3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [1:4] to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, [1:5] who are being guarded through faith by the power of God for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [1:6] In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, [1:7] so that the proven genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [1:8] Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, [1:9] obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [1:10] Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, [1:11] inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. [1:12] It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
1PE 1:3-12
A Living Hope
In the world it was spoken into
In the 1st-century Greco-Roman world, inheritance was a cornerstone of social and economic stability, typically involving land or property passed down through families. For Jewish listeners, this concept also carried covenantal weight, tied to God’s promises to Israel. Peter’s description of an 'imperishable, undefiled, and unfading' inheritance would resonate deeply, contrasting the fleeting nature of earthly possessions with the eternal security of divine promise. Trials were a common experience for early Christians, often facing social ostracism, economic hardship, or persecution. The metaphor of refining gold would evoke the image of a smith purifying metal through fire, a process familiar in both Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. This imagery underscored the purpose of suffering: to prove the authenticity of faith. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, central to this hope, would have been a radical claim, challenging both Jewish expectations of a Messiah and Greco-Roman skepticism about bodily resurrection.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
1PE 1:3
- KJV
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- BSB
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- Koinōnos
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1PE 1:4
- KJV
- To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
- BSB
- and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
- Koinōnos
- to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
1PE 1:5
- KJV
- Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- BSB
- who through faith are shielded by Godʼs power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
- Koinōnos
- who are being guarded through faith by the power of God for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1PE 1:6
- KJV
- Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
- BSB
- In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials
- Koinōnos
- In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
1PE 1:7
- KJV
- That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
- BSB
- so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- Koinōnos
- so that the proven genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1PE 1:8
- KJV
- Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
- BSB
- Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
- Koinōnos
- Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
1PE 1:9
- KJV
- Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
- BSB
- now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
- Koinōnos
- obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1PE 1:10
- KJV
- Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
- BSB
- Concerning this salvation, the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully,
- Koinōnos
- Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
1PE 1:11
- KJV
- Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
- BSB
- trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
- Koinōnos
- inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
1PE 1:12
- KJV
- Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
- BSB
- It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
- Koinōnos
- It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.3.3
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.3.3
“He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, 9 those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day”
Cited to ground: The resurrection of Jesus Christ, central to this hope, would have been a radical claim, challenging both Jewish expectations of a Messiah and Greco-Roman skepticism about bodily resurrection.
Translator's notes
1PE 1:4
- an inheritance:The word translated 'an inheritance' refers to property received by lot or by legal right, often implying a permanent possession passed down through generations.
- unfading:The term translated 'unfading' literally means 'not withering' or 'imperishable,' evoking the image of a flower that never loses its bloom or freshness.
1PE 1:6
- various:The word translated 'various' here refers to trials or tests that prove the quality or character of a person, rather than merely diverse or different kinds of things.
1PE 1:7
- proven genuineness:The phrase 'proven genuineness' comes from a word that describes the process or result of testing something to confirm its authenticity and purity, like assaying metal.