In the Bible, I AM is how God reveals His name and nature. At the burning bush God said, "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14). Through Isaiah He says, "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour" (Isaiah 43:11). Jesus used the same words of Himself: "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58), and "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine" (John 10:14).
Few words in Scripture carry as much weight as the simple phrase I am. When Moses asked God for His name at the burning bush, God answered, "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14). The personal name of God, usually printed LORD in small capitals in the King James Version, is closely related to the Hebrew verb to be. God simply is: eternal, self-existent, depending on no one. Centuries later, Jesus took these words on His own lips. In John's Gospel He gives seven famous I am sayings: the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth and the life, and the true vine. He also used I am on its own in ways that stunned His hearers. These twelve KJV verses trace I AM from the prophets to the Gospels to Revelation. For the names God uses for Himself, see Hebrew names of God, and for the claim at the center of these sayings, see Bible verses about Jesus is God.
I am he: God's name in the prophets
1. Isaiah 43:10
"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."
God calls His people to be His witnesses, chosen so that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Then He makes a sweeping claim: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. The idols of the nations were made by human hands, but the LORD was never made. When the Old Testament was translated into Greek before Jesus' time, I am he here was rendered ego eimi, the same words Jesus later used of Himself.
2. Isaiah 43:11
"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."
I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. The repetition of I is emphatic. God alone saves. This is one reason the New Testament's description of Jesus as Saviour is so striking: the angels announced at His birth a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). Christians see Jesus not as a second saviour beside God but as God Himself come to save, fulfilling this promise in person.
3. Deuteronomy 32:39
"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand."
Near the end of his life, Moses taught Israel a song that recounts God's faithfulness. In it God says, See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me. He alone holds life and death, wounding and healing, in His hands. No one can deliver out of my hand. That can sound frightening, but for those who trust Him it is deeply comforting. Jesus said the same of His sheep: no one can pluck them out of His Father's hand (John 10:29).
4. Isaiah 48:12
"Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last."
God calls Israel to listen: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. He was before all things and will remain when everything else has passed away. Isaiah repeats this title several times (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6). History is not random. It begins and ends with God. In the very last chapter of the Bible, Jesus applies this title to Himself (Revelation 22:13), one of the clearest ways the New Testament identifies Him with the LORD of Isaiah.
The I am sayings of Jesus
5. John 10:9
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. In Jesus' day, sheep were often kept in walled pens at night with a single opening. A shepherd could sleep across the gap, making his own body the door. Jesus is the one way into God's safe fold, and inside there is freedom: the sheep go in and out, and find pasture. Being saved is not being locked in. It is being kept safe and well fed by a loving Shepherd.
6. John 10:14
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. Shepherds in Israel knew each sheep, and the sheep knew their shepherd's voice. Jesus says He knows His people that personally, as personally as the Father and the Son know each other (John 10:15). Unlike a hired hand who runs from danger, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (John 10:11). He knew where His road was leading, and He walked it for you.
7. John 15:1
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman."
This is the last of the seven I am sayings in John's Gospel: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. A husbandman is a farmer or vinedresser. In the Old Testament, Israel was often pictured as God's vine. Jesus is the true vine, and His followers are branches who draw life from Him. As He says a few verses later, "without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). Staying connected to Jesus is the secret of a fruitful life.
8. Revelation 22:13
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Jesus says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. This is the title God claims in Isaiah 44:6, now spoken by the risen Christ in the Bible's final chapter. Everything starts and ends with Him. The beginning of your story and its ending are both held in the hands of the One who said I am.
I am he: Jesus reveals who He is
9. John 4:26
"Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."
Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well. When she said the Messiah would come and explain everything (John 4:25), Jesus replied, I that speak unto thee am he. In the King James Version, the word he is printed in italics because the translators added it for smooth English. Jesus literally said, I am, the one speaking to you. Remarkably, one of His clearest early statements about who He was was made to a Samaritan woman with a painful past.
10. John 6:20
"But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid."
On a stormy night the disciples were rowing across the Sea of Galilee when they saw Jesus walking on the water and were afraid (John 6:19). He called out, It is I; be not afraid. In Greek, It is I is ego eimi, I am. The God who said I AM to Moses was walking toward them over the waves. When fear rises in your own storms, remember who is coming to you and what He says: be not afraid.
11. John 18:5-6
"They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground."
Judas led soldiers and officers to arrest Jesus in a garden at night. Jesus asked whom they were looking for, and they said Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. As soon as He spoke, they went backward, and fell to the ground. As in John 4:26, the word he is printed in italics in the KJV. Jesus was not overpowered. He gave Himself up willingly, but only after showing who held the real power.
12. Mark 14:62
"And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
At His trial before the high priest, Jesus was asked directly if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed (Mark 14:61). He answered, I am, and added that they would see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven, words that echo Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1. The high priest tore his clothes (Mark 14:63). Jesus' clearest confession of who He is led straight to the cross.
A short prayer
Lord God, You are the great I AM, the first and the last, the Saviour beside whom there is no other. Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us who You are: the door, the good shepherd, the true vine, the Alpha and Omega. When I am afraid, let me hear You say, It is I; be not afraid. Keep me close to You like a branch to the vine, and let my life find its beginning and end in You. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Print our free Names of God printable · Study the I am sayings with the SOAP Bible Study Journal · Memorize the I am sayings with the Scripture Memory Cards
Frequently asked questions
What does I AM mean in the Bible?
I AM is God's self-revealed name. At the burning bush He said, "I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:14). It speaks of God as eternal and self-existent. The name LORD in small capitals in the KJV translates the Hebrew name connected to this phrase. See Hebrew names of God.
What are the seven I am sayings of Jesus?
In John's Gospel Jesus says: I am the bread of life (John 6:35), the light of the world (John 8:12), the door (John 10:9), the good shepherd (John 10:11), the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and the true vine (John 15:1). See Bible verses about the bread of life and light.
Did Jesus claim to be I AM?
Yes. Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58). His hearers understood the claim: "Then took they up stones to cast at him" (John 8:59). At His trial He answered the high priest with "I am" (Mark 14:62). Christians read these as Jesus identifying Himself with the God of Exodus 3:14. See Bible verses about God.
Are I am affirmations biblical?
Positive self-talk can be helpful, but in Scripture the ultimate I AM belongs to God. The Bible's best affirmations are about who God says you are in Christ: a child of God, forgiven, loved and kept. Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches" (John 15:5). Your identity grows out of His. See Bible verses about identity in Christ.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Jesus is God · God · Identity in Christ · Bread of life · Light · Hebrew names of God · Word of God · Holy Spirit
Explore more: All Bible verses by topic · KJV Bible verses · Verse of the day · Prayers · Bible study · Bible reading plans
