1 Peter 1:3-12

The section contains a deep and rich thanksgiving to God for the certainty of an eternal fellowship with Christ. This no sufferings can mar, nor death itself break. He is the unseen Friend, and since they know Him by the power of faith, they have a richer inheritance than the prophets, and in their joy is a note that is wanting even in the song of angels.

1 Peter 1:7. revelation: lit. apocalypse. Thus was every manifestation of Christ regarded. He is always present, sometimes more clearly seen.

1 Peter 1:11. Spirit of Christ is regarded as the inspirational power of the prophets. As by Paul (2 Corinthians 3:18) the Lord and the Spirit are identified.

1 Peter 1:12. minister: Rendel Harris, by a slight alteration of the original word, secures a very much clearer meaning, viz. to them it was revealed that they got this intelligence not for themselves but for you (Moffatt's NT). The ordinary reading leads us to think of the prophets as servants of God for our sakes, doing tasks whose full import they could not understand (cf. Esther 13:16). For the angels'share in this joyful mystery, see Ephesians 3:10 *. The Jewish apocalyptic books (e.g. Enoch) had much to say of the angels-' concern in human affairs, and these may be the sources of the ideas in the NT.