Note 5 at Jn. 8:24: Anytime a word is italicized in the King James Version (KJV) text, that means that the word was not in the original Greek (or Hebrew) text that was used for the translation but was added by the translators to give clarity. This does not mean it is wrong to have these words added. The vast majority of the time, these words simply make sentences grammatically correct in the English language and are necessary. It can be beneficial though to remember that they are added and to see how the sentence would read without them.

In this instance and verses 28 and 58, Jesus proclaimed "I am." This is how Jehovah identified Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14. When spoken under the anointing power of God, Jesus' pronouncement that "I am he" knocked all of those who came to arrest Him backwards to the ground (Jn. 18:5-6). Jesus was the great "I AM THAT I AM" of Exodus 3:14 manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16). For additional information about the deity of Christ, see notes 4-8 at John 5:19-23, page 98.