Vincent's NT Word Studies
8. I John saw (egw Iwannhv o blepwn). The A.V. overlooks the article with the participle - the one seeing. Hence Rev., correctly, I John am he that heard and saw.Had heard and seen (hkousa kai ebleya). Aorist tense. There is no need of rendering it as a pluperfect. Rev., rightly, I heard and saw. The appeal to hearing and seeing is common to all John's writings. See John i. 14; xix. 35; xxi. 14; I John i. 1, 2; iv. 14.