sadly, many Bibles are willing to deliver that deception.
......................

K.L. Mckay states: "It has become fashionable among some preachers and writers to relate Jesus's use of the words 'I am' in the Gospel according to John, in all, or most, of their contexts, to God's declaration to MOSES in Exodus 3:14, and to expound the passages concerned as if the words themselves have some kind of magic in them."

Jason Beduhn also writes: "Separating 'I AM' off as if it were meant to stand alone is an interpretive sleight-of-hand , totally distorting the role the phrase plays in the whole sentence, either in the Greek Septuagint version of Exodus 3:14 or in John 8:58."


*The Hebrew destroys the connection as well, as the proper translation of the words at Exodus 3:14 should be "I will be what I will be" not "I am that I am."

See also The Present of Past Action and John 8:58

See also EGW EIMI (ego eimi), I AM and John 8:58

See also I Am, or, I Will Be at Exodus 3:14?

This Kindle book, The Dark History of the Trinity, is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and it is only 99 cents

See a local listing for this book here