John 4:26
I .... speaking <1473 2980> [I that.]
John 6:20
It is I <1510> [It is.]
John 7:29
I ..... I have come <1473 1510> [I.]
because <3754> [for.]
John 8:58
solemn truth <281> [Verily.]
before <4250> [Before.]
That our Lord by this expression asserted his divinity and eternal existence, as the great I AM, appears evident from the use of the present tense, instead of the past tense, from its being in answer to the Jews, who enquired whether he had seen Abraham, and from its being thus understood by the multitude, who were exasperated at it to such a degree that they took up stones to stone him. The ancient Jews not only believed that the Messiah was superior to and Lord of all the patriarchs, and even of angels, but that his celestial nature existed with God from whom it emanated, before the creation, and that the creation was effected by his ministry.
John 9:5
As long as <3752> [long.]
I am ..... I am <5600 1510> [I am.]
Our Lord here claims one of the titles given by the Jews to the Divine Being. So in Bammidbar Rabba, 15, fol. 229.1, "The Israelites said to God, O Lord of the universe, thou commandest us to light lamps to thee, yet thou art the light of the world." It was also a title of the Messiah (see Isa 49:6; 60:1;) and in a remarkable passage of Yalkut Rubeni, fol. 6, it is said on Ge 1:4, "From this we learn that the holy and blessed God saw the light of the Messiah, and his works, before the world was created; and reserved it for the Messiah, and his generation, under the throne of his glory. Satan said to the holy and blessed God, For whom dost thou reserve that light which is under the throne of thy glory? God answered, For him who shall subdue thee, and overwhelm thee with confusion. Satan rejoined, Lord of the universe, shew that person to me. God said, Come, and see him. When he saw him, he was greatly agitated, and fell upon his face, saying, Truly this is the Messiah, who shall cast me and idolaters into hell."
