in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison
Parallel translations
- WEB in which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison,
- KJV By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
- NKJV by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,
- NASB in which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison,
- NLT So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In or by the spirit Christ went and made proclamation to 'the spirits in prison.' This verse is debated, but it affirms Christ's victory and authority extending even to the imprisoned spirits.
Overview
This is among the most difficult verses in the New Testament, and faithful Christians have understood it variously. Some take it as the pre-incarnate Christ preaching through Noah to that disobedient generation; others as the risen or descended Christ proclaiming his triumph to spirits (often understood as fallen angels or the disobedient of Noah's day) held in confinement. While the precise reference is uncertain, the clear point is Christ's vindication and sovereign authority following his death, encouraging believers that he reigns even over the unseen realm.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Pet 4:6That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
- Isa 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
- Isa 42:7to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.
- Isa 49:9to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along the pathways, and find pasture on every barren hill.
- Neh 9:30You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they would not listen, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.
- Rev 20:7When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,
- Rev 19:10So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
- 1 Pet 1:11–12trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The lamb without blemish foreknown before the world, who bore our sins in his body on the tree, by whose wounds we are healed — the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.
How 1 Peter 3:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.