God’s Word Translation
1 Peter 1:20
20He is the lamb who was known long ago before the world existed, but for your good he became publicly known in the last period of time.
1 Peter 1:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
- New International Version (NIV)He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
- New King James Version (NKJV)He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
Context of 1 Peter 1:20
18Realize that you weren’t set free from the worthless life handed down to you from your ancestors by a payment of silver or gold which can be destroyed. 19Rather, the payment that freed you was the precious blood of Christ, the lamb with no defects or imperfections. He is the lamb who was known long ago before the world existed, but for your good he became publicly known in the last period of time. 21Through him you believe in God who brought Christ back to life and gave him glory. So your faith and confidence are in God. 22Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart. After all, you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. As a result you have a sincere love for each other.
Read all of 1 Peter 11 Peter 1:20 word by word
προεγνωσμένου μὲν πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, φανερωθέντος δὲ ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτου τῶν χρόνων δι᾽ ὑμᾶςRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Who verilyμένmen · on the other handG3303
- was foreordainedπρογινώσκωproginōskō · to know/chooseG4267
- beforeπρόpro · beforeG4253
- the foundationκαταβολήkatabolē · beginningG2602
- of the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
- butδέde · thenG1161
- was manifestφανερόωphaneroō · to revealG5319
- inἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- these lastἔσχατοςeschatos · last/leastG2078
- timesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- timesχρόνοςchronos · timeG5550
- forδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- youσύsu · youG4771
Cross-references for 1 Peter 1:20
- Genesis 3:15I will make you and the woman hostile toward each other. I will make your descendants and her descendant hostile toward each other. He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
- Proverbs 8:23I was appointed from everlasting from the first, before the earth began.
- Micah 5:2You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah’s cities. Yet, from you Israel’s future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
- Romans 3:25God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God’s approval is given through faith in Christ’s blood. In his patience God waited to deal with sins committed in the past.
- Romans 16:25God can strengthen you by the Good News and the message I tell about Jesus Christ. He can strengthen you by revealing the mystery that was kept in silence for a very long time
- Ephesians 1:4Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence.
- Ephesians 3:9He allowed me to explain the way this mystery works. God, who created all things, kept it hidden in the past.
- Colossians 1:26In the past God hid this mystery, but now he has revealed it to his people.
- 2 Timothy 1:9God saved us and called us to be holy, not because of what we had done, but because of his own plan and kindness. Before the world began, God planned that Christ Jesus would show us God’s kindness.
- Revelation 13:8Everyone living on earth will worship it, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life. That book belongs to the lamb who was slaughtered before the creation of the world.
- Acts 3:25You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the promise that God made to our ancestors when he said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendant all people on earth will be blessed.’
- 1 John 1:2This life was revealed to us. We have seen it, and we testify about it. We are reporting to you about this eternal life that was in the presence of the Father and was revealed to us.
- 1 John 3:5You know that Christ appeared in order to take away our sins. He isn’t sinful.
- 1 John 4:9God has shown us his love by sending his only Son into the world so that we could have life through him.
- Galatians 4:4But when the right time came, God sent his Son ⌞into the world⌟. A woman gave birth to him, and he came under the control of the laws given to Moses.
- Ephesians 1:10He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.
Commentaries on 1 Peter 1:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Who verily was foreordained - · Foreknown; appointed in the Divine purpose to be sent into the world, because infinitely approved by the Divine justice. Before the foundation of the world - Before the law was given, or any sacrifice prescribed by it. Its whole sacrificial system was appointed in reference to this foreappointed Lamb, and consequently from him derived all its significance and virtue. The phrase , foundation of the world, occurs often in the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world - That is, it was foreordained, or predetermined, that he should be the great stoning Sacrifice for sin. On the meaning of the word “foreordained,” ( ́ proginōskōsee Romans 8:29. The word is rendered which knew, Acts 26:5; foreknew and foreknow, Romans 8:29; Romans 11:2; foreordained, 1 Peter 1:20; and know before, 2 Peter 2:17. It does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. The sense is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-25Verses 17-25 Holy confidence in God as a Father, and awful fear of him as a Judge, agree together; and to regard God always as a Judge, makes him dear to us as a Father. If believers do evil, God will visit them with corrections. Then, let Christians not doubt God's faithfulness to his promises, nor give way to enslaving dread of his wrath, but let them reverence his holiness. The fearless professor is defenceless, and Satan takes him captive at his will…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20With Christ’s coming, God is fulfilling Old Testament promises of redemption, and the last days have begun.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. God's eternal foreordination of Christ's redeeming sacrifice, and completion of it in these last times for us, are an additional obligation on us to our maintaining a holy walk, considering how great things have been thus done for us. Peter's language in the history corresponds with this here: an undesigned coincidence and mark of genuineness. Redemption was no afterthought, or remedy of an unforeseen evil, devised at the time of its arising. God's…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Peter 1:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Peter 1
- 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
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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