Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

Before Abraham Was Born, I Am

^<48>The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”

^<49>“I do not have a demon,” Jesus replied, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. ^<50>I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge. ^<51>Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

^<52>“Now we know that You have a demon!” declared the Jews. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You say that anyone who keeps Your word will never taste death. ^<53>Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, as did the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”

^<54>Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. The One who glorifies Me is My Father, of whom you say ‘He is our ¹ God.’ ^<55>You do not know Him, but I know Him. If I said I did not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word. ^<56>Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.”

^<57>Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”

^<58>“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!² ”

^<59>At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.³

Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*

Jesus identifies himself as God

^<48>The Jews answered him, ‘So we’re right in saying you’re a pagan … a Samaritan, are we? You must be possessed by a demon!’

^<49>‘No,’ Jesus replied, ‘I’m not possessed by a demon. I am honouring my Father by bringing his message to the world, but you do not honour me. ^<50>I am not offended because I’m not looking for your admiration or praise. But there is One who seeks praise and he judges rightly. ^<51>I am telling you the truth, everyone who receives, believes and obeys my message will never see death. They will know eternal life.’

^<52>All this was too much for them. The Jews responded to him, ‘Now we’re certain you’re demon-possessed! Abraham and the prophets died, yet you claim that everyone who obeys your message will never taste death. We’ve no idea what you’re talking about! ^<53>Surely you don’t claim to be even more important than our ancestor Abraham, do you? He died, as did the prophets. Just who do you think you are?’

^<54>Jesus replied, ‘If I bring praise to myself, that praise is worthless. It is my Father, who you claim to be your God, who praises me. ^<55>Even though you’ve barely begun to know him, I know him perfectly. If I said I didn’t know him, I would be lying, as you are, but the reality is that I know him perfectly and obey his word fully. ^<56>Your father Abraham was excited at the prospect of seeing my coming. He looked forward to it in faith and was filled with joy.’

^<57>‘You’re not old! You’re not yet 50! How can you possibly claim to have seen Abraham?’ they asked him.

^<58>‘I am telling you the truth,’ Jesus declared, ‘before Abraham was born, “I am.” Even before Abraham’s birth, I already existed.’ By using the divine name ‘I am’, Jesus identified himself clearly as God. The Jews considered Jesus’ claim to be blasphemous: it made them furious. ^<59>They began to pick up stones to throw at him to try to kill him. But Jesus knew what they wanted to do, so he quietly left the temple grounds without anyone noticing.

Study Guide

To honor is to value or revere something or someone. In v. 49, Jesus said, “I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.” In what ways did:

• Jesus honor the Father?
• The Pharisees dishonor Jesus?

Using [“Truly, truly”] at the beginning of a statement implied that what was being said was first-hand information. This was used for original teachings, or eyewitness accounts. When Jesus says, “Amēn, amēn, legō hymin…”—”truly, truly I say to you”—He is claiming to know these things personally, directly, and first-hand.⁴

• What was it that Jesus personally knew first-had in verse 51?
• How do you think Jesus wanted the Pharisees to respond to this statement in verse 51?
• How did the Pharisees respond to this statement? (verses 52-53)

Jesus used the term, “Truly, truly” again in verse 58.

• What does Jesus’ statement in this verse tell us about Jesus.
• Why would this cause the Pharisees to want to stone Jesus? (v. 59)

What should these “Truly, truly” statements cause us to do?

Study Resources

To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/8/John-8-48.html. Read the commentary of each verse in the study passage.  (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)

If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.

If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage. Also check out any maps, charts and articles related to the study passage.