What does the Bible say about Jesus declaring Himself as the I Am?

In John 8:58, Jesus states, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am,' which reveals His eternal nature and identity as God. This declaration ties back to Exodus 3, where God reveals His name to Moses as 'I am that I am.' By using the phrase 'I am,' Jesus asserts His pre-existence before Abraham and thereby confronts the Jewish leaders' understanding of His identity. His statement is not only a claim to be eternal but also signifies His divine authority, which incites hostility from those who hear it because they rightly interpret it as a claim to be equal with God.