When therefore he said to them, “I am he,” they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Parallel translations
- KJV As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
- BSB When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
- NKJV Now when He said to them, “I am He, ” they drew back and fell to the ground.
- NASB Now then, when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
- NLT As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When Jesus says 'I am he,' the arresting party draws back and falls to the ground. His word displays unexpected divine power.
Overview
This striking reaction underscores that no one takes Jesus' life from him without his permission. Many see in their falling a glimpse of the majesty in Jesus' 'I am,' the divine self-designation. The moment reveals that Jesus' captors could do nothing unless he allowed it, reinforcing that his arrest and death are a willing, sovereign self-offering.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 27:2When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
- Ps 70:2–3Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul. Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
- 2 Kgs 1:9–15Then the king sent a captain of fifty with his fifty to him. He went up to him; and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. He said to him, “Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’”
- Acts 4:29–30Now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness,
- Luke 9:54–56When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?”
- Ps 129:5Let them be disappointed and turned backward, all those who hate Zion.
- Ps 40:14Let them be disappointed and confounded together who seek after my soul to destroy it. Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 18:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.