New Living Translation
1 Peter 3:21
21And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
- New International Version (NIV)and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
- English Standard Version (ESV)Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
- New King James Version (NKJV)There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Context of 1 Peter 3:21
19So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 22Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.
Read all of 1 Peter 31 Peter 3:21 word by word
ὃ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀντίτυπον νῦν σῴζει βάπτισμα, οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου, ἀλλὰ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπερώτημα εἰς θεόν, δι᾽ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The like figureἀντίτυποςantitupon · representationG499
- whereuntoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- baptismβάπτισμαbaptisma · baptismG908
- dothσῴζωsōzō · to saveG4982
- alsoκαίkai · andG2532
- nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
- usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- notοὐou · noG3756
- the putting awayἀπόθεσιςapothesis · removalG595
- of the filthῥύποςrhupos · filthG4509
- of the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- the answerἐπερώτημαeperōtēma · pledgeG1906
- of a goodἀγαθόςagathos · goodG18
- conscienceσυνείδησιςsuneidēsis · conscienceG4893
- towardεἰςeis · towardG1519
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- the resurrectionἀνάστασιςanastasis · resurrectionG386
- of JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
Cross-references for 1 Peter 3:21
- Romans 5:14Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.
- 1 Corinthians 4:6Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.
- Hebrews 9:24For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.
- Hebrews 11:19Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
- Matthew 28:19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- Mark 16:16Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
- Acts 2:38Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 22:16What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
- Romans 6:3Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?
- 1 Corinthians 12:13Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
- Galatians 3:27And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
- Ephesians 5:26to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
- Colossians 2:12For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
- Ezekiel 36:25“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.
- Zechariah 13:1“On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.
- 2 Corinthians 7:1Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.
Commentaries on 1 Peter 3:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21The like figure whereunto, etc. - Dr. Macknight has translated this verse so as to make the meaning more clear: By which (water) the antitype baptism (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God) now saveth us also, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He remarks that the relative ̔ͅ being in the neuter gender, its antecedent cannot be , the ark, which is feminine, but ̔, water, which is neuter…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21The like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also now save us - There are some various readings here in the Greek text, but the sense is not essentially varied. Some have proposed to read ( ͂ͅ hō) to which instead of ( ̔́ ho) which, so as to make the sense “the antitype to which baptism now also saves us.” The antecedent to the relative, whichever word is used, is clearly not the ark, but water; and the idea is, that as Noah was saved by water, so there…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-22Verses 14-22 We sanctify God before others, when our conduct invites and encourages them to glorify and honour him. What was the ground and reason of their hope? We should be able to defend our religion with meekness, in the fear of God. There is no room for any other fears where this great fear is; it disturbs not. The conscience is good, when it does its office well. That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet: sin makes suffering…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21symbolizes the baptism: Peter might mean that, just as the water lifted the boat that saved Noah and his family, baptism brings believers into salvation. Or he may mean that, just as Noah and his family passed through water to reach safety, Christians pass through the waters of baptism as part of their salvation. A third possibility is that, just as the water in Noah’s day judged sin, the water of baptism shows the washing away of sin for Christians…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. whereunto--The oldest manuscripts read, "which": literally, "which (namely, water, in general; being) the antitype (of the water of the flood) is now saving (the salvation being not yet fully realized by us, compare 1Co 10:1, 2, 5; Jude 5; puts into a state of salvation) us also (two oldest manuscripts read 'you' for 'us': You also, as well as Noah and his party), to wit, baptism." Water saved Noah not of itself, but by sustaining the ark built in…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Peter 3:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Peter 3
- 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
- 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
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