Chapter
1 2 3 4 5
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 John 1:1
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—
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.
NASB 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—
CSB 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--
NLT 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.
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;

What does 1 John 1:1 mean?

John starts from the very "beginning," referring to Jesus (1 John 1:3). Jesus is God, and was in the beginning with God (John 1:1). Similar to the opening passages of Genesis and the Gospel of John, 1 John starts with a clear connection between Jesus and God the Father as the beginning of all things. John also refers to the idea of Jesus coming to earth as a flesh-and-blood man (1 John 1:2), which is a critical part of the gospel.

John was closely connected with Jesus. He was a personal witness to Jesus' earthly ministry. John was one of the closest followers of Jesus. He heard Him teach, saw Him before and after the resurrection, and touched Him with his own hands. John was the last surviving apostle, and so he spoke with an authority few could match. John further calls Jesus the "word of life," a phrase used elsewhere only in Philippians 2:16.
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