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.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
sometime	ποτε, pote	G4218	indefinite adverb · particle
disobedient	ἀπειθήσασίν apeithēsasin	G544	to disbelieve (wilfully and perversely) · verb — aorist active participle, dative plural neuter
when	ὅτε hote	G3753	at which (thing) too · conjunction
once	ἅπαξ hápax	G530	one (or a single) time (numerically or conclusively)
longsuffering	μακροθυμία makrothumia	G3115	longanimity · noun — nominative singular feminine
God	θεοῦ theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
waited	ἐκδέχομαι ekdéchomai	G1551	to accept from some source
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
days	ἡμέραις hēmerais	G2250	day · noun — dative plural feminine
Noah	Νῶε Nōe	G3575	Noë · noun — genitive singular masculine, a proper name
ark	κιβωτοῦ, kibōtou	G2787	a box · noun — genitive singular feminine
preparing	κατασκευαζομένης kataskeuazomenēs	G2680	to prepare thoroughly (properly · verb — present passive participle, genitive singular feminine
wherein	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
few	ὀλίγοι, oligoi	G3641	puny (in extent · adjective — nominative plural masculine
that	τοῦτο toûto	G5124	that thing
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
eight	ὀκτὼ oktō	G3638	"eight" · adjective — numeral, indeclinable
souls	ψυχαί, psuchai	G5590	breath · noun — nominative plural feminine
saved	διεσώθησαν diesōthēsan	G1295	to save thoroughly · verb — aorist passive indicative, 3rd person plural
by	δι᾽ di᾽	G1223	through (in very wide applications · preposition
water	ὕδατος· hudatos	G5204	water (as if rainy) literally or figuratively · noun — genitive singular neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he c…
2 Peter 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ung…
Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continu…
Genesis 8:18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him:
Genesis 6:13-7:7 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will dest…
Romans 2:4-5 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repenta…
Genesis 7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with th…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Peter 3:18-20

Here, I. The example of Christ is proposed as an argument for patience under sufferings, the strength of which will be discerned if we consider the several points contained in the words; observe therefore, 1. Jesus Christ himself was not exempted from sufferings in this life, though he had no guilt of his own and could have declined all suffering if he had pleased. 2. The reason or meritorious cause of Christ's suffering was the sins of men: Christ suffered for sins. The sufferings of Christ were a true and proper punishment; this punishment was suffered to expiate and to make an atonement for sin; and it extends to all sin. 3. In the case of our Lord's suffering, it was the just that suffer…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Peter 3:20

once--not in the oldest manuscripts. when . . . the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah--Oldest manuscripts. Greek, "was continuing to wait on" (if haply men in the hundred twenty years of grace would repent) until the end of His waiting came in their death by the flood. This refutes ALFORD'S idea of a second day of grace having been 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. while the ark was a-preparing-- (Heb 11:7). A long period of God's "long-suffering and waiting," as Noah had few to help him, which rendered the world's unbelief the more inexcusable.…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Peter 3:20

When once the long-suffering of God waited - In Pirkey Aboth, cap. v. 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 δι' ὑδατος, 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 rep…

The Church Fathers

"When the long-suffering of God" holds out. God is so good, as to work the result by the teaching of salvation.
— Clement of Alexandria ((as quoted by Cassiodorus)), From the Latin Translation of Cassiodorus

For the tower was founded on the word of the almighty and glorious Name and it is kept together by the invisible power of the Lord.
— Shepherd of Hermas, Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 3

Further, they declare that the arrangement made with respect to the ark in the Deluge, by means of which eight persons were saved, most clearly indicates the Ogdoad which brings salvation.
— Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book I

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Deluge — The name given to Noah’s flood, the history of which is recorded in Gen. 7 and 8. It began in the year 2516 B.C., and continued twelve lunar months and ten days, or exactly one solar year. The cause…
Japheth — Wide spreading: “God shall enlarge Japheth” (Heb. Yaphat Elohim le-Yephet, Gen. 9:27. Some, however, derive the name from yaphah, “to be beautiful;” hence white), one of the sons of Noah, mentioned…
Noah — Rest, (Heb. Noah) the grandson of Methuselah (Gen. 5:25-29), who was for two hundred and fifty years contemporary with Adam, and the son of Lamech, who was about fifty years old at the time of Adam’s…
Antediluvians · Noah preaches to — Noah preaches to
Ark · .Noah and family preserved in — .Noah and family preserved in
Baptism · OF THE HOLY SPIRIT — OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Baptism With The Holy Spirit · Renews and cleanses the soul — Renews and cleanses the soul
Deluge, The · Long-suffering of God exhibited in deferring — Long-suffering of God exhibited in deferring
Flood · References to — References to
Long-Suffering Of God, The · Exercised toward: The wicked — Exercised toward: The wicked
Noah · .Builds an ark (ship) and saves his family from the great flood — .Builds an ark (ship) and saves his family from the great flood
Repentance · We should be led to, by: The long-suffering of God

1 Peter 3:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Peter 3:18-20

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Peter 3:20

Adam Clarke on 1 Peter 3:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Peter 3:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Peter 3:18-20

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Peter 3:20

Adam Clarke on 1 Peter 3:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Peter 3:20

John Calvin on 1 Peter 3:19–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Peter 3:20