1 John 1:2 - Exposition

Parenthetical. The main thought of 1 John 1:1 and 1 John 1:3 is, "We declare to you a Being both eternal and yet seen and known by us." That of 1 John 1:2 is, "This Being, in his character of the Life, became visible, and in him are centered all the relations between God and man." Quite in St. John's style, verse 2 takes up and develops a portion of verse 1, using its last word as the basis of a new departure (comp. John 1:14 ; ἐφανερώθη gives the same fact as σάρχ ἐγένετο from another point of view). Became flesh is the fact in itself; the incarnation of the λόγο v. "Was manifested" is the fact in reference to mankind; their admission to the knowledge of it. The union of "see" with "bear witness" recalls John 19:35 ; and here, again, John 19:2 resumes and develops part of John 19:1 . Have seen sums up the four verbs in John 19:1 ; for in all languages sight is used of experience generally. Bear witness and declare carries us a stage further—the communication of the experience. It is doubtful whether τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον is the object of all four verbs or of ἀπαγγέλλομεν only. Note the double article: the life, the eternal life. The Epistle begins and ends with this theme ( 1 John 5:20 ). (For ἥτις and πρός , cf. John 8:53 ; John 1:1 .) Which indeed (as all must know) was with the rather. The verse ends as it began, but not with a mere repetition; the Life was manifested , and in particular to us.