ἐγώ εἰμι in John 18:5

The ἐγώ εἰμι sayings in the gospel of John are famous. The phrase occurs 21 times. Jesus says that "I am" the Bread of Life (6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51), the Light of the World (8:12), the Gate (10:7, 9), the Good Shepherd (10:11, 14), the Resurrection and the Life (11:25), the Way (14:6), and the True Vine (15:1, 5).

These are significant in that they are a reflection of the divine name in Exodus 3:14, where the God of the burning bush answers Moses' question about his name. In the LXX we read, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, "I am who I am" (ESV).

This most clearly surfaces in John 8:55, "Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came to be, I am!'” (πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί).

But on the other side of the spectrum we see ἐγώ εἰμι used without any reference to God's name. When Jesus identifies himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman he says, "I, the one speaking to you, am he (ἐγώ εἰμι)” (4:26). When Jesus comes walking on the water he says to the disciples, “It is I; do not be afraid (ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε)” (see also 8:18; 13:19). Even the man born blind can say, “I am the man (ἐγώ εἰμι)" (9:9). And yet given John's affection for deeper meanings, one wonders if Exodus 3:14 isn't floating in the back of his mind even in these passages.

And then there are the in-between verses, where it is not clear if Jesus is simply identifying himself, or if he is making a veiled reference to the Tetragrammaton. For example, "This is why I said to you that you would die in  your sins, for if you do not believe that I am he (ἐγώ εἰμι), you will die in  your sins” (8:24). "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he" (8:28; cf. 18:5, 6, 8).

This is a good example of how a phrase can have a range of meaning, just like words, and you need to be aware of its range. And you have to be aware of the personal tendencies of the writer.

So is Jesus referencing God's name in 18:5? I doubt it. There is nothing in the context that suggests this. But what about 8:24 and 28? My guess is, from the coming clear reference in v 55, that there is a veiled reference to Exodus 3.

But the point here is that phrases, like words, have a semantic range, and we need to know the range before we can interpret.