1:14

flesh: Or “a human being.” The Greek word sarx is here used in the sense of a physical being, a living being with flesh. When Jesus was born as a human, he was no longer a spirit. He did not merely assume a fleshly body, as angels had done in the past. (Ge 18:1-3; 19:1; Jos 5:13-15) Therefore, Jesus could rightly call himself “the Son of man.”​—Joh 1:51; 3:14; see study note on Mt 8:20.

the Word became flesh: Jesus was entirely human from his birth until his death. Jesus explained the purpose of his becoming flesh when he said: “The bread that I will give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.” (Joh 6:51) In addition, only because Jesus was wholly human could he experience what humans of flesh and blood experience and thus become a sympathetic High Priest. (Heb 4:15) Jesus could not have been human and divine at the same time; the Scriptures say that he “was made a little lower than angels.” (Heb 2:9; Ps 8:4, 5; see study note on flesh in this verse.) However, not all agreed that Jesus had come in the flesh. For example, the Gnostics, who believed that knowledge (Greek, gnoʹsis) could be gained in a mystical way, combined Greek philosophy and Oriental mysticism with apostate Christian teachings. They held that all physical matter is evil. For that reason, they taught that Jesus did not come in the flesh but only seemed to have a human body. An early form of gnosticism was apparently prevalent at the end of the first century C.E., so John may be making a specific point when he writes that “the Word became flesh.” In his letters, John warns against the false teaching that Jesus did not come “in the flesh.”​—1Jo 4:2, 3; 2Jo 7.

resided: Lit., “tented.” Some have taken the statement that the Word ‘resided, or tented, among us’ to mean that Jesus was, not a true human, but an incarnation. However, Peter used the related noun that is rendered “tabernacle,” or “tent,” when he spoke of his own fleshly body as a temporary dwelling place. (2Pe 1:13; ftn.) Though Peter knew that his death was near and that his resurrection would be in the spirit, not in the flesh, he was not indicating that he was an incarnation.​—2Pe 1:13-15; see also 1Co 15:35-38, 42-44; 1Jo 3:2.

we had a view of his glory: In Jesus’ life and ministry, John and the other apostles saw a glory, a splendor or magnificence, that could be displayed only by someone who perfectly reflected the qualities of Jehovah. In addition, the apostle John, along with James and Peter, witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. (Mt 17:1-9; Mr 9:1-9; Lu 9:28-36) So John may here have alluded not only to Jesus’ reflection of God’s qualities but also to the transfiguration vision that had occurred more than 60 years earlier. This event also made a lasting impression on the apostle Peter, who wrote his letters about 30 years before John wrote his Gospel. Peter specifically referred to the transfiguration as a marvelous confirmation of “the prophetic word.”​—2Pe 1:17-19.

an only-begotten son: The Greek word mo·no·ge·nesʹ, traditionally translated “only-begotten,” has been defined as “the only one of its kind; one and only; unique.” The Bible uses the term in describing the relation of sons and daughters to their parents. (See study notes on Lu 7:12; 8:42; 9:38.) In the apostle John’s writings, this term is used exclusively of Jesus (Joh 3:16, 18; 1Jo 4:9) but never about Jesus’ human birth or existence as a man. Instead, John uses the term to describe Jesus in his prehuman existence as the Logos, or the Word, the one who “was in the beginning with God,” even “before the world was.” (Joh 1:1, 2; 17:5, 24) Jesus is the “only-begotten son” because he was Jehovah’s Firstborn and the only one created directly by God. While other spirit creatures are likewise called “sons of the true God” or “sons of God” (Ge 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7), all those sons were created by Jehovah through that firstborn Son (Col 1:15, 16). In summary, the term mo·no·ge·nesʹ refers both to Jesus’ being “one of a kind; unique; incomparable” and to his being the only son produced directly and solely by God.​—1Jo 5:18; see study note on Heb 11:17.

divine favor: Or “undeserved kindness.” The Greek word khaʹris occurs more than 150 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures and conveys different shades of meaning, depending on the context. When referring to the undeserved kindness that God shows toward humans, the word describes a free gift given generously by God with no expectation of repayment. It is an expression of God’s bounteous giving and generous love and kindness that the recipient has done nothing to merit or earn; it is motivated solely by the generosity of the giver. (Ro 4:4; 11:6) This term does not necessarily highlight that the recipients are unworthy of receiving kindness, which is why Jesus could be a recipient of this favor, or kindness, from God. In contexts involving Jesus, the term is appropriately rendered “divine favor,” as in this verse, or “favor.” (Lu 2:40, 52) In other contexts, the Greek term is rendered “favor” and “kind gift.”​—Lu 1:30; Ac 2:47; 7:46; 1Co 16:3; 2Co 8:19.

full of divine favor and truth: “The Word,” Jesus Christ, had God’s favor and was always truthful. But the context indicates that this phrase involves more; Jehovah specially chose his Son to explain and demonstrate the Father’s undeserved kindness and truth in full measure. (Joh 1:16, 17) These qualities of God were so fully revealed through Jesus that he could say: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father also.” (Joh 14:9) Jesus was God’s means of extending undeserved kindness and truth to any who would favorably receive such.