1 Peter 3:22

3:22 who went into heaven and is at the right hand of God ¹  with angels and authorities and powers subject to him. ² 

1 Peter 3:18-19

3:18 ³ Because Christ also suffered ⁴  once for sins,

the just for the unjust, ⁵ 

to bring you to God,

by being put to death in the flesh

but ⁶  by being made alive in the spirit. ⁷ 

3:19 In it ⁸  he went and preached to the spirits in prison, ⁹ 

1 Peter 1:10

1:10 Concerning this salvation, ¹⁰  the prophets ¹¹  who predicted the grace that would come to you ¹²  searched and investigated carefully.

1 Peter 1:2

1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling ¹³  with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure! ¹⁴ 

1 Peter 1:20

1:20 He was foreknown ¹⁵  before the foundation of the world but ¹⁶  was manifested in these last times ¹⁷  for your sake.

1 Peter 2:7

2:7 So you who believe see ¹⁸  his value, ¹⁹  but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the ²⁰  cornerstone, ²¹ 

1 Peter 2:23

2:23 When he was maligned, he ²²  did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened ²³  no retaliation, ²⁴  but committed himself to God ²⁵  who judges justly.

1 Peter 1:12

1:12 They were shown ²⁶  that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things angels long to catch a glimpse of.

1 Peter 1:18

1:18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed – not by perishable things like silver or gold,

1 Peter 1:22

1:22 You have purified ²⁷  your souls by obeying the truth ²⁸  in order to show sincere mutual love. ²⁹  So ³⁰  love one another earnestly from a pure heart. ³¹ 

1 Peter 2:5

2:5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer ³²  spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:5

3:5 For in the same way the holy women who hoped in God long ago adorned themselves by being subject to their husbands,

1 Peter 4:19

4:19 So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good. ³³ 

1 Peter 2:24

2:24 He ³⁴  himself bore our sins ³⁵  in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning ³⁶  and live for righteousness. By his ³⁷  wounds ³⁸  you were healed. ³⁹ 

[3:22]  ¹ tn Grk “who is at the right hand…having gone into heaven.”

[3:22]  ² tn Grk “angels…having been subjected to him.”

[3:18]  ³ sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[3:18]  ⁴ tc The variants here are legion (B. M. Metzger produces eight variants in a nice layout of the evidence [TCGNT 622]). Most of these variants involve pronouns, prepositions, or word order changes, but the major problem involves whether Christ “suffered” (ἔπαθεν, epaqen) or “died” (ἀπέθανεν, apeqanen). The witnesses that read ἀπέθανεν are Ì⁷² א A C^vid Ψ 0285 33 614 630 945 1241 1505 1739; the witnesses that read ἔπαθεν are B L P 81 Ï. Although the external evidence slightly favors ἀπέθανεν, such may be a secondary reading. Intrinsically, ἔπαθεν both fits the context better, especially the verbal link between v. 17 and v. 18 (note in particular the introductory causal ὅτι [{oti, “because”] and the emphatic καί [kai, “also”]), and fits the author’s style (1 Peter never uses ἀποθνῄσκω [apoqnhskw], but uses πάσχω [pascw] 11 other times, more than any other NT book). However, scribes would most likely realize this, and might conform the verb in v. 18 to the author’s typical usage. It may be argued, however, that scribes tended to alter the text in light of more common NT idioms, and did not have as much sensitivity to the literary features in the immediate context. In this instance, it may not be insignificant that the NT collocates ἀποθνῄσκω with ἁμαρτία (Jamartia, “sin”) seven other times, though only once (1 Cor 15:3) with a meaning similar to what would be demanded here, but collocates πάσχω with ἁμαρτία in only one other place, 1 Pet 4:1, where the meaning also detours from what is seen here. All in all, a decision is difficult, but ἔπαθεν is to be preferred slightly.

[3:18]  ⁵ sn The reference to the just suffering for the unjust is an allusion to Isa 53:11-12.

[3:18]  ⁶ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two phrases more than can be easily expressed in English.

[3:18]  ⁷ sn Put to death in the flesh…made alive in the spirit. The contrast of flesh and spirit is not between two parts of Christ’s person (material versus immaterial) but between two broader modes of existence: the realm of unregenerate earthly life versus eternal heavenly life. The reference may not be to the Holy Spirit directly, but indirectly, since the Spirit permeates and characterizes the spiritual mode of existence. However, ExSyn 343 (n. 76) states “It is often objected that the Holy Spirit cannot be in view because the two datives of v 18 (σαρκί, πνεύματι [sarki, pneumati]) would then have a different syntactical force (sphere, means). But if 1 Pet 3:18 is a hymnic or liturgical fragment, this can be no objection because of ‘poetic license’: poetry is replete with examples of grammatical and lexical license, not the least of which is the use of the same morpho-syntactic categories, in parallel lines, with entirely different senses (note, e.g., the dat. expressions in 1 Tim 3:16).”

[3:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “in which.” ExSyn 343 notes: “The antecedent of the RP [relative pronoun] is by no means certain. Some take it to refer to πνεύματι immediately preceding, the meaning of which might be either the Holy Spirit or the spiritual state. Others see the phrase as causal (‘for which reason,’ ‘because of this’), referring back to the entire clause, while still other scholars read the phrase as temporal (if so, it could be with or without an antecedent: ‘on which occasion’ or ‘meanwhile’). None of these options is excluded by syntax. It may be significant, however, that every other time ἐν ᾧ is used in 1 Peter it bears an adverbial/conjunctive force (cf. 1:6; 2:12; 3:16 [here, temporal]; 4:4).” Also, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:19]  ⁶ sn And preached to the spirits in prison. The meaning of this preaching and the spirits to whom he preached are much debated. It is commonly understood to be: (1) Christ’s announcement of his victory over evil to the fallen angels who await judgment for their role in leading the Noahic generation into sin; this proclamation occurred sometime between Christ’s death and ascension; or (2) Christ’s preaching of repentance through Noah to the unrighteous humans, now dead and confined in hell, who lived in the days of Noah. The latter is preferred because of the temporal indications in v. 20a and the wider argument of the book. These verses encourage Christians to stand for righteousness and try to influence their contemporaries for the gospel in spite of the suffering that may come to them. All who identify with them and their Savior will be saved from the coming judgment, just as in Noah’s day.

[1:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “about which salvation.”

[1:10]  ⁸ sn Prophets refers to the OT prophets.

[1:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “who prophesied about the grace that is to/for you.”

[1:2]  ⁹ sn For obedience and for sprinkling indicates the purpose of their choice or election by God.

[1:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “be multiplied to you.”

[1:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “who was foreknown,” describing Christ in v. 19. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:20]  ¹² tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[1:20]  ¹³ tn Grk “at the last of the times.”

[2:7]  ¹³ tn Grk “to you who believe is the value,” referring to their perception of the stone in contrast to those who reject (vv. 7b-8). But the expression may also be translated as “to you who believe is this honor,” referring to the lack of shame cited in v. 6b.

[2:7]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the value” or “the honor,” but the former is preferred since it comes from the same root as “priceless” in vv. 4, 6, and it is in contrast to the negative estimate of the stone by those who reject (vv. 7b-8).

[2:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the head of the corner.”

[2:7]  ¹⁶ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 (cf. Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11).

[2:23]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “who being maligned,” continuing the reference to Christ. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he did not threaten, but.”

[2:23]  ¹⁷ sn An allusion to Isa 53:7.

[2:23]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “to the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to whom [pl.] it was revealed.”

[1:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “having purified,” as the preparation for the love described in the second half of the verse.

[1:22]  ²⁰ tc Most later mss (P Ï) have διὰ πνεύματος (dia pneumato", “through the spirit”) after ἀληθείας (ajlhqeia", “truth”), while the words are lacking in a broad spectrum of early and important witnesses (Ì⁷² א A B C Ψ 33 81 323 945 1241 1739 al vg sy co). On external grounds, the shorter reading cannot be easily explained if it were not original. The longer reading is clearly secondary, added to show more strongly God’s part in man’s obedience to the truth. But the addition ignores the force that the author gives to “purified” and ruins the balance between v. 22 and v. 23 (for in v. 23 the emphasis is on God’s part; here, on man’s part).

[1:22]  ²¹ tn Grk “for sincere brotherly love.”

[1:22]  ²² tn Verses 22-23 are a single sentence in the Greek text. To improve clarity (and because contemporary English tends to use shorter sentences) these verses have been divided into three sentences in the translation. In addition, “So” has been supplied at the beginning of the second English sentence (v. 22b) to indicate the relationship with the preceding statement.

[1:22]  ²³ tc A few mss (A B 1852 pc) lack καθαρᾶς (kaqaras, “pure”) and read simply καρδίας (kardias, “from the heart”), but there is excellent ms support (Ì⁷² א* C P Ψ 33 1739 Ï co) for the word. The omission may have been accidental. In the uncial script (kaqaras kardias) an accidental omission could have happened via homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. καθαρᾶς should be considered original.

[2:5]  ²¹ tn Grk “unto a holy priesthood to offer.”

[4:19]  ²³ tn Grk “in doing good.”

[2:24]  ²⁵ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:24]  ²⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 53:4, 12.

[2:24]  ²⁷ tn The verb ἀπογίνομαι (apoginomai) occurs only here in the NT. It can have a literal meaning (“to die”; L&N 74.27) and a figurative meaning (“to cease”; L&N 68.40). Because it is opposite the verb ζάω (zaw, “to live”), many argue that the meaning of the verb here must be “die” (so BDAG 108 s.v.), but even so literal death would not be in view. “In place of ἀποθνῃσκιεν, the common verb for ‘die,’ ἀπογινεθαι serves Peter as a euphemism, with the meaning ‘to be away’ or ‘to depart’” (J. R. Michaels, 1 Peter [WBC 49], 148). It is a metaphorical way to refer to the decisive separation from sin Jesus accomplished for believers through his death; the result is that believers “may cease from sinning.”

[2:24]  ²⁸ tn Grk “whose.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:24]  ²⁹ tn Grk the singular: “wound”; “injury.”

[2:24]  ³⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 53:5.