1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
• New International Version (NIV)Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Context of 1 Peter 5:8

6Remember that God is strong and powerful. So be humble in front of him. Then he will lift you up to a good place at the right time. 7If you have any kind of trouble in your mind, give it to God. God has promised to take care of you. Think seriously about how you live. Watch carefully for danger. Remember that the Devil is your enemy. He wants to hurt you. He walks about like a hungry lion. He is looking for someone to kill and then eat them! 9But you must be strong to fight against him. Trust God completely. Remember this: Believers all over the world are having the same kind of trouble. 10Yes, you will have trouble like this for a short time. But after that, God will make everything right. He is completely kind and he will always help you. Because you belong to Christ, God has chosen you to live with him in heaven for ever. You will join him in that beautiful place. Then God will make you well again. He will make you strong in your spirits. You will be able to stand strongly.

1 Peter 5:8 word by word

νήψατε, γρηγορήσατε ὁ ἀντίδικος ὑμῶν διάβολος ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τινα καταπιεῖν·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Be soberνήφωnēphō · be soberG3525
• be vigilantγρηγορέωgrēgoreuō · to keep watchG1127
• becauseὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• adversaryὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• adversaryἀντίδικοςantidikos · opponentG476
• the devilδιάβολοςdiabolos · devilish/the DevilG1228
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• a roaringὠρύομαιōruomai · to roarG5612
• lionλέωνleōn · lionG3023
• walketh aboutπεριπατέωperipateō · to walkG4043
• seekingζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
• whomτίςtis · which?G5101
• he may devourκαταπίνωkatapinō · to swallowG2666

Cross-references for 1 Peter 5:8

• 1 Peter 1:13So now, prepare your minds, so that you are ready to live in a good way. Think clearly about how God helps you. Always remember that God will be very kind to you when Jesus Christ comes again.
• 1 Peter 4:7All 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.
• Matthew 24:48But another servant might be bad. He might say to himself, “My master will not come yet.”
• Luke 12:45But another servant might say to himself, “My master is very late. He will not come yet.” Then he begins to hit the other servants, both the men and the women. He eats too much, and he drinks too much. He even becomes drunk.
• Luke 21:34But be careful, and watch how you live. Do not eat or drink too much. Do not waste your time like that. Do not waste time by having troubles in your mind about your life. If you do, that day will surprise you. It will come when you are not looking.
• Romans 13:11Live in that way, because you know what is happening in this time now. It is time that you should stop sleeping. It is now time to wake up. The time when God will save us completely is near. That time is nearer now than when we first believed in him.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:6So we must watch carefully. We should be like people who stay awake. We should not be like other people who are sleeping.
• 1 Timothy 2:9I also want the women to dress themselves properly in a way that is right. They should not bring shame on themselves. What makes a woman beautiful? It is not the special way that she prepares her hair. It is not the gold things or jewels that she wears. It is not her expensive clothes.
• 1 Timothy 3:2For that reason, a leader of the church must live a life that everyone knows is good. He must be the husband of one wife. He must think seriously about how he lives and he must control himself well. He must be someone that people respect. He must be happy to have visitors in his home. He must be a good teacher.
• Esther 7:6Esther replied, ‘The enemy of our people is this wicked man Haman!’ Then Haman became very afraid, as he sat there with the king and the queen.
• Job 1:6One day, the angels came to meet with the Lord in heaven. Satan also came and he stood there with them.
• Job 2:2The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan replied, ‘I have been travelling all over the earth. I have been watching the things that happen there.’
• Psalms 109:6Find an evil man to judge my enemy! Put somebody at his right side to accuse him!
• Isaiah 50:8God is the one who says that I am right, and he stands beside me. So who will accuse me that I have done something wrong? We should meet in court! Anyone who accuses me should come and speak!
• Zechariah 3:1Then the angel of the Lord appeared to me, Zechariah, and he showed me Joshua, the most important priest. Joshua was standing in front of the angel of the Lord. Satan stood on the right side of Joshua. He was ready to say that Joshua had done bad things.
• Luke 22:31Jesus then said, ‘Simon, Simon, be careful to listen to me! Satan has asked to have authority over you all. He will shake you as a farmer shakes seeds.

Commentaries on 1 Peter 5:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Be sober - Avoid drunkenness of your senses, and drunkenness in your souls; be not overcharged with the concerns of the world. Be vigilant - Awake, and keep awake; be always watchful; never be off your guard; your enemies are alert, they are never off theirs. Your adversary the devil - This is the reason why ye should be sober and vigilant; ye have an ever active, implacable, subtle enemy to contend with. He walketh about - he has access to you…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Be sober - While you cast your cares Upon God, and have no anxiety on that score, let your solicitude be directed to another point. Do not doubt that he is able and willing to support and befriend you, but be watchful against your foes. See the word used here fully explained in the notes at 1 Thessalonians 5:6. Be vigilant - This word ( ́ grēgoreō) is everywhere else in the New Testament rendered “watch.” See Matthew 24:42-43; Matthew 25:13; Matthew…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-9Verses 5-9 Humility preserves peace and order in all Christian churches and societies; pride disturbs them. Where God gives grace to be humble, he will give wisdom, faith, and holiness. To be humble, and subject to our reconciled God, will bring greater comfort to the soul than the gratification of pride and ambition. But it is to be in due time; not in thy fancied time, but God's own wisely appointed time. Does he wait, and wilt not thou? What…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-14Peter concludes the letter with directions to: elders (5:1–4), younger people (5:5), and the entire church (5:5–11). He then gives final greetings and ends the letter (5:12–14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Peter has in mind Christ's warning to himself to watch against Satan, from forgetting which he fell. Be sober ... vigilant--"Care," that is, anxiety, will intoxicate the soul; therefore be sober, that is, self-restrained. Yet, lest this freedom from care should lead any to false security, he adds, "Be vigilant" against "your adversary." Let this be your "care." God provides, therefore do not be anxious. The devil seeks, therefore watch [Bengel]…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Peter 5:8

• Commandments
• Decision
• Lion
• Perseverance
• Satan
• Sobriety
• War
• Watchfulness

In the dictionaries

• Adversary
• Constraint
• Devour
• Ensample
• Heritage
• Oversight
• Satan
• Stedfast
• Vigilant
• Witness

Commentaries on 1 Peter 5

• 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