1 Peter 3:20 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

1 Peter 3:22 Who is on the right hand of God, swallowing down death that we might be made heirs of life everlasting: being gone into heaven, the angels and powers and virtues being made subject to him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saved", "been", "some", "time", "incredulous", "waited", "patience", and "days". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saved" and "been", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "In which also coming he preached to..." into verse 21's "Whereunto baptism being of the like form...", so "saved" and "been" 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 "saved" and "been" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.