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

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Mon Jun 2 06:41:47 EDT 2008


Is 46.4
וְעַד־זִקְנָה אֲנִי הוּא וְעַד־שֵׂיבָה אֲנִי אֶסְבֹּל אֲנִי עָשִׂיתִי וַאֲנִי אֶשָּׂא וַאֲנִי אֶסְבֹּל וַאֲמַלֵּט
W:(aD_ZiQ:NfH ):aNiY HW.) W:(aD_&aYBfH ):aNiY (f&iYTiY )f&.f) Wa):aNiY )eS:B.oL Wa):aMaL.a+
 ἕως γήρους ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ἕως ἂν καταγηράσητε, ἐγώ εἰμι, ἐγὼ ἀνέχομαι ὑμῶν, ἐγὼ ἐποίησα καὶ ἐγὼ ἀνήσω, ἐγὼ ἀναλήμψομαι καὶ σώσω ὑμᾶς. 
hEWS GHROUS EGW EIMI, KAI hEWS AN KATAGHRASHTE, EGW EIMI, EGW ANEXOMAI hUMWN, EGW EPOIHSA KAI EGW ANHSW, EGW ANALHMYOMAI KAI SWSW hUMAS
even to your old age I am he, 
even when you turn gray I will carry you. 
I have made, and I will bear; 
I will carry and will save. 

The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Is 46:4). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

This is not the only instance.  The GoJn especially uses ἐγώ εἰμι [EGW EIMI] in the sense "I am he."
Jn 8.24
εἶπον οὖν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν·ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν. 
EIPON OUN hUMIN hOTI APOQANEISQE EN TAIS hAMARTIAIS hUMWN; EAN GAR MH PISTEUSHTE hOTI EGW EIMI, APOQANEISQE EN TAIS hAMARTIAIS hUMWN
I believe it was Joachim Jeremias who wrote an article on this which is contained in some of his collected works.
 george
gfsomsel


… search for truth, hear truth, 
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth, 
defend the truth till death.


- Jan Hus
_________



----- Original Message ----
From: Iver Larsen <iver_larsen at sil.org>
To: bwmeyers at toast.net; b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2008 3:43:33 AM
Subject: [B-Greek] EGW EIMI (Was: Re: HQELON OUN LABEIN AUTON EIS TO PLOION Jn 6:21)

....
> 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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