1 Peter 3:19 kjv
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1 Peter 3:19 nkjv
by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,
1 Peter 3:19 niv
After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits?
1 Peter 3:19 esv
in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,
1 Peter 3:19 nlt
So he went and preached to the spirits in prison ?
1 Peter 3 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eph 4:8-10 | "Therefore it says, 'When he ascended... he led a host of captives'..." | Christ's descent and triumph |
| Col 2:15 | "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame..." | Christ's victory over spiritual powers |
| Jude 1:6 | "And the angels who did not keep their own position... he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness for the judgment..." | Fallen angels in chains of darkness |
| 2 Pet 2:4 | "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned... he sent them to Tartarus and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness..." | Fallen angels in spiritual prison/Tartarus |
| Phil 2:9-11 | "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." | Christ's universal authority and triumph |
| Rev 1:18 | "I am the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore... and I have the keys of Death and Hades." | Christ's authority over death and the grave |
| Jn 5:25 | "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." | Christ's life-giving power, even over dead |
| Lk 10:17-20 | "The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!' He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven...'" | Christ's triumph over demonic forces |
| Gen 6:1-4 | "When man began to multiply... the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive... The Nephilim were on the earth in those days..." | Disobedient spiritual beings (contextual) |
| Lk 17:26-27 | "Just as it was in the days of Noah... people were eating, drinking, marrying..." | Connection to Noah's time of disobedience |
| Mt 24:37-39 | "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." | Parallel to Noah's era of widespread sin |
| Heb 1:3-4 | "He is the radiance of the glory of God... After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels..." | Christ's superiority over angels |
| 1 Cor 15:24-25 | "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet." | Christ's ultimate defeat of all opposition |
| Mk 3:27 | "But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man..." | Christ binding strong spiritual powers |
| Eph 6:12 | "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." | Recognition of spiritual adversaries |
| Isa 24:21-22 | "On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished." | Divine judgment and imprisonment of powers |
| Jude 1:9 | "But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil... did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" | Contrast of authority: Christ has full authority, not angels |
| Ps 68:18 | "You ascended on high, leading captives in your train; you received gifts among men..." | Old Testament imagery of victor leading captives |
| Rom 8:38-39 | "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Christ's sovereignty over all powers |
| 1 Pet 4:6 | "For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." | Differentiated proclamation for human dead |
1 Peter 3 verses
1 Peter 3 19 Meaning
This verse describes a specific act of the resurrected Christ. After being "made alive in the Spirit" (v. 18), He undertook a journey to a particular spiritual realm and delivered a "proclamation" to "spirits held in prison." This proclamation was not an offer of salvation, but a definitive declaration of His triumph and supreme authority over these rebellious, disobedient spiritual beings who were already under divine judgment. It emphasizes Christ's victory over cosmic evil and spiritual opposition.
1 Peter 3 19 Context
First Peter chapter 3 addresses Christians living in a challenging environment, facing suffering and persecution for their faith. The immediate context of verse 19 begins in verse 18, which is pivotal: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit." Verse 19 then elaborates on what Christ did "in which [Spirit]" He was made alive. It functions as an encouragement, showcasing Christ's ultimate triumph over spiritual adversaries even after His death and before His ascension. It reassures believers that their suffering for righteousness, like Christ's, will lead to victory and exaltation. Historically, the audience would have been familiar with diverse spiritual beliefs prevalent in Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures regarding angelic beings, evil spirits, and their imprisonment. Peter likely affirmed Christ's supremacy over such concepts.
1 Peter 3 19 Word analysis
- in which (ἐν ᾧ - en hō): Literally "in whom" or "in which state/thing." This phrase points directly back to the "Spirit" (πνεύματι - pneumati) of verse 18. It refers to the realm, state, or agent by which Christ was made alive. This signifies that His activity was in a spiritual capacity, following His physical death, implying divine power.
- also (καὶ - kai): "And, also, even." Indicates that this act was an additional, significant event or part of the larger divine plan alongside His being "made alive in the Spirit."
- he went (ἐλθὼν - elthōn): Aorist participle of ἔρχομαι (erchomai), meaning "to come, go, proceed." This implies a deliberate, active movement or journey, rather than a mere state of being. It suggests a descent or traversal to a specific location or sphere.
- and proclaimed (ἐκήρυξεν - ekēryxen): Aorist indicative of κηρύσσω (kēryssō), meaning "to preach, proclaim, herald, announce." This verb emphasizes a public, authoritative declaration. It does not inherently imply "good news" (εὐαγγελίζω - euangelizō is the word for that). The content of the proclamation here is generally understood not as an offer of salvation to the spirits, but rather an announcement of Christ's victory, triumph, or impending judgment over them.
- to the spirits (τοῖς πνεύμασιν - tois pneumasin): Dative plural of πνεύμα (pneuma), "spirit." In this context, given "prison" and "disobedience" (mentioned in v. 20), these are clearly non-human, angelic, or demonic entities, distinct from human souls (ψυχαί - psychai). They are understood to be spiritual beings that have rebelled against God.
- in prison (ἐν φυλακῇ - en phylakē): Literally "in custody, guard, prison, jail." This denotes a state of confinement or spiritual restraint. This term is also used elsewhere in the NT for physical prisons, but here it clearly refers to a spiritual incarceration, implying divine judgment or detention.
Words-group analysis:
- "he went and proclaimed": This phrasing emphasizes an active, purposeful mission by Christ. It signifies a divine visitation with an explicit purpose of declaring His sovereign will or established victory.
- "to the spirits in prison": This phrase defines the specific audience and their condemned state. It signifies a distinct group of rebellious spiritual entities, already under divine restraint, differentiating them from human dead or those awaiting judgment. Their "imprisonment" underlines God's ongoing judicial action against spiritual rebellion.
1 Peter 3 19 Bonus section
- The timing of Christ's descent is critical: after His death and resurrection but before His ascension. This is part of His "exaltation" sequence, affirming His power in realms unseen.
- Some historical interpretations linked the "spirits in prison" to human souls in a form of purgatory or an intermediate state. However, the strong linguistic and biblical context for pneuma as non-human spirits (contrasted with psychē for human souls) and the biblical descriptions of specific judgment for disobedient angels (2 Pet 2:4, Jude 1:6) heavily weigh against a human audience here.
- The exact "content" of the proclamation, while debated, is widely understood to be an announcement of divine judgment or the consummation of Christ's victory, not an opportunity for repentance, as the spirits were already "in prison" and marked by past "disobedience."
1 Peter 3 19 Commentary
1 Peter 3:19 presents a profound, albeit compact, statement about Christ's activity in the intermediate state between His death and resurrection. Following His physical death but having been made alive spiritually, Christ made a deliberate descent or visit. His audience was a distinct group identified as "spirits in prison," understood biblically as fallen angels or rebellious spiritual beings who are confined due to their disobedience, often linked to the events of Genesis 6 concerning the "sons of God." The content of Christ's "proclamation" was not an evangelistic offer of redemption to them. Instead, it was an authoritative declaration of His victory, supremacy, and judgment over these hostile spiritual powers, demonstrating His universal dominion. This verse is not about a second chance for the unsaved human dead, but rather Christ's comprehensive triumph over every spiritual adversary, serving as a profound source of assurance for suffering believers. Just as Christ definitively defeated evil in its cosmic forms, His followers can have confidence in His ultimate victory over their earthly trials.