Spirits in Prison — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Term used in 1 Peter 3:18-20a. There is little agreement among scholars as to what “spirits in prison” really refers to or why Jesus would have gone to preach to them. Martin Luther confessed that verse 19 “is an amazing text and as dark as any in the New Testament and I am not sure I know what St. Peter means.” Because there is so much disagreement and uncertainty, several possible interpretations are presented here.

Show passage in OET: PE1 3:18–20

OET-RV PE1 3:18

18 because the messiah also died once for sin, that is, the sinless one died for sinful people, so that he can bring you chosen people past death onward to God. Although he experienced physical death, he’d been given life in the spirit,

OET-RV PE1 3:19

19 and with that life he also went to the spirits in prison and preached to them—

OET-RV PE1 3:20

20 those who’d refused to believe. God had waited patiently in Noah’s time when the barge was being built, yet only a few were saved. Eight of them were brought safely through the waters,

OET-LV PE1 3:18

18 Because also chosen _one /messiah died _off once for the_sins the_righteous for the_unrighteous, in _order _that he _may _bringing _forward you _all to_ the _god, on _one _hand having _been _put _to _death in_the_flesh, on _the _other _hand having _been _given _life in_the_spirit,

OET-LV PE1 3:19

19 in which also having _been _gone to _the to _spirits in prison he _proclaimed,

OET-LV PE1 3:20

20 to _having _disbelieved ones once when the patience of_ the _god was _eagerly _waiting in the_days of _Nōe/(Noaḩ), the_box being _prepared in which a_few, this is, eight souls, were _brought _safely _through through the_water.

Show passage in OET: PE1 3:19

OET-RV PE1 3:19

19 and with that life he also went to the spirits in prison and preached to them—

OET-LV PE1 3:19

19 in which also having _been _gone to _the to _spirits in prison he _proclaimed,

Jump to OET PE1 3:18–20 section.

Jump to OET PE1 3:19 section.

First, many commentators take “spirits in prison” to refer to the disembodied spirits of the people who disobeyed the preaching of Noah and are now in Sheol or hades—the place of the departed unbelievers. Some think Christ preached the gospel to them so that they could believe and be saved (though there is little, if any, support in the NT that a person who dies as an unbeliever can get a second chance). Others think that Christ simply proclaimed his victory over Satan and made known the blessings that these spirits once for all rejected.

Second, other commentators argue that the “spirits in prison” are not human spirits but rather are the same supernatural beings referred to in 1 Peter 3:22—the evil angels, authorities, and powers. They are related to the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4. In support of this, they argue that the proclamation to these spirits is not before but after Jesus’ resurrection, and so is probably not a descent to the dead but an ascent to the “heavenly places,” where the rebellious spiritual powers live (see Eph 6:12). Furthermore, in the pre-Christian Jewish book of 1 Enoch, Enoch is pictured as proclaiming doom to the apostate angels. So Christ is seen as the new Enoch declaring to the “spirits in prison” his victory on the cross and their final defeat.

Show passage in OET: PE1 3:22

OET-RV PE1 3:22

22 who went to heaven and sat at God’s right, with God’s messengers and authorities and powers all under his authority.

OET-LV PE1 3:22

22 having _been _gone into heaven who is at the_right hand of_god, with _messengers, and authorities, and powers having _been _subjected to _him.

Show passage in OET: GEN 6:1–4

OET-RV GEN 6:1

6 When people began to multiply on the earth’s surface, and they were having daughters,

OET-RV GEN 6:2

2 God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.

OET-RV GEN 6:3

3 Then Yahweh said, “My Spirit won’t tolerate people forever, because they are physical beings, therefore their remaining time will be 120 years.”

OET-RV GEN 6:4

4 The NEFILIM were on the earth in those days and also after that, when the sons of God went to the daughters of humankind and they bore children for them. INVESTIGATE They were the mighty warriors of long ago—those famous men.

OET-LV GEN 6:1

6 And_he/it _was if/because the_humankind it _began to_increase _in _number on the _surface _of the_soil and_daughters they _were _born to/for_them.

OET-LV GEN 6:2

2 And_ the _sons _of the_ʼElohīm _they _saw DOM the _daughters _of the_humankind if/because _that were_good they and_they _took to/for_them wives from_all whom they _chose.

OET-LV GEN 6:3

3 And_ YHWH _he/it _said not my_breath/wind/spirit it _will _remain in/on _the_humankind to_vanishing _point in/on_that_also he is_flesh and_they _will _be his/its_days one _hundred and_twenty year[s].

OET-LV GEN 6:4

4 The_Nefilim/Nephilim they _were in/on _the_earth in _the_days those and_also after thus when the _sons _of the_ʼElohīm they _went into the _daughters _of the_humankind and_they _gave _birth to/for_them they the_powerful/mighty(pl) who from_long _ago/eternity the _men _of the_name.

Show passage in OET: EPH 6:12

OET-RV EPH 6:12

12 Our struggle isn’t against people, but against rulers, authorities, the powers of this world’s darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.

OET-LV EPH 6:12

12 Because is not to _us the wrestling against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world _rulers of_ the this _darkness, against the spiritual of_ the _wickedness in the heavenly realms.

Jump to OET PE1 3:22 section.

Jump to OET GEN 6:1–4 section.

Jump to OET EPH 6:12 section.

Finally, still others have suggested that the preaching of Christ was neither to supernatural spiritual beings nor to the departed spirits in Hades. Rather, the preaching took place in the days of Noah and was addressed to Noah’s contemporaries, who, because they disobeyed, are now in prison. In other words, the Spirit of Christ, referred to in 1 Peter 1:11, and which existed before the Incarnation, inspired Noah to preach to the people. In this interpretation there is no “descent into hell” and no declaration to the fallen angels. The text simply says that Christ in his spiritual dimension preached in the days of Noah.