“Iesus said vnto them, Uerely, verely I say vnto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
1611 King James Version (KJV)
8:58 Before Abraham was I AM - Even from everlasting to everlasting. This is a direct answer to the objection of the Jews, and shows how much greater he was than Abraham.
Joh 8:58 Before Abraham was, I am. A solemn and official declaration, preceded by "Verily, verily" (see PNT "Joh 3:3"). The utterance is a remarkable one. It does not merely assert that he was before Abraham, but before Abraham was, I AM. It identifies with the I AM of the Old Testament. Divinity has no past tense, no future tense, but always the present.