1 John 1:1 (DBY)

Passage

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;

Nearby Context

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;

1 John 1:2 (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:)

1 John 1:3 that 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beginning", "heard", "seen", "eyes", "contemplated", "hands", "handled", and "concerning". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beginning" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "and the life has been manifested and...", so "beginning" and "heard" should be read forward into that movement. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "beginning" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.