1 Peter 3:19–20
Bible verses · Also called: 1 Peter 3:19-20, 1 Pet. 3:19–20, Preached unto the spirits in prison, Spirits in prison, Descent into hell
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19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
This passage states that Christ, by the Spirit, "preached unto the spirits in prison." Because it is unclear when Christ preached, to whom, and what he proclaimed, it is regarded as one of the most difficult texts in the New Testament to interpret, and it is closely tied to discussion of the Apostles' Creed's clause on the descent into hell.
Context
1 Peter 3:13–22 is a section encouraging believers who suffer for righteousness' sake. In verse 18, Peter says that Christ also suffered, the just for the unjust, "being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." Verses 19–20 state that by that Spirit he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, who had been disobedient in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared. Verses 21–22 then compare the ark to baptism and conclude that Christ is gone into heaven, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject unto him.
Interpretations
- Proclamation in Hades between death and resurrection: This reading holds that Christ, after his death and before his resurrection, descended to the realm of the dead. Interpreters differ as to what he proclaimed: some hold that it was the gospel of salvation, while others hold that it was a proclamation of victory and judgment. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church connect the passage with the tradition that Christ set free the righteous of the Old Testament.
- Proclamation through Noah: In this interpretation, put forward by Augustine, the preexistent Christ preached to the people of Noah's day through Noah's preaching, and those people are now "in prison." Many Reformed theologians have followed this view.
- Proclamation of victory over fallen angels: Noting that "spirits" in the New Testament usually refers to spiritual beings, and drawing on the background of Jewish literature that retells the account of Genesis 6 (such as the Book of Enoch), this view holds that the risen and ascended Christ proclaimed his victory to the evil spirits who sinned in the time of Noah. It is widely accepted among commentators today.
Controversies and Issues
The passage is sometimes cited in support of the claim that there is an opportunity for repentance after death, a position that the major denominations reject. It is also connected with the Apostles' Creed's confession that Christ "descended into hell." Because this clause is absent from the version of the Apostles' Creed used in Korean churches, the reasons for its omission and whether it should be restored are often debated.
Related Passages
- 1 Peter 4:6
- Ephesians 4:8–10
- 2 Peter 2:4–5
- Genesis 6:1–4
See also 6
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