In this post I will be quoting from the Aramaic Bible in Plain English, which is the translation of the Aramaic Bible known as the Peshitta.

What makes this particular version rather interesting is that it renders the “I AM” statements attributed to Jehovah and Jesus as “I AM The Living God.” It is apparent that the translator took this phrase to be a divine appellation, understanding it be a divine self-ascription affirming God’s timeless and uncreated existence. At the conclusion of this post, I will link to some of my articles confirming that this is a correct interpretation of the “I AM” sayings of Jehovah/Jesus.  

With this in mind I now cite the texts in question.

JEHOVAH

According to the [O]ld [T]estament, Jehovah is the eternal I AM, being the First and the Last who has been there from the beginning of creation and continuously remains with every subsequent generation of creatures till the very end:

“And Moshe said to God, ‘Behold, I shall go to the children of Israel and I shall say to them, LORD JEHOVAH, God of your fathers has sent me unto you, and they will say to me, “What is his name?” What shall I say to them?’ And God said to Moshe: Ahiah Ashra High ‘I AM what I AM’, and he said, thus say to the children of Israel: ‘Ahiah – “I AM” has sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:13-14

“See, therefore, that I AM The Living God, and there is no God apart from me; I am putting to death and I am making alive; I am striking and I am healing, and there is none who escapes from my hands.” Deuteronomy 32:39

“Who has prepared and has made? He who called the generations from the beginning. I AM THE LIVING GOD LORD JEHOVAH, The First and The Last, I AM THE LIVING GOD.” Isaiah 41:4

“You are my witnesses, says LORD JEHOVAH, and my Servants whom I have chosen, and you shall know, and you shall believe in me, and you shall understand that I am he, and before me there has not been a God created, and none shall be after me I AM LORD JEHOVAH and there is none again outside of me I have shown and I have saved and I have made heard and there is not among you a foreigner, and you are my witnesses, says LORD JEHOVAH, and I am God Also, from the first day I AM THE LIVING GOD. There is none who is saved from my hands, and who is turning back anything that I do?… I AM THE LIVING GOD, I who blot out your evil for my sake, and I shall not remember your sins again.” Isaiah 43:10-13, 25

“Thus says LORD JEHOVAH, the King of Israel, and his Savior, LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts his Name: ‘I AM The First and I AM The Last, and there is no god outside of me.’” Isaiah 44:6

“Because thus says LORD JEHOVAH, who created the Heavens, and he is God who formed the Earth, and he made it and he has fashioned it: ‘It was not for nothing that he created it, but that his creation will dwell in him. I AM LORD JEHOVAH and there is no more.’ It was not in a secret place I have spoken in a dark place of the Earth, and I have not said to the seed of Yaqob, ‘Seek me for nothing.’ I AM LORD JEHOVAH, I who speak righteousness and I show integrity.” Isaiah 45:18-19

“Until old age, I am He, and unto ancient age I shall carry. I have made and I shall lift up and I shall carry and I shall deliver.” Isaiah 46:4

“Hear me Yaqob, and Israel whom I called. I AM The First and I AM The Last.” Isaiah 48:12

“I AM THE LIVING GOD comforting you, says LORD JEHOVAH. Who are you that you are afraid of mortal man and of a son of man who dries up like grass?” Isaiah 51:12

“Because of this, my people shall know my name in that day, because it is I speaking, and I AM.” Isaiah 52:6

Now pay attention to the following passages where God expressly condemns both the Assyrians and Babylonians for claiming to be that very I AM besides whom there is no other:

“Come down and dwell on the dust, virgin daughter of Babel! Dwell on the land, daughter of the Chaldeans! There is no throne, because they will not continue to call you delicate and luxurious… Now, hear these things, delicate one who dwells in quietness and says in her heart: ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD and there is none other. I shall not sit a widow, and I shall not know bereavement.’ These two plagues will come upon you in one day: bereavement and widowhood suddenly will come upon you in the multitude of your sorceries and in the abundance of your Magicians. For you have trusted on your evil and you said: ‘There is none who sees me.’ Your wisdom and this your knowledge has deceived you, and you said in your heart, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD and there is none other.’” Isaiah 47:1, 8-10

“And he shall raise his hand against the North and he shall destroy the Assyrian and he shall make Nineva destruction and a desolation as a wilderness. And the flocks shall feed within her and all the animals of the nations, also the pelicans and the owls in their houses will spend the night, and the beasts shall roar within her, and the sword is inside her gates because her stock is uprooted. This is the fortified city that had dwelt in quietness and was saying in her heart: ‘I am God, and there is none other like me!’ How she has come to destruction and a place of herding for beasts! Everyone whoever will pass by it shall be shocked and shall whistle and shall shake his hand and shall say:” Zephaniah 2:13-15

The above confirms that these “I AM” sayings are meant to be understood as divine self-descriptions.

JESUS: THE I AM BECOMES FLESH

This is where the [N]ew [T]estament comes into play.

Christ is depicted as claiming to be the “I AM” in contexts which clearly point to his Deity, which is why the “Aramaic Bible in Plain English” translates these statements as “I AM THE LIVING GOD”:

“And at once he urged his disciples to board the ship and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida while he sent the multitude away. And when he had sent them away he went to a mountain to pray. But when it had become evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land. And he saw them laboring as they were rowing, for the wind was against them. And it was, that in the fourth watch of the night, Yeshua came toward them as he was walking on the sea, and he wanted to pass by them. They saw him that he was walking on the water, and they thought to themselves that he was a hallucination and they cried out, For they all saw him and they were afraid and immediately he spoke with them and he said to them, ‘Take heart, I AM THE LIVING GOD; do not be afraid.’ And he came up to join them in the ship and the wind ceased, and they were greatly astonished and they wondered in their souls. For they had not learned from the bread, because their heart was stupid.” Mark 6:45-52

“But he was silent, and he did not answer him anything. And again, The High Priest asked him and said, ‘Are you The Messiah, The Son of The Blessed One?’ But Yeshua said to him, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD, and you shall behold The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of Heaven.”” Mark 14:61-62

“The woman said to him, ‘I know that The Messiah is coming, and when he comes, he will teach us all things.’ Yeshua said to her, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD, I who am speaking with you.’” John 4:25-26

“And Yeshua spoke again with them and he said: ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Light of the world. Whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall find the light of life.’ The Pharisees were saying to him: ‘You are testifying about yourself; your testimony is not true.’ Yeshua answered and said to them, ‘Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know from where I have come and where I am going, but you do not know from where I have come and where I am going. You are judging carnally; I am judging no one. But even if I do judge, my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and my Father who has sent Me. And in your Written Law it is written: ‘The testimony of two men is true.’ I AM THE LIVING GOD, I who testify about myself, and my Father who has sent me has testified about Me.’… And he said to them, ‘You are from below and I am from above. You are from this world; I am not from this world. I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for unless you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD, you shall die in your sins.’… Yeshua spoke again to them: ‘When you have lifted up The Son of Man, then you shall know that I AM THE LIVING GOD, and I do nothing for my own pleasure, but just as my Father has taught me, so I am speaking. And he who has sent me is with me, and my Father has not left me alone, because I am doing always what is beautiful to him.’… Yeshua said to them, ‘If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, “He is our God.” And you do not know him, but I know him, and if I had said that I did not know him, I Myself would have been a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.’ ‘Abraham your father desired to see my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.’ The Jews were saying to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?’ Yeshua said to them: ‘Timeless truth I speak to you: Before Abraham would exist, I AM THE LIVING GOD.’ And they picked up stones to stone him, and Yeshua hid himself and went out from The Temple and passed through their midst and moved on.” John 8:12-18, 23-24, 28-29, 54-59

“But again Yeshua said to them, ‘Timeless truth I speak to you; I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Gate of the flock. And all who had come were thieves and robbers, but the flock did not hear them. I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Gate; if anyone will enter by me, he shall live and shall go in and out and shall find the pasture. But a thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have whatever is abundant. I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his flock… I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Good Shepherd. I know mine and am known by mine. Just as my Father knows me and I know my Father, and I lay down my life for the flock’s sake. But I have other sheep which were not from this fold; I must also bring them. They also will hear my voice, and the entire fold shall be one, and One Shepherd.” John 10:7-11, 14-16

“Yeshua said to her, ‘Your brother shall arise.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he shall rise in the resurrection in the last day.’ Yeshua said to her, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Resurrection and The Life; whoever trusts in me, even if he dies, he shall live.’ And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ And she said to him, ‘Yes, my Lord, I do believe that you are The Messiah, The Son of God, who has come into the world.’” John 11:23-27

“I have not spoken about all of you, for I know those whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’ Now I am telling you before it happens, that when it has occurred, you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD.” John 13:18-19

“Yeshua said to him, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.’” John 14:6

“But Yeshua, because he knew all these things had come upon him, went out and said to them, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ They were saying to him, ‘Yeshua the Nazarene.’ Yeshua said to them, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD.’ But Yehuda the traitor was also standing with them.  And when Yeshua said to them, ‘I AM THE LIVING GOD’, they went backward and fell to the ground. Yeshua said again, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ But they said, ‘Yeshua the Nazarene.’ Yeshua said to them, ‘I have told you that I AM THE LIVING GOD, and if you are seeking me, let these men go.’” John 18:4-8

“Behold, he comes with clouds and every eye shall see him, even those who pierced him, and all the families of The Earth shall mourn for him; yes and amen! ‘I am The Alap and The Tau,’ says THE LORD JEHOVAH God, ‘he who is and has been and is coming, The Almighty.’ I Yohannan am your brother and companion in suffering and in the patience which is in Yeshua. I was in the island that is called Patmos, because of the word of God and because of the testimony of Yeshua The Messiah. And I was in The Spirit on the first day of the week, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, Which said, ‘Those things which you have seen, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesaus, to Zmurna, to Pergamaus, to Thawatyra, to Sardis, to Philadelphia and to Laidiqia.; And I turned to know that voice which spoke with me, and when I turned around, I saw seven menorahs of gold; And in the midst of the menorahs as the likeness of a man, and he wore an ephod and he was girded around his chest with a golden wrap. And his head and his hair were white as wool and like snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire. And his feet were in the form of the brass of Lebanon which is heated in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and a sharp lance proceeded from his mouth, and I saw him like the Sun appearing in its strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man, and he laid his right hand upon me saying, ‘Do not be afraid, for I am The First and The Last; I am he who lived AND DIED, and behold, I am alive to the eternity of eternities, amen, and I have the key of Death and of Sheol.’” Revelation 1:7-18

FURTHER READING

THE ARAMAIC BIBLE PROVES THAT THE TRINITY IS THE TRUE GOD!

JESUS: THE ETERNALLY EXISTING ONE

Even More Proof That Jesus is Jehovah God Most High! Pt. 2

‘I AM What I AM’: A Bible Commentary: [Part 1], [Part 2], [Part 3], [Appendix]

Rebuttal of their ‘I AM WHAT I AM’ Response: [Part 1], [Part 2]

• Uncategorized