It's a question of grammar not interpretation. I should imagine that grammar discussion is allowed. What have you to say on it?
Well, let's read the verses in context. I just went with the first translation google came up with (NASB), if you have a specifically preferred translation, feel free to post yours:
John 8:34-59 (Underlines added)
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word [j]has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen [k]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which
I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for
I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but [l]He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand [m]what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks [n]a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of [o]lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
48 The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but
I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ 53 Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “
If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but
I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced [p]to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “
Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham [q]was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus [r]hid Himself and went out of the temple.
So, one possible interpretation is the direct translation... He claimed to know that Abraham rejoiced, they said it was impossible for him to know that as he was not old enough to have seen Abraham. Jesus responded that "Before Abraham was born, "ego eimi." The basic greek phrase of "to be" in the first person singular... simply "I have been since before Abraham."
This is a direct conversation, which fits contextually with the conversation.
The other interpretation sees the phrase "Ego Eimi" (Which John the Baptist also uses in John 1:27: "He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals
I am not worthy to untie.”) as translatable to "I am" and drawing a reference to God speaking in the burning bush, using the phrase "ehyeh asher ehyeh" (when Moses asked who he was, God responded "I shall prove to be who I shall prove to be." which can be paraphrased simply as "Trust me... you'll see." Ehyeh would not be God's NAME, but rather a statement that he is the God who IS... he would prove himself to be a real God capable of action, unlike the powerless ideas egyptians worshipped. Especially considering the context of Jesus repeating himself that he is only serving his Father, who sent him with lessons learned from his father, seeking only the glory of his Father, not his own... and that any glory he would accept would be restricted to the glory his Father chooses to bestow... it seems to be completely out of left field to translate "Before Abraham was, YHWH."
