SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:1
¶ Lo que era desde el principio, lo que hemos oído, lo que hemos visto con nuestros ojos, lo que hemos mirado bien , y nuestras manos han tocado de la Palabra de vida;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 John 1:1
Verse 1. That 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, o akhkoamen, seeing, o ewrakamen toiv afqalmoiv hmwn, and feeling, kai ai ceirev hmwn eyhlafhsan could possibly require.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. That which was from the beginning , &c.] By which is meant not the Gospel, as if the apostle's design was to assert the antiquity of that, and clear it from the charge of novelty; for though that is called the word, and the word of life, and is the Spirit which gives life, and is the means of quickening dead sinners, and brings the report of eternal life and salvation by Christ, yet the seeing of it with bodily eyes, and handling it with corporeal hands, do not agree with that; but Jesus Christ is here intended, who in his divine nature was, really existed as a divine person, as the everlasting Jehovah, the eternal I AM, which is, and was, and is to come, and existed from the beginning; not from the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel by John only, for he was before the Gospel was preached, being the first preacher of it himself, and before John was; yea, before the prophets, before Abraham, and before Adam, and before all creatures, from the beginning of time, and of the creation of the world, being the Maker of all things, even from everlasting; for otherwise he could not have been set up in an office capacity so early, or God's elect be chosen in him before the foundation of the world, and they have grace and blessings given them in him before the world began, or an everlasting covenant be made with him; (see John 1:1); which we have heard ; this, with what follows, proves him to be truly and really man; for when the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among men, the apostles heard, and saw, and handled him; they not only heard a voice from heaven, declaring him to be the Son of God, but they often heard him speak himself, both in private conversation with them, and in his public ministry; they heard his many excellent discourses on the mount, and elsewhere, and those that were particularly delivered to them a little before his death; and blessed were they on this account, ( Matthew 13:16,17); which we have seen with our eyes : with the eyes of the body, with their own, and not another's; and they saw him in human nature, and the common actions of life he did, as eating, drinking, walking, &c. and his many miracles; they saw him raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, restore sight to the blind, cause the lame to walk, the dumb to speak, and the deaf to hear; and they saw him transfigured on the mount. John was one that was present at that time, and saw his glory, as he also was when he hung upon the cross, and saw him bleeding, gasping, and dying there; they saw him after his resurrection from the dead, he showed himself to them alive, and was seen of them forty days; they saw him go up to heaven, and a cloud receiving him out of their sight: which we have looked upon ; wistly and intently, once and again, and a thousand times, and with the utmost pleasure and delight; and knew him perfectly well, and were able to describe exactly his person, stature, features, and the lineaments of his body: and our hands have handled of the Word of life ; as Peter did when Jesus caught him by the hand on the water, when he was just ready to sink; and as this apostle did, when he leaned on his bosom; and as Thomas did, even after his resurrection, when he thrust his hand into his side; and as all the apostles were called upon to see and handle him, that it was he himself, and not a spirit, which has not flesh and bones as he had. Now as this is said of Christ, the Word of life, who is so called, because he has life in himself, as God, as the Mediator, and as man, and is the author of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal, it must be understood as he, the Word, is made manifest in the flesh; for he, as the Word, or as a divine person, or as considered in his divine nature, is not to be seen nor handled: this therefore is spoken of the Word, or of the person of Christ, God-man, with respect to his human nature, as united to the Logos, or Word of God; and so is a proof of the truth and reality of his human nature, by several of the senses.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - That essential Good, that uncreated Excellence, which had been from the beginning, from eternity, as equal with the Father, and which at lengt appeared in human nature for the salvation of sinners, was the grea subject concerning which the apostle wrote to his brethren. The apostles had seen Him while they witnessed his wisdom and holiness, his miracles, and love and mercy, during some years, till they saw his crucified for sinners, and afterwards risen from the dead. They touche him, so as to have full proof of his resurrection. This Divine Person the Word of life, the Word of God, appeared in human nature, that he might be the Author and Giver of eternal life to mankind, through the redemption of his blood, and the influence of his new-creating Spirit The apostles declared what they had seen and heard, that believer might share their comforts and everlasting advantages. They had fre access to God the Father. They had a happy experience of the truth in their souls, and showed its excellence in their lives. This communio of believers with the Father and the Son, is begun and kept up by the influences of the Holy Spirit. The benefits Christ bestows, are no like the scanty possessions of the world, causing jealousies in others but the joy and happiness of communion with God is all-sufficient, s that any number may partake of it; and all who are warranted to say that truly their fellowship is with the Father, will desire to lea others to partake of the same blessedness.
Greek Textus Receptus
ο 3739 ην 2258 5713 απ 575 αρχης 746 ο 3739 ακηκοαμεν 191 5754 ο 3739 εωρακαμεν 3708 5758 τοις 3588 οφθαλμοις 3788 ημων 2257 ο 3739 εθεασαμεθα 2300 5662 και 2532 αι 3588 χειρες 5495 ημων 2257 εψηλαφησαν 5584 5656 περι 4012 του 3588 λογου 3056 της 3588 ζωης 2222
Vincent's NT Word Studies
1. Compare John i. 1, 9, 14. The construction of the first three verses is somewhat involved. It will be simplified by throwing it into three parts, represented respectively by vv. 1, 2, 3. The first part, That which was from the beginning - Word of Life, forms a suspended clause, the verb being omitted for the time, and the course of the sentence being broken by ver. 2, which forms a parenthesis: and the Life - manifested unto us. Ver. 3, in order to resume the broken sentence of ver. 1, repeats in a condensed form two of the clauses in that verse, that which we have seen and heard, and furnishes the governing verb, we declare. Thus the simple sentence, divested of parenthesis and resumptive words would be, We declare unto you that which was from the beginning, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled concerning the Word of Life.
That which (o). It is disputed whether John uses this in a personal sense as equivalent to He whom, or in its strictly neuter sense as meaning something relating to the person and revelation of Christ. On the whole, the (peri), concerning (A. V., of), seems to be against the personal sense. The successive clauses, that which was from the beginning, etc., express, not the Eternal Word Himself, but something relating to or predicated concerning (peri) Him. The indefinite that which, is approximately defined by these clauses; that about the Word of Life which was from the beginning, that which appealed to sight, to hearing is, to touch. 57 Strictly, it is true, the peri is appropriate only with we have heard, but it is used with the other clauses in a wide and loose sense (compare John xvi. 8). "The subject is not merely a message, but all that had been made clear through manifold experience concerning it" (Westcott).
Was (hn). Not ejgeneto came into being. See on John i. 3; viii. 34; viii. 58. It was already existing when the succession of life began.
From the beginning (ap archv). The phrase occurs twice in the Gospel (viii. 44; xv. 27); nine times in the First Epistle, and twice in the Second. It is used both absolutely (iii. 8; ii. 13, 14), and relatively (John xv. 27; 1 John ii. 24). It is here contrasted with "in the beginning" (John i. 1). The difference is that by the words "in the beginning," the writer places himself at the initial point of creation, and, looking back into eternity, describes that which was already in existence when creation began. "The Word was in the beginning." In the words "from the beginning," the writer looks back to the initial point of time, and describes what has been in existence from that point onward. Thus, "in the beginning" characterizes the absolute divine Word as He was before the foundation of the world and at the foundation of the world. "From the beginning" characterizes His development in time. Note the absence of the article both here and in John i. 1. Not the beginning as a definite, concrete fact, but as apprehended by man; that to which we look as "beginning."
Have heard - have seen (ajkhkoamen - eJwrakamen). Both in the perfect tense, denoting the still abiding effects of the hearing and seeing. With our eyes. Emphasizing the direct, personal experience in a marvelous matter.
Have looked upon (eqeasameqa). Rev., correctly, beheld. The tense is the aorist; marking not the abiding effect of the vision upon the beholder, but the historical manifestation to special witnesses. On the difference between this verb and eJwrakamen we have seen, see on John i. 14,18. Have handled (eyhlahsan). The aorist tense. Rev. handled. For the peculiar force of the verb see on Luke xxiv. 39. The reference is, probably, to handle me (Luke xxiv. 39), and to John xx. 27. This is the more noticeable from the fact that John does not mention the fact of the Resurrection in the Epistles, and does not use the word in his own narrative of the Resurrection. The phrase therefore falls in with the numerous instances in which John assumes the knowledge of certain historic facts on the part of his readers.
Of the Word (peri tou logou). Better, as Rev., concerning the Word. Of life (thv zwhv). Lit., the life. See on John i. 4. The phrase oJ logov thv zwhv, the Word of the Life, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The nearest approach to it is Philip. ii. 16; but there neither word has the article. In the phrase words of eternal life (John vi. 68), and in Acts v. 20, all the words of this life, rJhmata is used. The question is whether logov is used here of the Personal Word, as John i. 1, or of the divine message or revelation. In the four passages of the Gospel where logov is used in a personal sense (John i. 1, 14), it is used absolutely, the Word (compare Apoc. xix. 13). On the other hand, it is often used relatively in the New Testament; as word of the kingdom (Matt. viii. 19); word of this salvation (Acts viii. 26); word of His grace (Acts xx. 32); word of truth (Jas. i. 18). By John zwhv of life, is often used in order to characterize the word which accompanies it. Thus, crown of life (Apoc. ii. 10); water of life (Apoc. xxi. 6); book of life (Apoc. iii. 5); bread of life (John vi. 35); i.e., the water which is living and communicates life; the book; which contains the revelation of life; the bread which imparts life. In the same sense, John vi. 68; Acts v. 20. Compare Tit. i. 2, 3 Though the phrase, the Word of the Life, does not elsewhere occur in a personal sense, I incline to regard its primary reference as personal, 58 from the obvious connection of the thought with John i. 1, 4. "In the beginning was the Word, - in Him was life." "As John does not purpose to say that he announces Christ as an abstract single idea, but that he declares his own concrete historical experiences concerning Christ, - so now he continues, not the Logos (Word), but concerning the Word, we make annunciation to you" (Ebrard). At the same time, I agree with Canon Westcott that it is most probable that the two interpretations are not to be sharply separated. "The revelation proclaims that which it includes; it has, announces, gives life. In Christ life as the subject, and life as the character of the revelation, were absolutely united."
