1 Peter 3:19 (DRB)

Passage

In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison:

Nearby Context

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better doing well (if such be the will of God) to suffer than doing ill.

1 Peter 3:18 Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit,

1 Peter 3:19 In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison:

1 Peter 3:20 Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.

1 Peter 3:21 Whereunto baptism, being of the like form, now saveth you also: not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but, the examination of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "coming", "preached", "spirits", and "prison". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "coming", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Because Christ also died once for our..." into verse 20's "Which had been some time incredulous when...", so "Spirit" and "coming" belong inside that flow. In 1 Peter context, the local focus is hope in suffering, holy conduct, submission, and grace.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "coming" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.