₦airaland Forum

MaxInDHouse:
That verse was translated from Hebrew so it wasn't "I AM" in Hebrew!

Again, you are wrong. First, you don't even speak Hebrew. Secondly, the New Testament was written in Greek, not Hebrew.

“Before Abraham was, I am.” — John 8:58

Jesus says this during a tense exchange with the Pharisees. The moment is theologically profound, and the wording is deliberate.

Was It Written in Greek?
Yes. The Gospel of John was originally written in Koine Greek, and the original Greek for this verse is:

πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγὼ εἰμί
Prin Abraam genesthai, egō eimi

Which literally translates to:

“Before Abraham came into being, I am.”
Why Not Say “I was”?
Grammatically, we’d expect Jesus to say “I was” (in Greek, ἐγὼ ἦν), but instead He says ἐγώ εἰμι — “I AM.”

This grammatical oddity is intentional. Scholars agree that Jesus is echoing the divine name of God revealed in Exodus 3:14, when God says to Moses:

“I AM WHO I AM” (Hebrew: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh)
Greek Septuagint (LXX): ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν — “I am the One who is”

By saying ἐγώ εἰμι in John 8:58, Jesus isn’t just claiming pre-existence — He’s claiming divinity.

What Do Scholars Say?
Theological scholars (both Christian and Jewish) recognize that Jesus’ use of “I AM” here is not normal grammar — it's a theological claim.

Craig Keener, a New Testament scholar, says:

“Jesus uses language associated with God’s self-revelation... not merely claiming pre-existence, but divine identity.”

Raymond E. Brown, a Catholic biblical scholar, notes:

“This is the clearest Johannine statement of Jesus’ divinity before the resurrection.”

And the reaction from the crowd confirms this:

“Then they took up stones to throw at Him...” — John 8:59
Because blasphemy — claiming to be God — was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16).

Some do interpret John 8:58 as meaning “I was” instead of “I am.” However, that interpretation doesn’t hold up well when examined through the lens of Greek grammar and biblical context.

Let’s unpack it carefully:

The Original Greek:
πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγὼ εἰμί
Prin Abraam genesthai, egō eimi
“Before Abraham came into being, I am.”

γενέσθαι = "to become" or "to come into existence" (aorist infinitive of ginomai — describing Abraham’s beginning)

ἐγώ εἰμι = "I am" (present active indicative of eimi, the present tense of “to be”)

Could It Mean “I Was”?
Some argue Jesus meant “I was,” because:

It seems more natural in English grammar to say “Before Abraham was, I was.”

Jesus is speaking about existence prior to Abraham, so it feels like a past-tense idea.

However, in Greek, if Jesus had wanted to say “I was,” He would have used the past tense form:

ἐγώ ἦμην — I was

But He deliberately uses ἐγώ εἰμί — I am — which is present tense, not past.

What Does the Greek Grammar Actually Support?
Greek scholars point out:

The juxtaposition of “Abraham came into being” (γενέσθαι, aorist past tense) and “I am” (εἰμί, present tense) is intentional and meaningful.

This isn't just bad grammar — it's theological emphasis. Jesus is contrasting Abraham’s beginning with His own eternal existence.

Greek allows this construction to indicate timeless existence, especially in philosophical or theological contexts.

Why It Doesn’t Mean Just “I Was”
If Jesus were simply claiming pre-existence, He would have said “I was.”

But “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμί) makes a bolder, theological claim — it ties back to Exodus 3:14, where God reveals His name as “I AM.”

The crowd’s reaction — picking up stones to stone Him — suggests they understood this as a claim to divinity, not just an odd grammar slip.

AntiChristian:
Discuss these verses!

Who are the masters?
Who are the dogs?
Why Israel?

Matthew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

It's so simple for you to understand if you put everything Jesus Christ told you together and not just elevate one verse. The ministry of Jesus Christ began with the Jews hence the Jews were the masters, it then spread to the gentiles.
At first he asked his disciples to preach only to the Jews but later instructed that they preach to all nations. Does this explain it now?

MaxInDHouse:
My own Bible reads:

“Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” John 8:58

Nothing like "i am" there!

Ok good you reinvented the bible. Every man to his bible

FreeIgboho:
Will of God as determined by who - man!
It's like saying it is the will of God that there no longer be tragedies or natural disasters. Or it is the will of God that you be able to visualize other dimensions. The reality is, you can’t! Otherwise the nature of God will be pre-imprinted in our hearts and we'll all agree from birth - hence there'd be no need for this sort of thread!

I choose to believe God and disbelief you. You can know God and he wants us to know him. you are a man claiming it's impossible to know God while God is inviting us to know him. For me, it's a very easy choice.

AntiChristian:
Tell us what Christ told the canaanite woman!
Tell us what Christ told his disciples about the canaanite woman!
What did the disciples told Christ to do the canaanite woman?

All these are clear Jesus was not sent to any one but Israel!

The dog idiom is even worse!

I feel you do not understand his words and parables.
But to make it easy for you, let me show you more of his words so you can put the two together and understand.
John 17. 20- 23 (He came for everyone who believes in the words of his apostles)
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

John 3.16 (Jesus Christ was sent for the world, not just the Jews)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 28:19 -20 (He commanded his gospel be taught to all)
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

After His resurrection, Jesus sends His disciples to all nations, not just to Israel. This universal call affirms that salvation through Christ is for the entire world.

John 4:21–23 (To the Samaritan Woman)
“The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. ... But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.”

Speaking to a Samaritan woman (a non-Jew), Jesus says worship will no longer be tied to Jewish tradition or location. He opens the door to spiritual worship for all, regardless of ethnicity.

Mark 11:17 (Christ invites all nations to his temple)
“Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Revelation 7:9–10
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’

Revelation 14:6
“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth — to every nation, tribe, language and people.

I can give you more, but these are enough.

AntiChristian:
The reason Jesus came to the world is the same reason other Prophets like Noah, Moses, Abraham, etc came into the world!

To guide to the true worship of the one and only God without partners!

Modified!
Jesus wasn't sent to everyone! He didn't preach to everyone he met! Some he just healed. He told the Canaanite woman he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel! So Jesus's world is only Israel not Nigeria or Africa!

We understand that you are speaking from a Muslim point of view. But it's better to read the words of Christ himself to understand his purpose.
To understand Christ, I will listen to his words, not what Muhammad said about him.

MaxInDHouse:
Here is the verse you are referencing:

“Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” John 8:58

It's not difficult to grasp!

No, here is the verse.
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am !
It's not difficult to grasp that Jesus Christ is the I Am of the old testament.

FreeIgboho:
That's the mistake you people make. God has no definition in human terms.
See if you can wrap your mind around this:
There are over 2 trillion galaxies in our universe. And possibly unlimited number of universes. Now, shrink our galaxy to the size of the earth and our earth will be smaller than a grain of salt! Add to that, there are likely multiple dimensions. That's the God you're trying to define!

It is the will of God that we may know him. That's the purpose of his revealed word. You don't need to comprehend the galaxies to know God, just read his words and invite his spirit.

Ruke1990:
This issue has been discussed and concluded here on nairaland last month. Why bringing it up again? Nairaland needs to work toward preventing redundancy. This is the previous thread where we concluded. JW folks had to abandon the sophisticated and superior bible verses we posted there so they stopped responding and came to create new thread spamming nairaland with heresy

https://www.nairaland.com/8420353/jesus-god-why-did-he

Read the thread above from beginning to the end and towards the end, the JW could no more defend their blasphemy about Jesus who they said is thesame person as Moses and angel Michael. They run away from that thread because the bible evidences there that supported Jesus being God were too strong for them to counter so they created this new thread to argue afresh. All evidences to show that jesus is God are in the thread I posted above. Anyone who is interested should read the whole thread and get themselves a bible education

Did you say last month? It's has been concluded almost 10 times now in just the lady 2 years on Nairaland.

Denzelwash:
Israel has gotten herself in a bad spot. How Iran is showing such immense courage even after being hit by the so call "mighty US".

I read somewhere that Israel is begging to end the war, but Iran declined.

Your only problem is that you keep reading things written by ignorant people, and you are not wise enough to question them. Israel found it so easy to eliminate Iran's top military leaders and scientists, while Iran killed 30 civilians, yet you are convinced that Israel is begging to end the war.
As of today, even Air Peace can fly over the Iranian airspace without being detected but somehow, that's a victory for Iran. You guys need help.

God1000:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MdaAM-5xUk?si=9TtDWOCjGME55Nug

Israel’s advanced defense systems can’t guarantee 100% interception. Iran’s mobile launchers, large barrages, and timing tactics overwhelm even the most sophisticated shields.

https://www.facebook.com/TheJerusalemPost/videos/587511054040790/?app=fbl

All these just to kill 30 civilians? Iran fought a 12-day war, using its prized missiles, but could only take out 30 civilians; but their fanboys are celebrating it as the biggest victory of the century. Some of you guys need deliverance.

Alaigbo:
The Nuclear knowledge Iran as can never be lost. The lost souls are matryed n the price to accomplish greater things.

This pricw is what lillyliveres Ipobs in ipobland can not pay to have freedom. Iran is not a nation of cowards n it population is ready to pay even more to be free n independent.

Isreal degraded Iran ballistic missle capability yet Iran makes it rain be it in Haifa or Tel Aviv as it desires.

The Mossard chief Iran killed David Barnea is not top enough for you ba ? His own knowledge n all other nonsense you stated is not lost ba.

See presidential speech coming after you lost the war. You guys have no shame. Your biggest accomplishment was killing about 30 civilians, yet you believe your ballistic missile attack was a huge success. I used to think Arsenal fans were the worst, but you Iran fanboy trump them.
You guys have an incredible capacity to imagine victory in your biggest defeat.

ehikwe22:
Keep deceiving yourself. Eliminated nuclear threats mu foot

I am sure that you are the new head of the Iranian nuclear program. You clearly know something the rest of us don't. Kudos on your new position, Mr nuclear threat

Safyqueen:
Everything is controlled by GOD ALMIGHTY. Maybe HE want Israel to taste how sweet it is to see hospitals bombed. As they used to claim from Gaza, maybe IDF are using civilians as shield, that's why civilians are being targeted by Iran. What goes around comes around.

The very same people that accused Israel of killing civilians are the ones defending Iran when they kill civilians. Anyway, this should put an end to the Israel is commiting genocide rubbish. You guys don't really care about civilians, you only hate Israel. That's what this is all about.

Putindbutt:
What's this one yapping?, What's more critical than the uranium itself?. Iran even has more underground facilities to continue manufacturing. US only target three of the biggest. You think US had the information and yet went ahead to strike empty facilities?. Did you go to school at all?. Do you know how much a buster bomb costs?.

Iran minister of defense. First you guys claimed the site was not destroyed yet till today, the Iranians are yet to go back to the site to take pictures and show to the world.
Now you claim they retrieved their uranium from a site that was being observed for weeks now.
Iran couldn't protect it's highest ranking generals and scientists but somehow you trust them with uranium. Funny child.

saraki2019:
Look closely at what’s really happening here. The sudden strikes on US bases in Iraq and Qatar aren’t just random acts of aggression—they’re a calculated response to decades of covert US interference in the region, especially the repeated attacks on Iran’s sovereignty, including those nuclear site strikes. The US has long been the puppet master destabilizing the Middle East to maintain control over its resources and geopolitical influence.

Now, notice how the mainstream media conveniently rushes to label Iran as the aggressor without questioning the legitimacy of Iran’s right to self-defense. The footage of missiles being intercepted over Doha? That’s likely exaggerated or staged to minimize the perception of Iranian strength and to justify future escalations by the US and its allies.

What if the explosions heard in Doha were from defensive systems deliberately triggered to create panic, while the real damage and message from Iran remain understated? Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have historically been meticulous in sending precise, strategic signals rather than reckless destruction. This show of force is Iran asserting it won’t be bullied, signaling a shift in regional power dynamics that the US desperately wants to obscure.

This isn’t just about missiles; it’s about exposing the hypocrisy of Western “peacekeeping” rhetoric. Iran is standing up to decades of covert operations, economic sabotage, and illegal strikes on its territory. And the silence or skepticism in Western media about the true cause behind this retaliation speaks volumes.

Keep watching the narratives—they’re designed to distract from the real story: Iran is fighting back against imperialism, and that is the truth they don’t want you to see.
?

If you are a student of world history, you will know that the US is tolerating what no other world power has ever tolerated.
The world power tells you not to develop nuclear weapons but you stubbornly disobey and you say you don't have suicidal wishes.

jamp:
following will occur

US will strike back
Russian will strike US
China will strike US
North Korea will strike US

and world war 3 will start

How old are you?
In the next few weeks, your immaturity will be revealed. I only hope you grow from it. Russia, China and North Korea have nothing to gain from striking the US.
Have you asked yourself why these countries never fired or even threatened to fire at Israel for bombing Iran for almost 2 weeks now?

LordBiden:
Thats a good move.Trump must get that thing he is looking for.
This is what you get when you elect a baby adult into the Whitehouse.

Trump has finally dragged America into a middle east never ending war.
Dude knows nothing about international diplomacy,lacks negotiating skills.

MAGA in the mud.

Have you noticed that whenever you guys strike American bases, you always make extra effort to ensure that lives are not lost. But first you announce to the world that it will be the mother of all strikes.

nairalanda1:
1. I still stand by what I said.

2. Assad's were oppressive, but before ,2011, christians were 10%. Assad's been in charge since the late 1960s. The war and the dominance of the islamists in many parts is what caused a reduction in Christian population.

3. Where did I talk about trump or any American in my post?

4. Islamists opposition got so strong against the Assad's because the Assad's removed all secular opposition when it was in power . And it incubated until the Arab spring brought opportunity.

5. Remember Isis from 2013 used to run large parts of Syria. Including christian bits. That's why many christians fled.

First I mistook your response for the guy I initially responded to. He claim that the bombing of Christians in Syria was somehow Trump's fault.

You make great points

madridguy:
So you mean Assaad eliminated 900k Christians ? You must be decorated with OFR in lie.

You are a lazy mind. If the economy of Nigeria continues to collapse under Tinubu, does it mean that only Tinubu stole all the money? His government enabled corruption just as Assad enabled christian cleansing. Stop being mentally lazy, let your brain do some thinking.

nairalanda1:
Thats due to the Syrian war, a part of the Arab spring, where a lot of Islamists groups were running large parts of Syria, and as such many christians ran for their lives. Before 2011, christians were safe under the Assads, and were likely to support the Assads

Keep in mind that the Assads are Alawites., who are a minority muslim sect that are regarded by some mainstream muslims as heretical . Also, many christians backed the Assads then.

The percentage of Muslims increased during the Syrian war so that excuse is dead on arrival.
Assad and Syria have never been good to Syria. Christians have always been oppressed with very limited rights.
Lastly, if you believe the cleansing of Christians was due to the war then why blame Trump? Is that not intentional deceit and hypocrisy?

madridguy:
This is what the US has brought upon Syrians. Under Bashar Al-Assad, both Muslims and Christians are living together as brothers and sisters in peace and harmony.

Stop saying what you don't know. Under the evil Al-Assad, Syria cleansed the Christian population, dropping from an estimated 1.5 million (10% of the population) to around 300,000 (less than 2%) in less than 15 years. Syria, despite having some of the oldest Christian communities, is about the worst place to be a Christian. Please do not blame Trump for the actions of Muslims and the evil government of Assad

malali:
This is still premature, wait till oil prices hit Americans.

Americans that are still recovering from COVID with inflation and high interests rates.

His body language is unsure in this war. Look at when he announced the bombing, he had to announce it with 3 other people.

Normal Trump doesn't share his stage/spotlight with anyone else. But he wanted to show he didn't take the decision alone.

All other announcements of these magnitude e.g when Kassim Solemani was killed. Trump did it alone, even boastful. Now he is unsure,he doesn't know how crazy the Iranians can get

[color=#000000]Netenyahu has finally tricked him into fighting his (netenyahu's) war. Now all Netenyahu has to do is sit back and goad him on. And he knows Trump is easily manipulated once you can talk to his Ego.[/color]

Boby language expert. Nairaland dey produce people sha.

God1000:
It may be a face saving attack after all the noise and threats from egregious trump, but US will still pay a heavy price for it

When Trump took out Qasem Soleimani in 2020 you said the US will pay a heavy price. It's 5 years now. Don't you guys get tired of stupidity. It's time to grow up.

stuffs2002:
Some people will soon start wailing upandan and start claiming victim mentality.

Lagos is going to be cheapest after all the refinery is in Lagos. The fuel price will progressively increase as distance increases from the refinery.


The OP is very mischievous. Why compare prices of Lagos to only south east? Why did he not compare the prices with Sokoto, and Borno that are ever further away from Lagos.

We all took away different information from the writeup. To you, the most important thing was the writer stating the price difference between Lagos and the SE for me, what I took away is that the poor citizens of Nigeria are going to be screwed once again.

They were warned. All they needed to do was to end their nuclear program. Now it has been ended for them.
Let's look forward to seeing an end to the war with Israel.

Konquest:
Very well said. The Arabs historically moved in waves (starting from after Muhammad the Islamic founder died) from the Arabian Peninsula right into North and North-East Africa to conquer the indigenous folks there.

Most people have been taught to see colonialism and slavery as the crime of the west but it is not so. My great great grandfather had many slaves but somehow, we are made to believe that the whites were the only slave owners.

PepeXKermit:
your village people wey dey do you strong thing and the other people, no be catholic them be? I am speaking from those who are in the SE, the SW are Cele...so what are we not saying?

Again this point is not valid. We are talking about violence in the name of religion. The imaginary village people do not attack you because your religion is different. The Muslims kill Christians for the sake of religion. The Jews do not kill Christians I am sure that there are wicked Jews who hate christians yet, as a Christian, you have far more rights in Israel than in any Arab country and your life is not threatened so why should I see the Jews as my enemy?

PepeXKermit:
how come the rich Islam countries do not behave the same way? its not even the religion, its the state of their wellbeing...how many jews are iin Nigeria? I said, go to Israel and see how these people behave or meet them in person and see. They are not very good people.

Poverty or wealth is no excuse. Poor christian nations do not murder Muslims so your excuse is dead on arrival.
Let me ask you, in the last 50 year, how many christians have been murdered by Jews because of their religion?

meobizy:
A black African man killed a Caucasian male. Forget, he’ll expire in prison. Caucasians don’t care when blacks murder each other or whites do the same to both races. Let a black man touch a white person, all hell will break loose.

I rebuke the spirit of Jezebel in you. A child died, does skin colour matter? Racism and bitterness have eaten so deeply into you that you don't even feel grief. All you see is an opportunity to be a racist.

grandstar:
Trump's sadistic elimination of USAID will lead to the death of 100s of thousand. It is inexcusable.

Black man will always blame others for his own foolishness.
Always entitled, always believing they have a right to someone else's money.