1 Peter 4:6

εἰς τοῦτο γάρ. εἰς τοῦτο does not refer to what precedes, viz. that the Gospel was preached to the dead in order that they might fairly be included in the judgment. That idea may perhaps be suggested by the γάρ. But wherever εἰς τοῦτο or διὰ τοῦτο in the N.T. is followed by ἵνα, ὅπως or an infinitive it points forward to the object of the action, e.g. John 18:37; Acts 9:21; 2 Corinthians 2:9; Colossians 4:8; Ephesians 6:22; 1 Peter 3:9; 1 John 3:8. So here the object for which good tidings was preached to the dead was that they might live unto God in the spirit despite their judgment in the flesh. This is the same message which is being taught to the living by their sufferings in the flesh.

καὶ νεκροῖς. Various attempts have been made to explain this passage:

(a) As referring to the spiritually dead in trespasses and sins (so Augustine, Cyril, Bede, Erasmus, Luther, etc.). But, having used νεκροὺς in its literal sense of the physically dead in the previous sentence, it is hardly credible that St Peter here employs the word metaphorically.

(b) As referring to those who have died since they heard the Gospel (so Bengel, who regarded it as impossible that anyone could receive the Gospel after death). According to this view the words have been explained by Van Soden as a message of encouragement, that Christians who received the Gospel but have since been judged in the flesh by dying will share in eternal life (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Hofman, on the other hand, regards it as a warning to blasphemers, that those who escape punishment in this life will not be exempted from judgment after death. Such interpretations, however, do not naturally follow from the words, and if St Peter had meant to describe “those who have since died,” he would have written κεκοιμημένοις or τεθνηκόσιν.

(c) Another interpretation is “those who hear the Gospel in their lifetime but who will be dead before they are judged.”

The most natural interpretation of the words is that good tidings was preached to those who were dead at the time when they received the message.

The passage must be considered in connexion with 1 Peter 3:19, though three important differences must be noticed:

(a) In 1 Peter 3:19 one particular generation of the dead is specified, viz. those who being disobedient perished in the great typical judgment of the ancient world. Here νεκροῖς, though not necessarily universal in its scope, is presumably as wide as the preceding ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. Many of the Fathers, e.g. Ignatius, Hermas, Clement Al., Irenaeus, seem to restrict the preaching in Hades to the just alone, but in view of the special mention of those who were formerly disobedient in 1 Peter 3:19 it would seem as if the proclamation was made to all. St Peter is, however, silent as to the results of the preaching. In Hades, as on earth, it may have been rejected by many.

(b) In 1 Peter 3:19 the agency of Christ as the herald (ἐκήρυξεν), through His spirit quickened and set free by death, is emphasized. Here the agent is not specified, but the character of the message is defined as being good tidings (εὐηγγελίσθη) and stress is laid upon the recipients of the message (καὶ νεκροῖς). The agent and the occasion may, however, be identical both in ἐκήρυξεν and εὐηγγελίσθη, though early Fathers, e.g. Hermas and Clement Al., ascribed preaching of good tidings in Hades to the Apostles.

(c) In 1 Peter 3:19 nothing is said about the purpose of the proclamation, whereas here it is emphasized as being in order that though judged in the flesh they might live in the spirit.

ἵνα κριθῶσι μὲν … ζῶσι δέ. The μέν clause is practically subordinate to the δέ clause, though on the one hand they are judged yet on the other they may live. The aorist κριθῶσι denotes the one crisis of judgment while the present ζῶσι points to continuous life in the spirit. In one sense all who die may be regarded as “judged in the flesh.” Cf. Wis 3:4

“For though they be punished in the sight of men,
Yet is their hope full of immortality.”

Possibly however, in view of the fact that the disobedient who perished in the Flood are specially mentioned as being preached to in 1 Peter 3:19, the judgment in the flesh here also refers to those whose death was markedly a punishment. σάρξ and πνεῦμα are contrasted in 1 Peter 3:18 and virtually in 1 Peter 3:21 and 1 Peter 4:2.

κατὰ� … κατὰ θεόν. κατὰ�, cf. 1 Corinthians 3:3 περιπατεῖτε κατὰ ἄνθρωπον = ye conduct yourselves as men do; 1 Corinthians 9:8; Romans 3:5; Galatians 3:15 λέγειν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον = to speak according to human modes of thought, cf. 1 Corinthians 15:32; Galatians 1:11.

κατὰ θεόν is used in Romans 8:27 of the Spirit making intercession for us κατὰ θεόν, which might mean in the presence of God but more probably in accordance with God’s will, cf. 2 Corinthians 7:9; 2 Corinthians 7:11 (2 Corinthians 11:17 κατὰ κύριον), Romans 15:5 (κατὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν). In Ephesians 4:24 it means after the image of God, cf. 1 Peter 1:15 κατὰ τὸν καλέσαντα ὑμᾶς, after the model of Him that called you. Here the meaning might be in the estimation of men … of God but more probably it means judged as it is fit that men should be judged but live as God lives.