Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. New Living Translation We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. English Standard Version That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— Berean Standard Bible That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life. Berean Literal Bible That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have gazed upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- King James Bible That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; New King James Version That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— New American Standard Bible What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— NASB 1995 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— NASB 1977 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life— Legacy Standard Bible What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— Amplified Bible [I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]— Christian Standard Bible What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— Holman Christian Standard Bible What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life— American Standard Version That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life Contemporary English Version The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our eyes have seen, and our hands have touched this Word. English Revised Version That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life GOD'S WORD® Translation The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed and touched it. Good News Translation We write to you about the Word of life, which has existed from the very beginning. We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it. International Standard Version What existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life! Majority Standard Bible That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life. NET Bible This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of life-- New Heart English Bible That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life Webster's Bible Translation That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life; Weymouth New Testament That which was from the beginning, which we have listened to, which we have seen with our own eyes, and our own hands have handled concerning the Word of Life-- World English Bible That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionThat which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life— Berean Literal Bible That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have gazed upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- Young's Literal Translation That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold, and our hands did handle, concerning the Word of the Life -- Smith's Literal Translation What was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld, and our own hands felt, concerning the word of life; Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThat which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life: Catholic Public Domain Version He who was from the beginning, whom we have heard, whom we have seen with our eyes, upon whom we have gazed, and whom our hands have certainly touched: He is the Word of Life. New American Bible What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life— New Revised Standard Version We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleHE who was from the beginning, the one whom we have heard and seen with our eyes, looked upon and handled with our hands, we declare to you that he is the word of life. Aramaic Bible in Plain English We evangelize to you that which was from the beginning, that which we have heard and we have seen, that which we have perceived with our eyes and we have touched with our hands- him who is The Word of Life. NT Translations Anderson New TestamentTHAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled concerning the Word of life; Godbey New Testament That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have beheld, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of the life; Haweis New Testament THAT which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have gazed upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life; Mace New Testament Concerning the Logos, the author of Life, we declare what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have consider'd, and what has been the object of our touch. Weymouth New Testament That which was from the beginning, which we have listened to, which we have seen with our own eyes, and our own hands have handled concerning the Word of Life-- Worrell New Testament That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we gazed upon, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life Worsley New Testament Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Word of Life1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands— this is the Word of life. 2And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.… Cross References John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Hebrews 1:1-2 On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. / But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. Colossians 1:15-17 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. / For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Philippians 2:6-7 Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, / but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. Revelation 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God. 1 Corinthians 15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit. Luke 24:39 Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see—for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Acts 4:20 For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. / Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. / And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Proverbs 8:22-31 The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old. / From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began. / When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water. ... Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 53:1-3 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? / He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. / He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. Treasury of Scripture That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked on, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; That which. 1 John 2:13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. Proverbs 8:22-31 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old… Isaiah 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. which we have heard. 1 John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Luke 1:2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. and our. Luke 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. John 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. the Word. 1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; Jump to Previous Beginning Beheld Contemplated Ears Eyes First Handle Handled Hands Heard Life Proclaim Touched WordJump to Next Beginning Beheld Contemplated Ears Eyes First Handle Handled Hands Heard Life Proclaim Touched Word1 John 1 1. He describes the person of Christ, in whom we have eternal life, by a communion with God;5. to which we must adjoin by walking in the light. That which was from the beginning This phrase echoes the opening of the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1, BSB). The Greek word for "beginning" is "archē," which signifies not just a point in time but the source or origin. It emphasizes the eternal nature of Christ, affirming His pre-existence before creation. This is foundational to the Christian faith, underscoring the divinity of Jesus and His role in the Godhead. Historically, this assertion counters early heresies that denied Christ's eternal nature, reinforcing the truth that Jesus is uncreated and co-eternal with the Father. which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have touched this we proclaim concerning the Word of life (1)OBJECT AND PURPOSE OF THE APOSTOLIC PREACHING: The setting forth of the historical Christ for the spread of human fellowship with the Father and the Son (1John 1:1-3). (2)DESIGN OF THE EPISTLE: Fulness of joy for those who should read it (1John 1:4).] (1) That which was from the beginning.--The profound emotion, the hearty sympathy, the tender anxiety which St. John feels as he begins his counsels to his friends, mark off this introduction very distinctly from the parallel passage in the Gospel. There it was calm contemplation of the height and depth of Christ's existence; here he vehemently insists on the personal relation between the Word and those to whom He had been revealed. As in the Gospel, he starts with the grandeur of an indefiniteness beyond which no eye can pierce: At the beginning of all that concerns us, be it world or universe or all creation, there was----that which we are announcing. "That which," not "Him who," because it is not merely the Person of Christ which he is going to declare, but also His Being, all that relates to Him, His gospel, the treasures of wisdom that lay in Him, His truth, all that could be known about Him by human ken. The vibrating eloquence of the passage makes the construction at first sight obscure. But take "that declare we unto you" (1John 1:3) as the principal verb, set aside 1John 1:2 as a parenthesis, notice the rising climax of 1John 1:1 (heard, seen, looked upon, handled), pause at the end of 1John 1:1 to sum up the results of this climax in the words "of (or, that which concerns) the Word of life," and at the beginning of 1John 1:3 resume the thoughts interrupted by the parenthesis, and all is at once clear. . . . Verse 1. - The first clause states what or how the object is in itself; the next three state St. John's relation to it; "which," in the first clause nominative, in the others is accusative. The neuter (ὅ) expresses a collective and comprehensive whole (John 4:22; John 6:37; John 17:2; Acts 17:23, etc.); the attributes of the Λόγος rather than the Λόγος himself are indicated. Or, as Jelf expresses it, "the neuter gender denotes immaterial personality, the masculine or feminine material personality." In the beginning is not quite the same as in John 1:1; there St. John tells us that the Word was in existence before the world was created; here that he was in existence before he was manifested. Thus far all is indefinite; the philosopher, about to expound a law of nature, might begin, "That which was from the beginning declare we unto you." What follows is in a climax, making the meaning clearer at each step: seeing is more than hearing, and handling than seeing. The climax is in two pairs, of perfects and of aorists; the aorists giving the past acts, the perfects the permanent results. Together they sum up the apostolic experience of that boundless activity of Christ, of which the world could not contain the full account (John 21:25). Beheld ἐθεασάμεθα is more than have seen ἑωράκαμεν. Seeing might be momentary; beholding implies that steady contemplation, for which the beloved disciple had large and abundantly used opportunities. In our hands handled we may see a reference to Luke 24:39, where the same verb is used ψηλαφήσατε; and still more to John 20:27, where the demanded test of handling is offered to St. Thomas, provoking the confession of faith to which the whole Gospel leads up, "My Lord and my God!" Had St. John merely said "heard," we might have thought that he meant a doctrine. Had he merely said "heard and seen," we might have understood it of the effects of Christ's doctrine. But "our hands handled" shows clearly that the attributes of the Word become flesh are what St. John insists on, and probably as a contradiction of Docetism. "Those who read his letter could have no doubt that he was referring to the time when he saw the face of Jesus Christ, when he heard his discourses, when he grasped his hand, when he leaned upon his breast" (Maurice). Between the first clause and what follows lies the tremendous fact of the Incarnation; and St. John piles verb on verb, and clause on clause, to show that he speaks with the authority of full knowledge, and that there is no possible room for Ebionite or Cerinthian error. The first clause assures us that Jesus was no mere man; the others assure us that he was really man. Precisely that Being who was in existence from the beginning is that of whom St. John and others have had, and still possess, knowledge by all the means through which knowledge can have access to the mind of man. (For "seeing with the eyes," cf. Luke 2:30; for θεᾶσθαι of contemplating with delight [Stark 16:11, 14], John 1:14, 34; Acts 1:11.) Concerning the Word of life. "Concerning" περί may depend on "have heard," and, by a kind of zengma, on the other three verbs also; or on the main verb," we declare." "The Word of life" means "the Word who is the Life," like "the city of Rome,... the Book of Genesis;" the genitive case is "the characterizing or identifying genitive." The περί is strongly against the interpretation, "the word of life," i.e., the life-giving gospel. Had St. John meant this, he would probably have written ὅν ἀκηκόαμεν... τὸν λόγον τῆς ζωῆς ἀπαγγέλλομεν (John 5:24, 37; John 8:43; John 14:24); περί is very frequent of persons (John 1:7, 8, 15, 22, 30, 48, etc.). Moreover, the evident connexion between the introductions to his Gospel and Epistle compels us to understand ὁ Λόγος in the same sense in both (see on John 1:1 in this Commentary, and in the 'Cambridge Greek Testament' or 'Bible for Schools'). What St. John has to announce is his own experience of the Eternal Word incarnate, the Eternal Life made manifest (John 14:6); his hearing of his words, his seeing with his own eyes his Messianic works, his contemplation of the Divinity which shone through both; his handling of the body of the risen Redeemer.Parallel Commentaries ... Greek That whichὋ (Ho) Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that. was ἦν (ēn) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. from ἀπ’ (ap’) Preposition Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses. [the] beginning, ἀρχῆς (archēs) Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Strong's 746: From archomai; a commencement, or chief. which ὃ (ho) Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that. we have heard, ἀκηκόαμεν (akēkoamen) Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural Strong's 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear. which ὃ (ho) Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that. we have seen ἑωράκαμεν (heōrakamen) Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear. with τοῖς (tois) Article - Dative Masculine Plural Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. our own ἡμῶν (hēmōn) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I. eyes, ὀφθαλμοῖς (ophthalmois) Noun - Dative Masculine Plural Strong's 3788: The eye; fig: the mind's eye. From optanomai; the eye; by implication, vision; figuratively, envy. which ὃ (ho) Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that. we have gazed upon ἐθεασάμεθα (etheasametha) Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Plural Strong's 2300: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to look closely at, i.e. perceive; by extension to visit. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. touched [with] ἐψηλάφησαν (epsēlaphēsan) Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 5584: From the base of psallo; to manipulate, i.e. Verify by contact; figuratively, to search for. our ἡμῶν (hēmōn) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I. [own] αἱ (hai) Article - Nominative Feminine Plural Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. hands— χεῖρες (cheires) Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural Strong's 5495: A hand. [this is ] περὶ (peri) Preposition Strong's 4012: From the base of peran; properly, through, i.e. Around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time. the τοῦ (tou) Article - Genitive Masculine Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. Word Λόγου (Logou) Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Strong's 3056: From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression. of life. ζωῆς (zōēs) Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Strong's 2222: Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. From zao; life. Links 1 John 1:1 NIV1 John 1:1 NLT 1 John 1:1 ESV 1 John 1:1 NASB 1 John 1:1 KJV 1 John 1:1 BibleApps.com 1 John 1:1 Biblia Paralela 1 John 1:1 Chinese Bible 1 John 1:1 French Bible 1 John 1:1 Catholic Bible NT Letters: 1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning that (1J iJ 1Jn i jn 1 jo) |
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