Darby Bible
1 John 1:1
1That which was from [the] beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes; that which we contemplated, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life;
1 John 1:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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 International Version (NIV)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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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—
- New King James Version (NKJV)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—
Context of 1 John 1:1
That which was from [the] beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes; that which we contemplated, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life; 2(and the life has been manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us:) 3that which we have seen and heard we report to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship [is] indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Read all of 1 John 11 John 1:1 word by word
Ὃ ἦν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς·Read the interlinear
Cross-references for 1 John 1:1
- 1 John 2:13I write to you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked [one]. I write to you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
- Proverbs 8:22Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
- Isaiah 41:4Who hath wrought and done [it], calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first; and with the last, I [am] HE.
- Micah 5:2(And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall he come forth unto me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel: whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity.)
- John 1:1In [the] beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 8:58Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
- Revelation 1:8I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith [the] Lord God, he who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
- Revelation 2:8And to the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: These things says the first and the last, who became dead, and lived:
- 1 John 4:14And we have seen, and testify, that the Father has sent the Son [as] Saviour of the world.
- Luke 1:2as those who from the beginning were eye-witnesses of and attendants on the Word have delivered them to us,
- John 1:14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father), full of grace and truth;
- Acts 1:3to whom also he presented himself living, after he had suffered, with many proofs; being seen by them during forty days, and speaking of the things which concern the kingdom of God;
- Acts 4:20for as for us we cannot refrain from speaking of the things which we have seen and heard.
- 2 Peter 1:16For we have not made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cleverly imagined fables, but having been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
- Luke 24:39behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see me having.
- John 20:27Then he says to Thomas, Bring thy finger here and see my hands; and bring thy hand and put it into my side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.
Commentaries on 1 John 1:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1That which was from the beginning - That glorious personage, Jesus Christ the Lord, Who was from eternity; him, being manifested in the flesh, we have heard proclaim the doctrine of eternal life; with our own eyes have we seen him, not transiently, for we have looked upon him frequently; and our hands have handled - frequently touched, his person; and we have had every proof of the identity and reality of this glorious being that our senses of hearing, ̔…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1That which was from the beginning - There can be no doubt that the reference here is to the Lord Jesus Christ, or the “Word” that was made flesh. See the notes at John 1:1. This is such language as John would use respecting him, and indeed the phrase “the beginning,” as applicable to the Lord Jesus, is unique to John in the writings of the New Testament: and the language here may be regarded as one proof that this Epistle was written by him, for it is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1This epistle is a discourse upon the principles of Christianity, in doctrine and practice. The design appears to be, to refute and guard against erroneous and unholy tenets, principles, and practices, especially such as would lower the Godhead of Christ, and the reality and power of his sufferings and death, as an atoning sacrifice; and against the assertion that believers being saved by grace, are not required to obey the commandments. This epistle also…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1That which was from the beginning: This means Jesus existed before time began and is eternal (John 8:58). When Jesus became a human, the apostles gazed upon and touched him (John 1:14). This statement is important because some early groups, such as Gnostics and Docetists, denied that Christ was truly human (see 1 John 4:2–3). These groups taught heresies (false teachings) about Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is the personal expression of the invisible God…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1Authorship.--Polycarp, the disciple of John [Epistle to the Philippians, 7], quotes 1Jo 4:3. Eusebius [Ecclesiastical History, 3.39] says of Papias, a hearer of John, and a friend of Polycarp, "He used testimonies from the First Epistle of John." Irenæus, according to Eusebius [Ecclesiastical History, 5.8], often quoted this Epistle. So in his work Against Heresies [3.15; 5, 8] he quotes from John by name, 1Jo 2:18, &c.; and in [3.16,7], he quotes 1Jo…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 John 1:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 John 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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