New Living Translation
1 Peter 1:18
18For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.
1 Peter 1:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
- New International Version (NIV)For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
- English Standard Version (ESV)knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
- New King James Version (NKJV)knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
Context of 1 Peter 1:18
16For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 17And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.
Read all of 1 Peter 11 Peter 1:18 word by word
εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ φθαρτοῖς, ἀργυρίῳ ἢ χρυσίῳ, ἐλυτρώθητε ἐκ τῆς ματαίας ὑμῶν ἀναστροφῆς πατροπαραδότου,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Forasmuch as ye knowεἴδωeidō · to perceive: understandG1492
- thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- ye wereλυτρόωlutroō · to ransomG3084
- notοὐou · noG3756
- with corruptible thingsφθαρτόςphthartos · perishableG5349
- silverἀργύριονargurion · moneyG694
- andἤē · orG2228
- goldχρυσίονchrusion · goldG5553
- fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- yourσύsu · youG4771
- vainμάταιοςmataios · futileG3152
- conversationἀναστροφήanastrophē · behaviourG391
- by tradition from your fathersπατροπαράδοτοςpatroparadotos · from forefathersG3970
Cross-references for 1 Peter 1:18
- Psalms 49:7Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
- 1 Corinthians 7:23God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.
- 1 Peter 1:7These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
- Psalms 39:6We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.
- Psalms 62:10Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.
- Jeremiah 4:11The time is coming when the Lord will say to the people of Jerusalem, “My dear people, a burning wind is blowing in from the desert, and it’s not a gentle breeze useful for winnowing grain.
- Romans 1:21Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
- 1 Corinthians 3:20And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”
- 1 Peter 4:3You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.
- Jeremiah 9:14Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them.
- Jeremiah 16:19Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble! Nations from around the world will come to you and say, “Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols.
- Jeremiah 44:17We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like—just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles!
- Ezekiel 20:18“Then I warned their children not to follow in their parents’ footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols.
- Amos 2:4This is what the Lord says: “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the Lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors.
- Zechariah 1:4Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’
Commentaries on 1 Peter 1:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things - To redeem, , signifies to procure life for a captive or liberty for a slave by paying a price, and the precious blood of Christ is here stated to be the price at which the souls of both Jews and Gentiles were redeemed; is was a price paid down, and a price which God's righteousness required. Corruptible things mean here any thing that man usually gives in exchange for another; but the term necessarily…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Forasmuch as ye know - This is an argument for a holy life, derived from the fact that they were redeemed, and from the manner in which their redemption had been effected. There is no more effectual way to induce true Christians to consecrate themselves entirely to God, than to refer them to the fact that they are not their own, but have been purchased by the blood of Christ. That ye were not redeemed - On the word rendered “redeemed,” ( ́ lutroōsee the…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. 18A ransom is a payment made to set a captive free. In the ancient world, slaves could sometimes pay a ransom and gain their freedom. Christ’s death is the ransom that God used to set people free from sin (1:19).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. Another motive to reverential, vigilant fear (1Pe 1:17) of displeasing God, the consideration of the costly price of our redemption from sin. Observe, it is we who are bought by the blood of Christ, not heaven. The blood of Christ is not in Scripture said to buy heaven for us: heaven is the "inheritance" (1Pe 1:4) given to us as sons, by the promise of God. corruptible--Compare 1Pe 1:7, "gold that perisheth," 1Pe 1:23. silver and gold--Greek, "or."…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Peter 1:18
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
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