Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Be watchful (grhgorhsate). First aorist active imperative of grhgorew, late present imperative from perfect egrhgora (to be awake) from egeirw (to arouse), as in Matthew 24:42. For nhyate see I Peter 1:13; I Peter 4:7.
Your adversary (o antidikov umwn). Old word for opponent in a lawsuit (Matthew 5:25).
The devil (diabolov). Slanderer. See on Matthew 4:1.
As a roaring lion (wv wruomenov lewn). But Jesus is also pictured as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). But Satan
roars at the saints. Present middle participle wruomai, old verb, here only in N.T., to howl like a wolf, dog, or lion, of men to sing loud (Pindar). See Psalms 22:13.
Whom he may devour (katapiein). Second aorist active infinitive of katapinw, to drink down. B does not have tina, Aleph has tina (somebody), "to devour some one," while A has interrogative tina, "whom he may devour" (very rare idiom). But the devil's purpose is the ruin of men. He is a "peripatetic" (peripatei) like the peripatetic philosophers who walked as they talked. Satan wants all of us and sifts us all (Luke 22:31).
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Peter 5:8:
Matthew 13:33
Luke 10:19
James 4:7
Revelation 5:5
Revelation 10:2
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