1 Peter 3:20 (YLT)

Passage

who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah--an ark being preparing--in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;

Nearby Context

1 Peter 3:18 because also Christ once for sin did suffer--righteous for unrighteous--that he might lead us to God, having been put to death indeed, in the flesh, and having been made alive in the spirit,

1 Peter 3:19 in which also to the spirits in prison having gone he did preach,

1 Peter 3:20 who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah--an ark being preparing--in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;

1 Peter 3:21 also to which an antitype doth now save us--baptism, (not a putting away of the filth of flesh, but the question of a good conscience in regard to God,) through the rising again of Jesus Christ,

1 Peter 3:22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone on to heaven--messengers, and authorities, and powers, having been subjected to him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saved", "sometime", "disbelieved", "once", "long-suffering", "wait", "days", and "noah--an". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saved" and "sometime", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "in which also to the spirits in..." into verse 21's "also to which an antitype doth now...", so "saved" and "sometime" 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 "sometime" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.