εἰμί. (eimi) in John 1:21: Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
εἰμί. (eimi) in John 1:21
Textual Witness
The witness reads Οὐκ εἰμί in John 1:21 within the reported dialogue, matching the surrounding question and reply.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form sharpens the reply into a direct personal denial without requiring more from the grammar than the context supports.
How To Communicate It
In translation and teaching, this form should be rendered as a straightforward first person denial that stays tied to the dialogue.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Verb morphology here signals speech force, but it does not by itself settle every nuance of identity.
- Do not turn tense, voice, or person into an argument beyond what the verse explicitly says.
What Does The Label Mean?
Verb: this form names an action or state of being, here expressed by the verb "to be" in direct speech.
Present: often views the action as in progress, customary, or presently in view. Context decides the exact force.
Active: presents the subject as doing or carrying the action.
Indicative: presents the verbal idea as an assertion or statement in the clause.
First person: the speaker or speakers are grammatically involved in the verbal form.
Not applicable: this verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.
Singular: the form is singular and refers to one speaker using first person singular speech.
Not applicable: this verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It follows the negation Οὐκ and stands in the answer to the question about identity.
The verb is governed by the surrounding dialogue and the speaker's self-denial, not by any nominal phrase.
It functions as a first person singular denial, meaning the speaker says, 'I am not' in the immediate exchange.
It is not a noun, not a title, and not a standalone claim that overrides the question being answered.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The first-person negated verb carries John's denial in the identity exchange.
Negated first-person identity predicate. states John's refusal of the proposed identity. Attached to John's answer I am not. Governed by the surrounding question and denial. The verb gives the denial its direct form; the dialogue identifies which role is being denied.
How does John answer the identity question? He answers with a first-person denial, saying that he is not the proposed figure.
Direct: The verb directly supports the rendering "I am not."
The denial must be tied to the specific question in the dialogue, not generalized beyond it.
Negated identity statement denies every possible role: The denial answers the particular identity question being asked.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads Οὐκ εἰμί in John 1:21 within the reported dialogue, matching the surrounding question and reply.
The lexeme εἰμί is the common verb 'to be' or 'exist,' and here it carries an ordinary denial in speech.
The grammar shows the speaker answering in the first person and present tense, so the force is immediate and personal.
In this verse, the form contributes to a clear refusal of one identity claim while the conversation continues to another question.
Within John, such simple being verbs often serve direct confession or denial, so this form fits plain spoken testimony.
For readers, the form communicates a brief, forceful, and unqualified denial in the ongoing interview.
Do not infer extra theological claims, hidden subjects, or a change of lexical meaning from the morphology alone.