# The I AM Statements of Jesus

> The seven “I am” sayings in John, from the bread of life to the true vine, and the sayings where Jesus says “I am” with no predicate, set beside “I AM THAT I AM” and “I am he” in the Old Testament, with the Greek and every King James verse.

- Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/god/i-am-statements-of-jesus
- Religions: none
- Denominations: none
- Beliefs: God
- Tags: god, jesus, greek
- Updated: 2026-10-13
- Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul))


import RefTable from '../../components/RefTable.astro';
import GreekCardScript from '../../components/GreekCardScript.astro';
import GreekShare from '../../components/GreekShare.astro';
import { expandRef } from '../../lib/god-references';

export const keys = (refs) => refs.flatMap((ref) => expandRef(ref));
export const sayings = [
  ['I Am the Bread of Life', ['John 6:35', 'John 6:41', 'John 6:48', 'John 6:51']],
  ['I Am the Light of the World', ['John 8:12', 'John 9:5']],
  ['I Am the Door', ['John 10:7', 'John 10:9']],
  ['I Am the Good Shepherd', ['John 10:11', 'John 10:14']],
  ['I Am the Resurrection and the Life', ['John 11:25']],
  ['I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life', ['John 14:6']],
  ['I Am the True Vine', ['John 15:1', 'John 15:5']],
];
export const absolute = keys(['John 8:24', 'John 8:28', 'John 8:58', 'John 13:19', 'John 18:5–6', 'John 18:8', 'Mark 14:62', 'Mark 6:50', 'John 6:20']);
export const oldTestament = keys(['Exodus 3:14', 'Deuteronomy 32:39', 'Isaiah 41:4', 'Isaiah 43:10', 'Isaiah 43:13', 'Isaiah 43:25', 'Isaiah 46:4', 'Isaiah 48:12', 'Isaiah 51:12', 'Isaiah 52:6']);
export const sayingCount = sayings.reduce((sum, [, refs]) => sum + keys(refs).length, 0);
export const total = sayingCount + absolute.length + oldTestament.length;

<GreekCardScript />
<GreekShare file="src/content/articles/i-am-statements-of-jesus.mdx" />

The I AM statements of Jesus are the sayings in the Gospel of John where Jesus says ἐγώ εἰμι, “I am.” Seven have a predicate: the bread of life ([John 6:35](/bible/john/6/35)), the light of the world ([John 8:12](/bible/john/8/12)), the door ([John 10:9](/bible/john/10/9)), the good shepherd ([John 10:11](/bible/john/10/11)), the resurrection and the life ([John 11:25](/bible/john/11/25)), the way, the truth, and the life ([John 14:6](/bible/john/14/6)), and the true vine ([John 15:1](/bible/john/15/1)). In others Jesus says “I am” with no predicate, most famously “Before Abraham was, I am” in [John 8:58](/bible/john/8/58). This page prints all of them with the Old Testament “I am” sayings of the LORD, {total} verses.

## Key Points

- ἐγώ is “I” (Strong’s G1473) and εἰμι is “I am” (G1510). Greek does not need ἐγώ for “I am,” so the pronoun adds emphasis. [(1)](#ref-1)
- The seven sayings with a predicate are all in John, in chapters 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, and 15.
- In [John 8:58](/bible/john/8/58) Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am,” and in [John 8:59](/bible/john/8/59) the hearers take up stones to cast at him.
- In [John 18:5–6](/bible/john/18/5), when Jesus answers “I am he,” the soldiers “went backward, and fell to the ground.” The King James adds “he” in italics; the Greek is ἐγώ εἰμι.
- God names himself “I AM THAT I AM” in [Exodus 3:14](/bible/exodus/3/14). In Isaiah the LORD says “I am he” ([Isaiah 43:10](/bible/isaiah/43/10)); the Greek Old Testament there reads ἐγώ εἰμι.
- [John 13:19](/bible/john/13/19), “that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he,” echoes [Isaiah 43:10](/bible/isaiah/43/10), “that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he.”

## The Seven I AM Sayings

{sayings.map(([name, refs]) => (<RefTable keys={keys(refs)} caption={name} />))}

## I AM With No Predicate

In these verses the Greek is ἐγώ εἰμι standing alone. The King James supplies “he” or translates “It is I.”

<RefTable keys={absolute} caption="Jesus Says I Am With No Predicate" />

## I AM in the Old Testament

<RefTable keys={oldTestament} caption="The LORD Says I Am" />

The Hebrew of [Exodus 3:14](/bible/exodus/3/14) is the verb “to be,” and [Exodus 3:15](/bible/exodus/3/15) follows it with the divine name. See [What Is the Tetragrammaton?](/god/what-is-the-tetragrammaton)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What Are the Seven I AM Statements?

Bread of life, light of the world, door, good shepherd, resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life, and the true vine.

### Why Did the Crowd Try to Stone Jesus in John 8:59?

The text says only that they took up stones. In [John 10:33](/bible/john/10/33), after another saying, they say it is “because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” How Jesus existed before Abraham is on [Did Jesus Exist Before He Was Born?](/christianity/did-jesus-exist-before-he-was-born)

## Keep Reading

- [The Names and Titles of Jesus](/god/names-and-titles-of-jesus)
- [What Are the Attributes of God?](/god/attributes-of-god#i-am)
- [What Is the Deity of Christ?](/christianity/deity-of-christ)

## Passages Quoted on This Page

### John 6:35

King James Version.

> And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

### John 8:12

King James Version.

> Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

### John 10:9

King James Version.

> I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

### John 10:11

King James Version.

> I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

### John 11:25

King James Version.

> Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

### John 14:6

King James Version.

> Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

### John 15:1

King James Version.

> I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

### John 8:58

King James Version.

> Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

### John 8:59

King James Version.

> Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

### John 18:5

King James Version.

> They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.

### Exodus 3:14

King James Version.

> 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.

### Isaiah 43:10

King James Version.

> Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

### John 13:19

King James Version.

> Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

### Exodus 3:15

King James Version.

> And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

### John 10:33

King James Version.

> The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

### Isaiah 41:4

King James Version.

> Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

## Sources
Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site.

1. [James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, G1473, G1510; H1961](https://archive.org/details/exhaustiveconcor1890stro) (1890. Public domain.)
2. [R. A. Torrey, Torrey’s New Topical Textbook, “Christ is God”](https://www.ccel.org/ccel/torrey/ttt.html?term=Christ%20is%20God) (Public domain.)
3. [Gospel of John, 6:35; 8:12; 8:24; 8:58; 10:9; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1; 18:5–8](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/6/35). King James Version
4. [Book of Exodus, 3:14](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/exodus/3/14). King James Version
5. [Book of Isaiah, 41:4; 43:10; 43:25; 46:4; 48:12](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/41/4). King James Version

## See Also
- [The Names and Titles of Jesus](https://apologetics.wiki/god/names-and-titles-of-jesus) — Son of God, Son of Man, Lord, the Word, Alpha and Omega, Emmanuel, Lamb of God, Christ, Lion of Judah, and the names in Isaiah 9:6, with the Greek and Hebrew, every King James verse, and the titles the Old Testament gives the LORD.
- [Did Jesus Really Exist?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-jesus-exist) — Yes. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Paul, the Gospels, Tacitus, and Josephus all place him there, and a skeptic who rejects the resurrection still says the man was real.
- [What Do Non-Christian Sources Say About Jesus?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-do-non-christian-sources-say-about-jesus) — Tacitus, Josephus, Pliny, and later hostile writers name Jesus or the Christ his followers worshipped. Each notice is early or hostile. None of them proves the resurrection.
- [Cherubim and Seraphim](https://apologetics.wiki/god/cherubim-and-seraphim) — The cherubim of Ezekiel 1 and 10, the seraphim of Isaiah 6, and the four beasts around the throne in Revelation 4, in the King James Version, with what each passage says they look like and do.
- [Is God Real?](https://apologetics.wiki/god/does-god-exist) — Is God real? Christians say yes. The question does God exist is the same question: contingency, moral life, and a world fit for life, with the strongest atheist replies.