[B-Greek] EGW EIMI (Was: Re: HQELON OUN LABEIN AUTON EIS TO PLOION Jn 6:21)

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Mon Jun 2 03:43:33 EDT 2008


....
> EGW EIMI is "literally I AM," according to other scholars.  If it
> "doesn't mean" what it says, I would have liked to have heard --- why?
....
> Bob Meyers

The short answer is that this is not how language works - any language. A literal rendering (I 
hesitate to call it "translation") in many cases does not communicate the intended meaning, and this 
is one of those many cases.

I suggest you do your own study of EGW EIMI in Greek, including the LXX.
For instance, in 2 Sam 2:20 LXX has KAI EIPEN: EGW EIMI. The Hebrew is just one word ANOKI 
(literally "I").
There is a tendency in the Semitic Greek of the LXX, especially Isaiah, to "overtranslate" ANOKI 
with EGW EIMI, even when this is not natural Greek, but that is another matter, which has been 
discussed before on this list (e.g. Isa 51:12). In Isaiah 52:6 and 58:9 ANOKI is translated PAREIMI, 
quite a nice rendering for "I am (present/with you)". The Hebrew YHWH corresponds to hO WN in Greek, 
although in most cases KURIOS or QEOS are used in order to avoid using the name itself in accordance 
with Jewish tradition.

Just as you will not find any English version that translates EGW EIMI with "I am" in John 6:21, you 
will not find any version saying "I am" in 2 Sam 2:20.

EGW EIMI without any further words usually means "I am the one who is being talked about". How best 
to render that in English, depends on the context.
In John, you will find it in 4:26, 6:20, 8:24,28, 9:9, 13:19, 18:5,6,8.

Iver Larsen
Translation consultant 




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