1 Peter / Chapter 4

1 Peter 4

19 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Peter exhorts believers to arm themselves with the same mindset as Christ who suffered in the flesh, to live for God's will rather than human desires, and to recognize that the pagan lifestyle they have left behind now provokes hostility from former associates. He emphasizes that judgment begins with the household of God, encourages the faithful use of spiritual gifts for mutual service, and calls believers to rejoice in sharing Christ's sufferings so that they may also rejoice at his revelation.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The phrase 'judgment begins with the household of God' (v. 17) has shaped Christian self-understanding for centuries — accountability starts with God's own people, not with outsiders. The passage on suffering 'as a Christian' (v. 16) contains one of only three uses of the word Christianos in the New Testament (also Acts 11:26 and 26:28), suggesting it was originally an outsider's label that believers were learning to wear without shame.

Translation Friction

The statement 'the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead' (v. 6) is nearly as debated as 3:19. We render the Greek as written. The eschatological urgency ('the end of all things is near,' v. 7) reflects the early church's expectation of an imminent return. The vice list in verse 3 is blunt and specific — we do not soften it.

Connections

The 'arm yourselves with the same mindset' (v. 1) echoes Philippians 2:5. The gift language (vv. 10-11) parallels Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12. The 'fiery trial' (v. 12) resonates with the tested-by-fire imagery of 1:7. The 'judgment begins with us' principle echoes Ezekiel 9:6 and Malachi 3:1-5.

1 Peter 4:1

Χριστοῦ οὖν παθόντος σαρκί, καὶ ὑμεῖς τὴν αὐτὴν ἔννοιαν ὁπλίσασθε, ὅτι ὁ παθὼν σαρκὶ πέπαυται ἁμαρτίας,

Since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same resolve, because whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

KJV Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek hoplisasthe ('arm yourselves') is a military metaphor — take up the mindset of Christ as a weapon. The word ennoian ('resolve, mindset, intention') refers to an inner disposition, not just intellectual agreement. Believers are to adopt Christ's willingness to suffer as their own combat readiness.
The clause ho pathōn sarki pepautai hamartias ('whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin') is theologically dense. It likely means that the person who has embraced suffering for Christ's sake has broken decisively with the sinful life — suffering marks the turning point away from sin's dominion.

1 Peter 4:2

εἰς τὸ μηκέτι ἀνθρώπων ἐπιθυμίαις ἀλλὰ θελήματι θεοῦ τὸν ἐπίλοιπον ἐν σαρκὶ βιῶσαι χρόνον.

That he no longer should dwell the remainder of his moment in the physical nature to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

KJV That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The contrast is stark: anthrōpōn epithymiais ('human desires') versus thelēmati theou ('God's will'). The 'remaining time in the flesh' (ton epiloipon en sarki chronon) treats earthly life as a finite, limited period with a definite end — every day that remains should be oriented toward God's purposes rather than human passions.

1 Peter 4:3

ἀρκετὸς γὰρ ὁ παρεληλυθὼς χρόνος τὸ βούλημα τῶν ἐθνῶν κατειργάσθαι, πεπορευμένους ἐν ἀσελγείαις, ἐπιθυμίαις, οἰνοφλυγίαις, κώμοις, πότοις, καὶ ἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαις.

For the time already past is sufficient for doing what the Gentiles desire — living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

KJV For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The vice list is specific to the Greco-Roman social world: aselgeiais ('sensuality, debauchery'), epithymiais ('passions, lusts'), oinophylgiais ('drunkenness' — literally 'wine-bubbling'), kōmois ('orgies, revelries' — nocturnal processions associated with Dionysus worship), potois ('drinking bouts'), and athemitois eidōlolatriais ('lawless idolatries'). These were not fringe activities but normal features of pagan social life in Asia Minor.
The word athemitois ('lawless, forbidden') applied to idolatry reflects a Jewish perspective — idol worship violated divine law even though it was legal in the Roman system.

1 Peter 4:4

ἐν ᾧ ξενίζονται μὴ συντρεχόντων ὑμῶν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς ἀσωτίας ἀνάχυσιν, βλασφημοῦντες·

They are surprised that you no longer plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they malign you.

KJV Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek xenizontai ('they are surprised, they find it strange') captures the social shock when someone withdraws from the expected communal activities. The vivid metaphor anachysin ('flood, outpouring, overflow') pictures dissipation as a raging torrent — former companions are being swept along in this flood and are bewildered that believers have climbed out. The word asōtias ('dissipation, debauchery') is literally 'unsavingness' — a life that wastes and destroys.

1 Peter 4:5

οἳ ἀποδώσουσιν λόγον τῷ ἑτοίμως ἔχοντι κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς.

They will give account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

KJV Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The phrase hetoimōs echonti krinai zōntas kai nekrous ('the one ready to judge the living and the dead') echoes an early creedal formula (cf. Acts 10:42, 2 Timothy 4:1). The judgment is comprehensive — it covers those alive at Christ's return and those already dead. The slanderers of verse 4 will face this judge.

1 Peter 4:6

εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ νεκροῖς εὐηγγελίσθη, ἵνα κριθῶσιν μὲν κατὰ ἀνθρώπους σαρκὶ ζῶσιν δὲ κατὰ θεὸν πνεύματι.

For this is why the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh as people are, they might live in the spirit as God does.

KJV For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This verse is among the most difficult in the New Testament. 'The dead' (nekrois) may refer to: (1) people who heard the gospel while alive and have since died, (2) the spiritually dead, or (3) the literally dead to whom Christ preached (connecting to 3:19). The most natural reading is that the gospel was proclaimed to people who are now dead — they heard it during their lifetime, were condemned by human judgment (perhaps through persecution and death), but live on in the spirit before God.
The contrast kata anthrōpous sarki ('according to humans in the flesh') versus kata theon pneumati ('according to God in the spirit') places human and divine perspectives in opposition: human judgment ends at physical death, but God's purposes extend beyond it.

1 Peter 4:7

Πάντων δὲ τὸ τέλος ἤγγικεν. σωφρονήσατε οὖν καὶ νήψατε εἰς προσευχάς·

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled for the sake of your prayers.

KJV But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek ēngiken ('has drawn near, is at hand') is the same verb used in Mark 1:15 for the kingdom of God. Peter shares the early Christian conviction that the consummation is imminent. The two imperatives — sōphronēsate ('be clear-minded, be sensible') and nēpsate ('be sober, be watchful') — are not redundant: the first addresses mental clarity, the second self-control. Both serve prayer.

1 Peter 4:8

πρὸ πάντων τὴν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἀγάπην ἐκτενῆ ἔχοντες, ὅτι ἀγάπη καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν·

Above all, maintain an earnest love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

KJV And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek ektenē ('earnest, stretched out, intense') describes love at full extension — love strained to its limit, as in 1:22. The proverb 'love covers a multitude of sins' echoes Proverbs 10:12 ('love covers all offenses'). The meaning is not that love hides sin or ignores it, but that love creates a relational environment where forgiveness flows freely and offenses do not fester.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References Proverbs 10:12 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

1 Peter 4:9

φιλόξενοι εἰς ἀλλήλους ἄνευ γογγυσμοῦ·

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

KJV Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek philoxenoi ('hospitable,' literally 'lover of strangers') was a crucial virtue in the ancient world where inns were often dangerous or immoral. Christian hospitality — opening one's home to traveling believers — was essential for the spread of the gospel and the functioning of house churches. The qualifier aneu gongysmou ('without grumbling') acknowledges the cost of hospitality and insists it be given cheerfully.

1 Peter 4:10

ἕκαστος καθὼς ἔλαβεν χάρισμα, εἰς ἑαυτοὺς αὐτὸ διακονοῦντες ὡς καλοὶ οἰκονόμοι ποικίλης χάριτος θεοῦ·

As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.

KJV As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek charisma ('gift, grace-gift') is from the same root as charis ('grace') — every gift is a concrete expression of God's grace. The stewardship metaphor (oikonomoi, 'household managers') means these gifts are not personal possessions but resources entrusted for the benefit of others. The adjective poikilēs ('varied, many-colored, diverse') describes God's grace as multifaceted — it manifests differently in each person.

1 Peter 4:11

εἴ τις λαλεῖ, ὡς λόγια θεοῦ· εἴ τις διακονεῖ, ὡς ἐξ ἰσχύος ἧς χορηγεῖ ὁ θεός· ἵνα ἐν πᾶσιν δοξάζηται ὁ θεὸς διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν.

If anyone speaks, let it be as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

KJV If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Peter divides gifts into two broad categories: speaking (lalei) and serving (diakonei). Both must be exercised in dependence on God — the speaker delivers God's words (logia theou, 'oracles of God'), not personal opinions; the servant operates from God's supplied strength (ischyos hēs chorēgei ho theos), not personal capacity.
The doxology ('to him belong the glory and the power') could refer to God the Father or to Jesus Christ. The nearest antecedent is 'Jesus Christ,' which would be a significant attribution of divine glory to Christ. The formula eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn ('to the ages of the ages') is the strongest temporal expression available in Greek — without end.

1 Peter 4:12

Ἀγαπητοί, μὴ ξενίζεσθε τῇ ἐν ὑμῖν πυρώσει πρὸς πειρασμὸν ὑμῖν γινομένῃ ὡς ξένου ὑμῖν συμβαίνοντος,

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

KJV Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek pyrōsei ('burning, fiery ordeal') echoes the gold-tested-by-fire imagery of 1:7. The verb xenizesthe ('be surprised, find strange') is the same word used in verse 4 for pagans being surprised at Christian behavior — now Peter tells believers not to be similarly surprised by persecution. Suffering is not an anomaly in the Christian life but an expected feature.

1 Peter 4:13

ἀλλὰ καθὸ κοινωνεῖτε τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθήμασιν χαίρετε, ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ χαρῆτε ἀγαλλιώμενοι.

But rejoice insofar as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice with great joy.

KJV But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek koinōneite ('you share, you participate') expresses real participation in Christ's sufferings — not mere imitation but genuine sharing. The logic is: present suffering with Christ guarantees future joy at his revelation. The verb agalliōmenoi ('rejoicing exceedingly') is the same word used in 1:6, creating a literary bracket — the joy that bookends suffering.

1 Peter 4:14

εἰ ὀνειδίζεσθε ἐν ὀνόματι Χριστοῦ, μακάριοι, ὅτι τὸ τῆς δόξης καὶ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πνεῦμα ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἀναπαύεται.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

KJV If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This beatitude echoes Matthew 5:11 ('Blessed are you when people insult you...on my account'). The phrase to tēs doxēs kai to tou theou pneuma ('the Spirit of glory and of God') is an unusual construction that identifies the Holy Spirit as both 'the Spirit of glory' and 'the Spirit of God.' The verb anapauetai ('rests') echoes Isaiah 11:2 (the Spirit of the LORD resting on the Messiah) — what rested on Christ now rests on his persecuted followers.
The SBLGNT does not include the longer reading found in some manuscripts ('on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified'), which the KJV includes. We follow the critical text.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Isaiah 11:2. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

1 Peter 4:15

μὴ γάρ τις ὑμῶν πασχέτω ὡς φονεὺς ἢ κλέπτης ἢ κακοποιὸς ἢ ὡς ἀλλοτριεπίσκοπος·

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a meddler in others' affairs.

KJV But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Greek allotrioepiskopos ('meddler, one who oversees others' business') is a rare word — found only here in the New Testament. It may refer to interfering in others' matters, or it could have a more specific social meaning: a Christian who provokes unnecessary conflict by inserting themselves into pagan affairs. Peter's point is that suffering must be for Christ's sake, not as a consequence of criminal or meddlesome behavior.

1 Peter 4:16

εἰ δὲ ὡς Χριστιανός, μὴ αἰσχυνέσθω, δοξαζέτω δὲ τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ.

But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let that person not be ashamed but glorify God by bearing that name.

KJV Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The word Christianos ('Christian') appears only three times in the New Testament (here, Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28). It was likely a label coined by outsiders — the Latin suffix -ianus indicates a partisan or follower. Peter takes what may have been a slur and transforms it into a badge of honor: do not be ashamed of this name; instead, glorify God through it.
The phrase en tō onomati toutō ('in this name, by this name') can mean either 'by bearing this name' or 'in this matter.' We follow the reading that connects to the name 'Christian,' which fits the context of identity-based suffering.

1 Peter 4:17

ὅτι ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ ἄρξασθαι τὸ κρίμα ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ· εἰ δὲ πρῶτον ἀφ' ἡμῶν, τί τὸ τέλος τῶν ἀπειθούντων τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγελίῳ;

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

KJV For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The principle echoes Ezekiel 9:6, where judgment begins at God's sanctuary. The 'household of God' (oikos tou theou) refers to the church — God's temple community (cf. 2:5). The argument from lesser to greater: if God's own people undergo purifying judgment through suffering, how much more severe will the judgment be for those who reject the gospel entirely.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Ezekiel 9:6. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

1 Peter 4:18

καὶ εἰ ὁ δίκαιος μόλις σῴζεται, ὁ ἀσεβὴς καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς ποῦ φανεῖται;

And "if the righteous person is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

KJV And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Peter quotes Proverbs 11:31 from the Septuagint (which differs significantly from the Hebrew Masoretic Text here). The Greek molis ('scarcely, with difficulty') does not imply uncertainty of salvation but its costliness — the righteous are saved, but the path involves suffering and testing. The rhetorical question about the ungodly expects an answer of devastating judgment.
[TCR Cross-Reference] References Proverbs 11:31 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

1 Peter 4:19

ὥστε καὶ οἱ πάσχοντες κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ πιστῷ κτίστῃ παρατιθέσθωσαν τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ἐν ἀγαθοποιΐᾳ.

Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

KJV Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The chapter concludes with the only New Testament use of the title pistō ktistē ('faithful Creator'). In the context of suffering, Peter points believers back to the one who made them — the Creator is faithful and can be trusted with their souls. The verb paratithesthōsan ('let them entrust, deposit') is a banking term — depositing something valuable with a trustworthy guardian. The word echoes Jesus's final words in Luke 23:46, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.'

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