Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Because Christ also died (oti kai Xristov apeqanen). So the best MSS.; later ones epaqen (suffered). The example of Christ should stir us to patient endurance.
For sins (peri amartiwn). "Concerning sins" (not his, but ours, I Peter 1:18). Peri (around, concerning) with amartiav in the regular phrase for the sin offering (Leviticus 5:7; Leviticus 6:30), though uper amartiav does occur (Ezekiel 43:25). So in the N.T. we find both peri amartiwn (Hebrews 5:3) and uper amartiwn (Hebrews 5:1).
Once (apac). Once for all (Hebrews 9:28), not once upon a time (pote).
The righteous for the unrighteous (dikaiov uper adikwn). Literally, "just for unjust" (no articles). See I Peter 2:19 for the sinlessness of Christ as the one perfect offering for sin. This is what gives Christ's blood value. He has no sin himself. Some men today fail to perceive this point.
That he might bring us to God (ina hmav prosagagh tw qew). Purpose clause with ina, with second aorist active subjunctive of prosagw and the dative case tw qew. The MSS. vary between hmav (us) and umav (you). The verb prosagw means to lead or bring to (Matthew 18:24), to approach God (cf. prosagwghn in Ephesians 2:18), to present us to God on the basis of his atoning death for us, which has opened the way (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 10:19 f.)
Being put to death in the flesh (qanatwqeiv men sarki). First aorist passive participle of qanatow, old verb (from qanatov death), to put to death. Sarki is locative case of sarc.
But quickened in the spirit (zwopoihqeiv de pneumati). First aorist passive participle of zwopoiew rare (Aristotle) verb (from zwopoiov making alive), to make alive. The participles are not antecedent to apeqanen, but simultaneous with it. There is no such construction as the participle of subsequent action. The spirit of Christ did not die when his flesh did, but "was endued with new and greater powers of life" (Thayer). See I Corinthians 15:22 for the use of the verb for the resurrection of the body. But the use of the word pneumati (locative case) in contrast with sarki starts Peter's mind off in a long comparison by way of illustration that runs from verses I Peter 3:19-22. The following verses have caused more controversy than anything in the Epistle.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Peter 3:18:
1 Corinthians 15:3
1 Peter 3:4
1 Peter 3:17
1 Peter 3:19
1 Peter 4:1
2 Peter 1:9
2 Peter 2:9
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