God’s Word Translation
1 Peter 4:3
3You spent enough time in the past doing what unbelievers like to do. You were promiscuous, had sinful desires, got drunk, went to wild parties, and took part in the forbidden worship of false gods.
1 Peter 4:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
- New International Version (NIV)For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.
Context of 1 Peter 4:3
1Since Christ has suffered physically, take the same attitude that he had. (A person who has suffered physically no longer sins.) 2That way you won’t be guided by sinful human desires as you live the rest of your lives on earth. Instead, you will be guided by what God wants you to do. You spent enough time in the past doing what unbelievers like to do. You were promiscuous, had sinful desires, got drunk, went to wild parties, and took part in the forbidden worship of false gods. 4Unbelievers insult you now because they are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of wild living. 5They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Read all of 1 Peter 41 Peter 4:3 word by word
ἀρκετὸς γὰρ ὁ παρεληλυθὼς χρόνος τὸ βούλημα τῶν ἐθνῶν κατειργάσθαι πεπορευμένους ἐν ἀσελγείαις, ἐπιθυμίαις, οἰνοφλυγίαις, κώμοις, πότοις, καὶ ἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαις·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- the timeχρόνοςchronos · timeG5550
- pastπαρέρχομαιparerchomai · to pass byG3928
- ofβίοςbios · lifeG979
- may sufficeἀρκετόςarketos · sufficientG713
- usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- to have wroughtκατεργάζομαιkatergazomai · to workout/produceG2716
- the willθέλημαthelēma · will/desireG2307
- of the Gentilesἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
- when we walkedπορεύωporeuomai · to travelG4198
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- lasciviousnessἀσέλγειαaselgeia · debaucheryG766
- lustsἐπιθυμίαepithumia · desireG1939
- excess of wineοἰνοφλυγίαoinophlugia · drunkennessG3632
- revellingsκῶμοςkōmos · orgyG2970
- banquetingsπότοςpotos · carousingG4224
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- abominableἀθέμιτοςathemitos · unlawfulG111
- idolatriesεἰδωλολατρείαeidōlolatreia · idolatryG1495
Cross-references for 1 Peter 4:3
- Ezekiel 44:6Tell the rebellious people of Israel, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’ve had enough of all the disgusting things that you have done, people of Israel.
- Ezekiel 45:9“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’ve had enough of you, you princes of Israel. Stop your violence and looting, and do what is fair and right. Stop evicting my people, declares the Almighty Lord.
- Acts 17:30“God overlooked the times when people didn’t know any better. But now he commands everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
- Romans 8:12So, brothers and sisters, we have no obligation to live the way our corrupt nature wants us to live.
- 1 Corinthians 6:11That’s what some of you were! But you have been washed and made holy, and you have received God’s approval in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
- 1 Peter 1:14Because you are children who obey God, don’t live the kind of lives you once lived. Once you lived to satisfy your desires because you didn’t know any better.
- Deuteronomy 12:30After they’ve been destroyed, be careful you aren’t tempted to follow their customs. Don’t even ask about their gods and say, “How did these people worship their gods? We want to do what they did.”
- Romans 1:20From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.
- Ephesians 2:2You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God.
- Ephesians 4:17So I tell you and encourage you in the Lord’s name not to live any longer like other people in the world. Their minds are set on worthless things.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:5not in the passionate, lustful way of people who don’t know God.
- Mark 7:22adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, cursing, arrogance, and foolishness come from within a person.
- 2 Corinthians 12:21I’m afraid that when I come to you again, my God may humble me. I may have to grieve over many who formerly led sinful lives and have not changed the way they think and act about the perversion, sexual sins, and promiscuity in which they have been involved.
- Galatians 5:19Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity,
- Ephesians 4:19Since they no longer have any sense of shame, they have become promiscuous. They practice every kind of sexual perversion with a constant desire for more.
- Jude 1:4Some people have slipped in among you unnoticed. Not long ago they were condemned in writing for the following reason: They are people to whom God means nothing. They use God’s kindness as an excuse for sexual freedom and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Commentaries on 1 Peter 4:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The time past of our life - This is a complete epitome of the Gentile or heathen state, and a proof that those had been Gentiles to whom the apostle wrote. They walked in lasciviousness, · every species of lechery, lewdness, and impurity. In lusts, · strong irregular appetites, and desires of all kinds. In excess of wine, · wine, and , to be hot, or to boil; to be inflamed with wine; they were in continual debauches. In revellings, · lascivious feastings…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3For the time past of our life may suffice us - “We have spent sufficient time in indulging ourselves, and following our wicked propensities, and we should hereafter live in a different manner.” This does not mean that it was ever proper thus to live, but that, as we would say, “we have had enough of these things; we have tried them; there is no reason why we should indulge in them any more.” An expression quite similar to this occurs in Horace - Lusisti…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3the Gentiles: Peter uses this term from his Jewish background to describe those non-Jews who do not have a relationship with God.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. may suffice--Greek, "is sufficient." Peter takes the lowest ground: for not even the past time ought to have been wasted in lust; but since you cannot recall it, at least lay out the future to better account. us--omitted in oldest manuscripts. wrought--Greek, "wrought out." Gentiles--heathen: which many of you were. when, &c.--"walking as ye have done [Alford] in lasciviousness"; the Greek means petulant, immodest, wantonness, unbridled conduct: not so…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Peter 4:3
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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