As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Parallel translations
- WEB When therefore he said to 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 the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
- Ps 70:2–3Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
- 2 Kgs 1:9–15Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
- Acts 4:29–30And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
- Luke 9:54–56And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
- Ps 129:5Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
- Ps 40:14Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
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.