Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.

“And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14)

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“Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”” (John 8:58)

I am - ego eimi [ἐγὼ εἰμί]

Concerning John 8:58, the Greek manuscripts read:

εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί

Speaking of himself, Paul uses the same verb and the same declination in Acts 26:29.

“And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I AM, except for these chains” (Acts 26:29)

ὁ δὲ Παῦλος εἰπεν, Εὐξαίμην ἂν τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐν ὀλίγῳ καὶ ἐν πολλῷ οὐ μόνον σὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντάς μου σήμερον γενέσθαι τοιούτους ὁποῖος κἀγώ εἰμι παρεκτὸς τῶν δεσμῶν τούτων

In the same manner does the Roman centurion speak of himself in Matthew 8:9.

For I AM a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. (Matthew 8: 9 KJV)

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν ἔχων ὑπ᾽ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας καὶ λέγω τούτῳ, Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται, καὶ ἄλλῳ Ἕρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου, Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ

Thus, both Paul and the Roman centurion use the same declination of the same verb that Jesus does in John 8:58. The Roman centurion even compares himself at some extend to Jesus in regard to his own authority as render in the NKJV: “For I also am a man under authority”.

Surely, Paul and the centurion, by using ego eimi (ἐγώ εἰμι),  were not claiming to be the Almighty God, Yehovah.

I AM and the Greek translation of the Septuagint

Many references given from the Old Testament in the New Testament are excerpt from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible: the Septuagint. This translation was the work of eminent Jewish scholars and was to be used by the Jewish, Greek speaking, Diaspora. The translation was done around 270 B.C. and was used and known in Jesus’ time.

In Exodus 3:14, in the Greek Septuagint, we read:

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν καὶ εἶπεν· οὕτως ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς ᾿Ισραήλ· ὁ ὢν  ἀπέσταλκέ με πρὸς ὑμᾶς.

http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=2&page=3

“And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM (ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν).” And He said “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM (ὁ ὢν) has sent me to you.”” (Exodus 3:14)

Thus, by reading Exodus 3:14, we see that God clearly claim his title to be I AM (ὁ ὢν) when He says to Moses speaking of Himself: , “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM (ὁ ὢν) has sent me to you.”

God’s title would then not be ego eimi (ἐγώ εἰμι), but rather ho ōn (ὁ ὢν).    

That the title ho ōn (ὁ ὢν) belongs to the Almighty God, Yehovah, is seen clearly in Revelation 16:5. In this verse we read:

And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. Revelation 16:5

Obviously, “The One who is and who was and who is to be” is Yehovah, the Heavenly Father as we may have confirmation by reading the entire chapter 16 of Revelation.

The Greek manuscript never used ego eimi (ἐγώ εἰμι) in the verse. We rather find used the terms ho ōn (ὁ ὢν).

καὶ ἤκουσα τοῦ ἀγγέλου τῶν ὑδάτων λέγοντος Δίκαιος Κύριε, εἶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὅσιος ὅτι ταῦτα ἔκρινας

Then, if John’s intention was to let everyone know that Jesus Christ was claiming to be Yehovah, the Almighty God, he would have used the terms ho ōn (ὁ ὢν) instead of ego eimi (ἐγώ εἰμι).

As we can see, there is no link between “I AM” in Exodus 3:14 and I am in John 8: 58.

In this last verse, Jesus doesn’t claim to be Yehovah, the Almighty One. His purpose is elsewhere and he has no intent to declare himself to be the omnipotent and all powerful Heavenly God as some claim.