1 Peter 3:20

3:14-22 We sanctify God before others, when our conduct invites and encourages them to glorify and honour him. What was the ground and reason of their hope? We should be able to defend our religion with meekness, in the fear of God. There is no room for any other fears where this great fear is; it disturbs not. The conscience is good, when it does its office well. That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet: sin makes suffering extreme, comfortless, and destructive. Surely it is better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing, whatever our natural impatience at times may suggest. The example of Christ is an argument for patience under sufferings. In the case of our Lord's suffering, he that knew no sin, suffered instead of those who knew no righteousness. The blessed end and design of our Lord's sufferings were, to reconcile us to God, and to bring us to eternal glory. He was put to death in respect of his human nature, but was quickened and raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. If Christ could not be freed from sufferings, why should Christians think to be so? God takes exact notice of the means and advantages people in all ages have had. As to the old world, Christ sent his Spirit; gave warning by Noah. But though the patience of God waits long, it will cease at last.

And the spirits of disobedient sinners, as soon as they are out of their bodies, are committed to the prison of hell, where those that despised Noah's warning now are, and from whence there is no redemption. Noah's salvation in the ark upon the water, which carried him above the floods, set forth the salvation of all true believers. That temporal salvation by the ark was a type of the eternal salvation of believers by baptism of the Holy Spirit. To prevent mistakes, the apostle declares what he means by saving baptism; not the outward ceremony of washing with water, which, in itself, does no more than put away the filth of the flesh, but that baptism, of which the baptismal water formed the sign. Not the outward ordinance, but when a man, by the regeneration of the Spirit, was enabled to repent and profess faith, and purpose a new life, uprightly, and as in the presence of God. Let us beware that we rest not upon outward forms. Let us learn to look on the ordinances of God spiritually, and to inquire after the spiritual effect and working of them on our consciences. We would willingly have all religion reduced to outward things. But many who were baptized, and constantly attended the ordinances, have remained without Christ, died in their sins, and are now past recovery. Rest not then till thou art cleansed by the Spirit of Christ and the blood of Christ. His resurrection from the dead is that whereby we are assured of purifying and peace.

Which sometime were disobedient, when {n} once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight {o} souls were saved by water. (n) This word once shows that there was a furthermost day appointed, and if that were once past, there should be no more. (o) Men.

In which (εἰς ἣν) Lit., into which. A pregnant construction; into which they were gathered, and in which they were saved. By water (διὰ) Rev., through. Some take this as instrumental, by means of water; others as local, by passing through the water, or being brought safely through the water into the ark. Rev., in margin, were brought safely through water.

1 Peter 3:20 . Ἀπειθήσασι , who had been unbelieving ) who in their life had not believed the patriarchs, when they admonished them in the name of God.— ποτὲ , sometime ) This sometime (used in 1 Peter 3:5 also with reference to a long time [ago]), and this long-suffering , of which he speaks immediately after, have reference to all ages of the Old Testament previously to the death of Christ. It is called forbearance , Romans 3:26 . Long-suffering preceded the first coming of Christ, as here shown, and His second coming, 2 Peter 3:9 , note.— ὅτε , when ) The weak reading, ὅτι , is rightly refuted by Wolf. A certain edition, which has ὂτι , is very corrupt, even in this very word. Some copies have ὂτι , according to Erasmus, even in his first edition; but the Basileensis II . is the only one which is found, from which Erasmus rarely deviated, though he did in this instance, and with reason.— ἀπεξεδέχετο [32]) Other copies have ἅπαξ ἐδέχετο ; but very few have this reading, ε being first corrupted into α , as is often the case; nor does the simple verb δέχεσθαι agree with the passage. See App. Crit. on this place. Ἀπεξεδέχετο , that is, God continued waiting , that men might believe. But there is greater force in the Greek double compound: He continued waiting on, until there was an end of His waiting, in the death of the men.— ἐν , in ) Understand οἷον : that is, for instance [to wit], in the days of Noah .

The most remarkable species is subjoined to the genus, for these reasons: 1) On no occasion did a greater number perish together than at the deluge. 2) By mention of water , Peter conveniently passes to the subject of baptism. 3) The destruction of the world by water is a prelude to its destruction by fire, 2 Peter 3:6-7 , in conjunction with the last judgment, ch. 1 Peter 4:5 . Nor is it matter of surprise that the word sometime is used in a wider meaning than the days of Noah ; since also the days of Noah altogether were many more than the days of the building of the ark ; but these, however, are immediately added. Compare with this the definite marking of time, which gradually becomes more particular, in Mark 14:30 ; Luke 4:25 ; Deuteronomy 31:10 . O what ample (noble) preaching!— κατασκευαζομένης κιβωτοῦ , while an [not the ] ark was in preparation ) Κιβωτοῦ without the article: Hebrews 11:7 . The expression is adapted to the mind of the unbelieving spectators. This building occupied a long season, for it is not probable that many assisted Noah in his work.

Which; which spirits in prison. Question. When were these spirits, to whom Christ preached by Noah, in prison? Answer. Then when Peter wrote this Epistle. The Greek participle of the present tense is here to be supplied, and the word thus read, preached to the spirits which are in prison, viz. now at this time; and so the time of their being in prison is opposed to the time of their being disobedient; their disobedience going before their imprisonment; q.d. They were disobedient then, they are in prison now. Sometime; viz. in the days of Noah, when they were upon earth. Were disobedient; would not believe what Noah told them in God’s name, nor be brought to repentance by his preaching. When once; not always, but for a determinate time, viz. one hundred and twenty years; which term being expired, there was no hope left for them that they should be spared. The long-suffering of God; i.e. God in his patience and long-suffering. Waited; for the repentance and reformation of that rebellious generation. In the days of Noah; till the one hundred and twenty years were run out, and the ark, which was preparing for the security of him and his family, were finished. Eight souls; i.e. eight persons, Noah, and his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Were saved by water; either: 1.

By water is here put for in, as Romans 4:11 , that believe, though they be not circumcised: the same Greek preposition is used as here, and the words may be read, by, or through, or rather in uncircumcision; for uncircumcision was not the cause or means of their believing. See the like use of this particle, 2 Peter 3:5 . Thus, saved in the water, is as much as, notwithstanding the water, or the water not hindering; so 1 Timothy 2:15 , saved in childbearing, where the same preposition is used. Or: 2. By water; the water which drowned the world, lifting up the ark and saving Noah and his household. Question. Doth not this place countenance the papists’ limbus, or the place where the souls of the Old Testament fathers were reserved (as they pretend) till Christ’s coming in the flesh? Answer. No: for: 1. The spirits here mentioned were disobedient, which cannot be said of the fathers of the Old Testament, who were true believers. 2. The spirits here mentioned are not said to be delivered out of prison, but only that Christ by his Spirit preached to them, and to his preaching to them their disobedience is opposed. 3. According to the papists, Noah and his family must be in their limbus, whereas they are opposed to those disobedient spirits to whom Christ is said to preach.

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. wherein—literally, "(by having entered) into which." eight—seven (the sacred number) with ungodly Ham. few—so now. souls—As this term is here used of living persons, why should not "spirits" also? Noah preached to their ears, but Christ in spirit, to their spirits, or spiritual natures. saved by water—The same water which drowned the unbelieving, buoyed up the ark in which the eight were saved. Not as some translate, "were brought safe through the water." However, the sense of the preposition may be as in 1Co 3:15, "they were safely preserved through the water," though having to be in the water.

20 . which sometime were disobedient ] The words that follow, however, appear to limit the range of the preaching within comparatively narrow boundaries. The “spirits” of whom St Peter speaks were those who had “once been disobedient:” the “once” being further defined as the time when “the long-suffering of God was waiting in the days of Noah.” We naturally ask as we read the words, (1) why the preaching was confined to these, or (2) if the preaching itself was not so confined, why this was the only aspect of it on which the Apostle thought fit to dwell? The answer to the first question cannot be given with any confidence. It is behind the veil which we cannot lift. All that we can say is that the fact thus revealed gives us at least some ground for seeing in it a part of God’s dealings with the human race, and that it is not unreasonable to infer an analogous treatment of those who were in an analogous condition. The answer to the second question is, perhaps, to be found in the prominence given to the history of Noah in our Lord’s eschatological teaching, as in Matthew 24:37-38 , Luke 17:26-27 , and in the manifest impression which that history had made on St Peter’s mind, as seen in his reference to it both here and 2 Peter 2:5 ; 2 Peter 3:6 .