1 Peter 4:18

1 Peter 4:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
• New International Version (NIV)And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

Context of 1 Peter 4:18

16But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! 17For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” 19So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

1 Peter 4:18 word by word

καὶ εἰ ὁ δίκαιος μόλις σῴζεται, ὁ ἀσεβὴς καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς ποῦ φανεῖται;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• the righteousδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
• scarcelyμόλιςmolis · hardlyG3433
• be savedσῴζωsōzō · to saveG4982
• whereποῦpou · where?G4226
• shallφαίνωphainō · to shine/appearG5316
• the ungodlyἀσεβήςasebēs · ungodlyG765
• the sinnerἁμαρτωλόςhamartōlos · sinfulG268

Cross-references for 1 Peter 4:18

• 1 Peter 5:8Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
• Proverbs 11:31If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?
• Jeremiah 25:29I have begun to punish Jerusalem, the city that bears my name. Now should I let you go unpunished? No, you will not escape disaster. I will call for war against all the nations of the earth. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!’
• Ezekiel 18:24However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.
• Zechariah 13:9I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
• Matthew 24:22In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
• Mark 13:20In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.
• Luke 23:31For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
• Acts 14:22where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.
• Acts 27:24and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’
• 1 Corinthians 10:12If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
• Hebrews 4:1God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.
• Hebrews 10:38And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
• Psalms 1:4But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
• Romans 1:18But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
• Romans 5:6When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

Commentaries on 1 Peter 4:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18And if the righteous scarcely be saved - If it shall be with extreme difficulty that the Christians shall escape from Jerusalem, when the Roman armies shall come against it with the full commission to destroy it, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Where shall the proud Pharisaic boaster in his own outside holiness, and the profligate transgressor of the laws of God, show themselves, as having escaped the Divine vengeance? The Christians…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18And if the righteous scarcely be saved - If they are saved with difficulty. The word used here ( ́ molis) occurs in the following places: Acts 14:18, “scarce restrained they the people;” Acts 27:7, “and scarce were come over against Cnidus;” 1 Peter 4:8, “and hardly passing it;” 1 Peter 4:16, “we had much work to come by the boat” - literally, we were able with difficulty to get the boat; Romans 5:7, “scarcely for a righteous man will one die;” and in the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-19Verses 12-19 By patience and fortitude in suffering, by dependence on the promises of God, and keeping to the word the Holy Spirit hath revealed, the Holy Spirit is glorified; but by the contempt and reproaches cast upon believers, he is evil spoken of, and is blasphemed. One would think such cautions as these were needless to Christians. But their enemies falsely charged them with foul crimes. And even the best of men need to be warned against the worst…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-19Peter gives Christians one final instruction about how to face the trials that will surely come.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. scarcely--Compare "so as by fire," 1Co 3:15; having to pass through trying chastisements, as David did for his sin. "The righteous" man has always more or less of trial, but the issue is certain, and the entrance into the kingdom abundant at last. The "scarcely" marks the severity of the ordeal, and the unlikelihood (in a mere human point of view) of the righteous sustaining it; but the righteousness of Christ and God's everlasting covenant make it…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Peter 4:18

• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Begin
• Cover
• Ungodly
• Charity
• Foreknow; Foreknowledge
• Peter, the First Epistle of
• Peter, the Second Epistle of
• Trinity
• Proverbs, Book of
• create, created, creation, creator

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