1 Peter 4:6

1 Peter 4:6 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Context of 1 Peter 4:6

4But now you no longer live in the same wicked way as those people do. They continue to enjoy those wrong things all the time. But you do not join with them. So they insult you. 5But those people will have to explain to God what they have done. He is ready to judge every person, whether they are alive now or they have already died. That is why even dead people needed to hear the good news about Christ. Their bodies had to die, as all people must die. But they heard the good news so that their spirits could live, as God wants them to live. 7All things in this world will soon come to an end. So you must think clearly. Then you will be able to pray in a serious way. 8Continue to love each other very much. That is more important than anything else. If you love people, you will forgive them for any wrong things that they have done.

1 Peter 4:6 word by word

εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ νεκροῖς εὐηγγελίσθη, ἵνα κριθῶσιν μὲν κατὰ ἀνθρώπους σαρκί, ζῶσιν δὲ κατὰ θεὸν πνεύματι.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·μένmen · on the other handG3303
• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• forεἰςeis · towardG1519
• this causeοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• was the gospel preachedεὐαγγελίζομαιeuaggelizō · to speak good newsG2097
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• to them that are deadνεκρόςnekros · deadG3498
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• they might be judgedκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
• according toκατάkata · according toG2596
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• in the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• butδέde · thenG1161
• liveζάωzaō · to liveG2198
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• in the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151

Cross-references for 1 Peter 4:6

• 1 Peter 3:19Like this, he went to the spirits who were in prison. He told them God's true message.
• John 5:25I tell you this: A time will soon come when those who are dead in their spirits will hear the voice of the Son of God. Yes, it is that time already. Those people who hear that message will receive true life.
• 1 Peter 4:1Christ had trouble and pain while he lived in his human body. So you should prepare yourselves to have trouble and pain too. Think about it in the same way that Christ did. If someone has trouble and pain in his body, he stops doing wrong things.
• Matthew 24:9Then people will take hold of you and they will give you pain. They will even kill some of you. People in every country will hate you because you are my disciples.
• Romans 8:9But you are not like that. You no longer obey your weak human thoughts. Instead, you obey God's Spirit as your guide. That is true if God's Spirit is really living in you. But if anyone does not have Christ's Spirit in them, that person does not belong to Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 11:31But if we think carefully about ourselves, then God will not need to punish us.
• Romans 8:2If you belong to Christ Jesus, God's Spirit has given you a new life. God's Spirit now rules in your life and he has made you free. Sin and death no longer have authority over you.
• Galatians 2:19But God's Law showed me that I could never obey all its rules. So I became like a dead person, free from the authority of those rules. That means that I can now live to please God.
• Galatians 5:25Now it is God's Spirit that gives us life. So we must let God's Spirit lead us in how we live.
• Ephesians 2:3At one time, all of us lived like those people. We did whatever bad things our bodies wanted to do. If our thoughts made us want to do something, we did it. Because we were like that, God was angry with us. He should have punished us, just like everyone else.
• Revelation 14:18Again, another angel came from the altar where people offered gifts to God. This angel had authority for the fire on the altar. He shouted with a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp knife. He told him, ‘Use your knife and cut the grapes off the earth's vine. The grapes are ready now to make wine.’

Commentaries on 1 Peter 4:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead - This is a most difficult verse; the best translations I have seen of it are the following: - "For this indeed was the effect of the preaching of the Gospel to the dead, (the unconverted Gentiles), that some will be punished as carnal men; but others, (those converted to Christianity), lead a spiritual life unto God." - Wakefield. "For this purpose hath the Gospel been preached even to the dead, (i.e…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6For, for this cause - The expression, “For, for this cause,” refers to an end to be reached, or an object to be gained, or a reason why anything referred to is done. The end or reason why the thing referred to here, to wit, that “the gospel was preached to the dead,” was done, is stated in the subsequent part of the verse to have been “that they might be judged,” etc. It was with reference to this, or in order that this might be, that the gospel was…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6Peter refers to people who are now dead but heard the good news about Jesus when they were alive. He is not teaching that people have a chance to repent after death. If these people responded with faith when they heard the message, they can trust God. Even though they had to die like all people, they will live forever with God in the Spirit.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. For--giving the reason for 1Pe 4:5, "judge the dead." gospel preached also to ... dead--as well as to them now living, and to them that shall be found alive at the coming of the Judge. "Dead" must be taken in the same literal sense as in 1Pe 4:5, which refutes the explanation "dead" in sins. Moreover, the absence of the Greek article does not necessarily restrict the sense of "dead" to particular dead persons, for there is no Greek article in 1Pe 4:5…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Peter 4:6

• Commandments
• Gospel
• Holiness

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Begin
• Cover
• Ungodly
• Cause
• Charity
• End
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Hades

Commentaries on 1 Peter 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings