1 Peter 3:20

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. WHEN ONCE THE LONG SUFFERING OF GOD WAITED IN THE DAYS OF NOAH. 'Aleph (') A B C, Vulgate, read [ apexedecheto (G553) (omitting hapax (G530), "once")] 'was continuing to wait on' (if haply men in the 120 years of grace would repent) until the end of His waiting came in their death by the flood. This refutes Alford's second day of grace given in Hades. Noah's days are selected, as the ark and the destroying flood answer respectively to "baptism" and the coming destruction of unbelievers by fire. Be not shaken in spirit by the majority hardening themselves against Christ's grace now: it was still more so at...

Thus far the Apostle’s words seem to agree together, and with the thread of the argument; but what follows is attended with some difficulty; for he does not mention the faithful here, but only the unbelieving; and this seems to overturn the preceding exposition. Some have for this reason been led to think that no other thing is said here, but that the unbelieving, who had formerly persecuted the godly, found the Spirit of Christ an accuser, as though Peter consoled the faithful with this argument, that Christ, even when dead, punished them. But their mistake is discovered by what we shall see in the next chapter, that the Gospel was preached to the dead, that they might live according to God in the spirit, which peculiarly applies to the faithful. And it is further certain that he repeats there what he now says. Besides, they have not considered that what Peter meant was especially this,...

14-22 We sanctify God before others, when our conduct invites and encourages them to glorify and honour him. What was the ground and reason of their hope? We should be able to defend our religion with meekness, in the fear of God. There is no room for any other fears where this great fear is; it disturbs not. The conscience is good, when it does its office well. That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet: sin makes suffering extreme, comfortless, and destructive. Surely it is better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing, whatever our natural impatience at times may suggest. The example of Christ is an argument for patience under sufferings. In the case of our Lord's suffering, he that knew no sin, suffered instead of those who knew no righteousness. The blessed end and design of our Lord's sufferings were, to reconcile us to God, and to bring us to eternal g...

Verse 20. _WHEN ONCE THE LONG-SUFFERING OF GOD WAITED_] In _Pirkey Aboth_, cap. v. 1 Peter 3:2, we have these words: "There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, that the _long-suffering_ of God might appear; for each of these generations provoked him to anger, and went on in their iniquity, till at last the deluge came." _WERE SAVED BY WATER._] While the ark was preparing, only Noah's family believed; these amounted to _eight persons_; and these only were saved from the deluge διυοατος, _on the water_: all the rest perished _in the water_; though many of them, while the rains descended, and the waters daily increased, did undoubtedly humble themselves before God, call for mercy, and receive it; but as they had not repented at the preaching of Noah, and the ark was now closed, and the fountains of the great deep broken up, they los

WHICH SOMETIME WERE DISOBEDIENT - Which were “once,” or “formerly,” (ποτε pote,) disobedient or rebellious. The language here does not imply that they had ceased to be disobedient, or that they had become obedient at the time when the apostle wrote; but the object is to direct the attention to a former race of people characterized by disobedience, and to show the patience evinced under their provocations, in endeavoring to do them good. To say that people were formerly rebellious, or rebellious in a specified age, is no evidence that they are otherwise now. The meaning here is, that they did not obey the command of God when he called them to repentance by the preaching of Noah. Compare 2 Peter 2:5, where Noah is called “a preacher of righteousness.” When once the long suff

EXPOSITIONS 1 PETER 3:1 LIKEWISE, YE WIVES. St. Peter has spoken of the duties of servants: why does he omit those of masters? There must have been Christian masters in Asia Minor, as is plain from Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1. But we notice that St. Paul, though he has a few words for masters, addresses slaves at much greater length. Probably Christian masters were comparatively few, while large numbers of slaves had embraced the religion which could do so much to comfort and elevate the oppressed. Again, the immediate purpose of the apostle is to inculcate submission to authority; therefore, having enforced upon Christian servants the example of their Lord, he proce

WHICH SOMETIME WERE DISOBEDIENT,.... To all the instructions and warnings which God gave them, to all the strivings of his Spirit, and to the ministry of Christ, by Noah; they continued in their profaneness and impiety, and to corrupt their ways, and fill the earth with violence and wickedness; not believing what they were threatened with, or that ever a flood would come upon them, and destroy them: and this "sometime" refers to the time of their being upon earth, who were now in hell; "to the days of Noah"; hereafter mentioned; and which the Syriac version connects with this clause, reading it thus, "who of old were disobedient in the days of Noah"; at which time it was, that Christ, by his Spirit in Noah, went and preached to them: when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah: that is, when God, who is longsuffering and patient, waited on these disobedient ones, in Noa...

ONCE Omit "once....

IV. THE COMFORT IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS AND SUFFERING CHAPTER 3:10-4:19 _ 1. The comfort in suffering (1 Peter 3:10)_ 2. Few saved as illustrated by Noah's preaching (1 Peter 3:18) 3. The new life in its transforming power (1 Peter 4:1) 4. Suffering and glory (1 Peter 4:12) 1 Peter 3:10 The words which stand in the beginning of this section are quoted from Psalms 34:12. It is interesting to note that the Spirit of

Christ Himself suffered injustice at the hands of men, but see how splendid the result! All salvation everywhere in the universe is the result of His suffering and sacrifice, and these have raised Him in triumph above all orders of creatures. Through our faith outwardly expressed in baptism we are made partakers in the power of His resurrection (Php_3:10), so our suffering counts for little. While this seems to be the general idea of the section there is one very difficult passage in it a passage that has been termed the darkest in the NT the words which deal with the preaching to the spirits in prison. A brilliant emendation by Rendel Harris (accepted in Moffatt's NT) seems the real solution of the problem. At the beginning of _1 Peter 3:19_ the Gr. reads _enô kai,_ and Harris thinks that the word _enô ch_ followed this, and had been slipped by the scribe. We should therefore read, I