εἰμὶ (eimi) in John 1:27: Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
εἰμὶ (eimi) in John 1:27
Textual Witness
The form εἰμὶ is the first person singular present indicative in the provided text of John 1:27.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form sharpens the sentence into a personal, present admission of unworthiness.
How To Communicate It
This wording communicates humility and deference, making the speaker's low assessment of himself explicit.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not turn person, tense, or mood into a standalone doctrine.
- Do not treat this verb form as changing the meaning of the surrounding sentence.
What Does The Label Mean?
Verb: the form names an action or state, here the state of being or existing.
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 marked for a single grammatical subject, matching the speaker's first person reference.
Not applicable: this verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.
What The Form Does In This Verse
οὐκ ... ἄξιος
The verb works with the negated adjective phrase to state John's assessment of himself. It presents the speaker's claim in direct, present terms.
It supplies the simple verb of being in the clause, supporting the statement, 'I am not worthy.'
It does not by itself identify the subject, set the object, or add a special theological meaning beyond the sentence's plain assertion.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The first-person verb carries John's confession that he is not worthy.
Copular predicate in humility confession. links John to the confession of unworthiness. Attached to the phrase not worthy. Governed by the negated adjective phrase. The verb gives the confession its direct form, while the worthiness phrase states the content.
What does John say about himself? He says he is not worthy in relation to the one coming after him.
Direct: The verb directly supports the rendering "I am not worthy."
The grammar states John's confession; the context explains the relation to the coming one.
Present tense intensifies humility by itself: The present verb states the confession; the humility comes from the full clause.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The form εἰμὶ is the first person singular present indicative in the provided text of John 1:27.
The lexeme εἰμί commonly functions as the verb 'to be' or 'exist,' and here it serves that ordinary copular sense.
In the clause οὐκ εἰμὶ ἄξιος, the verb links the speaker to the predicate adjective ἄξιος. The present indicative expresses the statement as a present self-description.
John speaks of himself as unworthy to perform the most humble service for the one who comes after him.
This fits the wider Gospel pattern of John the Baptist directing attention away from himself and toward the greater one.
For readers and teachers, the form supports a clear, humble confession rather than a claim of status or office.
Do not infer from the verb form alone anything beyond present first person self-description, and do not make tense or person carry more weight than the sentence allows.