ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασιν πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν
19in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,
The Greek that is translated in English as “prison” is translated in Dehu as moapokamo or “house for tying up people” (source: Maurice Leenhardt in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 97ff. ) and in Noongar as maya-maya dedinyang or “house shut” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
See also public prison.
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 3:19:
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal tā (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential tā (祂) is used.”
In that system, one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and others for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are Twents as well as the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In the latter two languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
See also first person pronoun referring to God.
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Gender of God .
在现代汉语中，第三人称单数代词的读音都是一样的（tā），但是写法并不一样，取决于性别以及是否有生命，即男性为“他”，女性为“她”，动物、植物和无生命事物为“它”（在香港和台湾的汉语使用，动物则为“牠”）。这些字的部首偏旁表明了性别（男人、女人、动物、无生命事物），而另一偏旁通常旁提示发音。
到1930年为止，基督教新教《圣经》经过整整一百年的翻译已经拥有了十几个译本，当时的一位圣经翻译者王元德新造了一个“神圣的”代词“祂”，偏旁“礻”表示神明。一般汉语读者会立即知道这字的发音是tā，而这个偏旁表示属灵的事物，因此他们明白这个字指出，三位一体的所有位格都没有性别之分，而单单是上帝。
然而，最重要的新教圣经译本（1919年的《和合本》）和天主教圣经译本（1968年的《思高圣经》）都没有采用“祂”；虽然如此，许多其他的圣经译本采用了这个字，另外还广泛出现在赞美诗和其他基督信仰的书刊中。（资料来源：Zetzsche）
《吕振中译本》的几个早期版本也使用“祂”来指称“上帝”；这个译本的《新约》于1946年译成，整部《圣经》于1970年完成。克拉默斯（Kramers）指出：“‘他’的这种新写法（即‘祂’）产生了一个小问题，就是在指称耶稣的时候，是否一律使用这个敬语代词？《吕振中译本》遵循的原则是，在称呼耶稣这个人的时候，用一般的‘他’，而在称呼耶稣神性的时候，特别是升天之后的耶稣，则用尊称‘祂’。”
Translator: Simon Wong
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, sengens-are-ru (宣言される) or “declare” is used.
(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Illustration by Horst Lemke (1922-1985) for the German Gute Nachricht für Sie – NT68, one of the first editions of the Good News Bible in German of 1968. Lemke was a well-known illustrator who illustrated books by Erich Kästner , Astrid Lindgren and many others.
In his spiritual existence is literally “in which,” referring either to the whole of verse 18, that is, during his death and resurrection, or more specifically to the immediately preceding phrase (that is, “in the spirit”). If this second one is taken to be the meaning here, then the way to translate it depends on how one understands “in the spirit.” For example, if one understands “in the spirit” to mean “by the Spirit” then “in which” is also translated accordingly (for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “in the strength of this Spirit”). If, however, “in the spirit” is understood in the way the Good News Translation interprets it, then the translation of “in which” will likewise be affected. Many translations are ambiguous at this point (for example, Phillips “in the Spirit,” Jerusalem Bible “in the spirit,” Barclay, Knox “in his spirit”).
But what does in his spiritual existence refer to? Does it refer to the resurrection, or to the ascension, or even perhaps to a time prior to the incarnation? The answer to this question is dependent on how one interprets the clause he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits. When did this occur? And who are these imprisoned spirits? Furthermore, what did Jesus preach: salvation or condemnation?
These questions are not easy to answer, and many scholarly treatises have been written dealing with this matter. For the purposes of a Translator’s Handbook, it is impossible to go into all the details of the arguments. All that can be done is to give a brief summary of the various possible interpretations, in order to lead one to a better understanding of the passage and to translate it more meaningfully. Briefly, then, these various positions are listed below.
A. When did Jesus go and preach to the imprisoned spirits?
1. Some time before the incarnation, that is, it was the pre-existent Christ who did the preaching.
2. Between his death and resurrection.
3. During or after his ascension.
Favoring No. 1 is the fact that the pre-existence of Christ is mentioned more than once in the New Testament (for example, John 1.1 and following; Phil 2.6, 7). However, it seems to be foreign to the passage which has as its starting point not the incarnation, but the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Favoring No. 2 is that it is somewhat in logical sequence, since Christ’s death is mentioned in verse 18, his resurrection in verse 21, and his ascension in verse 22. Furthermore, there are other references in the New Testament which support the idea that Jesus did something between his death and resurrection (for example, Acts 2.25 and following; 13.35; Rom 10.7; Matt 12.40). Arguing against it are two things: (1) it breaks the sequence of events, since the resurrection is already mentioned in the last part of verse 18; and (2) it is necessary to interpret in his spiritual existence as different from made alive spiritually in verse 19, not to mention the problem of positing a spiritual existence to the dead Jesus prior to his resurrection. However, those who favor this position counter that Peter may have been using a creedal text here, and the positioning of events is dependent not only on logical sequence, but perhaps primarily on the demands of literary form. This second alternative seems to be the most logical and natural, considering the whole structure of the passage.
Favoring No. 3 is the fact that resurrection is mentioned in verse 18, and the preaching must necessarily come after that (but see argument above). Furthermore, the Greek verb for he went is the same verb used in verse 22 for the ascension, and it must also be interpreted this way in verse 19. There are, however, two arguments against this. First, the verb is primarily neutral, indicating simply movement which is either up or down; besides, in verse 22 the verb is qualified by “to heaven,” a qualification which is absent in the present context. Secondly, the verb here is in the aorist tense, indicating a specific action at a particular place and time; if the preaching occurred during the ascension, one would perhaps expect a participle, indicating a process.
B. Who are the imprisoned spirits?
1. The fallen angels mentioned in Genesis 6.1-4 (compare Gen 6.2 “the sons of God”). Favoring this is the description of these spirits in 20a, as those who had not obeyed God … during the days that Noah was building the boat. Furthermore, these fallen angels are understood in intertestamental literature (for example, the book of Enoch) as prototypes of heathen rulers, and Christ’s preaching to them would inculcate in the minds of Christians that they too should proclaim the gospel to pagan rulers of their own day.
2. The people during Noah’s time, that is, all the people who perished during the flood. These people are singled out because of the belief which was current in Judaism at that time, that these people were the worst sinners, for whom no hope of salvation is possible (compare Mishnah Sanhedrin 10.3 “The generation of the flood have no share in the world to come, nor shall they stand in the judgment”). Accordingly, that Christ preached to them is a manifestation of the universal nature of the salvation that he offers, a salvation which touches everyone, including the worst sinners. This message would indeed be a very encouraging one for the Christians of that time, who were facing all kinds of difficulties arising out of their relationship with their pagan neighbors. These people are by no means without hope; on the contrary, there is a distinct possibility that through the life of believers, these unbelievers may be led also to have faith in Jesus Christ, a possibility which is already mentioned more than once in the letter (for example, 2.12; 3.1). The idea of the dead listening to the gospel and even reacting positively to it is found in other parts of the New Testament. A good example is Philippians 2.10, where Paul, describing the response of creation to the exalted Christ, writes, “So that all beings in heaven, and on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees in honor of the name of Jesus” (Good News Translation, boldface added). One other example is John 5.25 “… the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will come to life” (Good News Bible).
Arguing against this second position is that there is very scanty linguistic evidence regarding the use of “spirits” for dead people, or for the surviving part of a person after death. In the New Testament, this sense appears only in Hebrews 12.23 (Good News Translation “the spirits of good people”).
3. Angelic beings in general. Linguistically, this can be supported by the use of “spirits” for supernatural beings (for example, “evil spirits,” as used in the Gospels). But arguing against it is the reference to the time of Noah.
4. Both the fallen angels and the disobedient people during Noah’s time, or in other words, a combination of 1 and 2.
It might be noted that many translations do not make any adjustment at this point, thus allowing for any or all of the above possibilities to be understood. Those who want to be more definite make it clear that no. 2 above (that is, “spirits – dead people”) is their preference, as can be seen by their rendering of verse 20 (for example, Good News Translation the spirits of those; Phillips, Barclay “the spirits of men”).
C. Where did Jesus preach?
1. In the lower regions, that is, “Sheol” or “Hades,” the place of the dead. This would be the natural and logical preference of those who interpret “spirits” as referring to people. “Sheol” is sometimes spoken of as a prison house (compare Rev 18.2; 20.1-7; 2 Peter 2.4). This position is also possible even if one takes “spirits” to refer to the fallen angels, since there is enough support from the New Testament and from intertestamental literature that fallen angels are bound and confined in “the depths of the earth” (Jubilees 5.6), in a place characterized by darkness (1 Enoch 10.4, 5; compare Rev 20.3, where Satan is thrown into the pit). Those who prefer this position would also favor the position that it was between his death and resurrection that Christ preached to these spirits in prison.
2. In the upper regions, which is the logical preference for those who hold that Christ preached to the spirits during his ascension. For discussion of this point, see above.
Most translations, either unconsciously or deliberately, leave this matter ambiguous, by translating the verb went as a neutral term, without indicating either the direction of the movement or the actual place where Jesus preached.
D. What did Jesus preach?
1. He preached judgment. If “the spirits in prison” are taken to be the fallen angels who in turn are prototypes of the rulers of the heathen, then the effect of the preaching would be to declare that their power for evil has come to an end. This would give quite an encouragement to the Christians who were being persecuted by their pagan neighbors, for they would come to realize that ultimately the powers of evil have no dominion over them, that in fact they are the real victors even though at the moment they are an insignificant and persecuted group.
2. He preached salvation. The linguistic argument for this position is that while the word for preached is a neutral term for any proclamation or pronouncement, yet in the New Testament, it is almost always used in the sense of the proclamation of the Good News. If the spirits in prison are taken to be the generation of Noah who in turn are prototypes of the vilest and most desperate human beings, then the very fact that the gospel was proclaimed to them would give the greatest encouragement to Christians to proclaim also the Good News to the heathen around them, for they too can be touched by the love of God and the message of salvation.
As shown above, either interpretation is relevant to the context and the purpose of the letter in general. Again, we might note that most all translations leave this particular verb ambiguous. Those who make adjustments do it in favor of the second alternative (for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “proclaimed the good news to them”).
In his spiritual existence may perhaps be best translated as “as a spirit” or “as one who is a spirit.”
While it is true that in some languages one can use a rather neutral term for preached, for example, “spoke to” or “told about,” it is frequently necessary to indicate the nature of the content. Therefore, one may choose either “spoke about how God would judge people” or “… how people would be judged” or “told the Good News to” or “told how God would save people.”
The imprisoned spirits may be rendered as “those spirits who were being guarded.” Since the majority of scholars seem to assume that the imprisoned spirits are the disembodied spirits of people, it may be legitimate to be somewhat more specific in identifying the imprisoned spirits, for example, “the spirits of those people who are being kept for judgment.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
3:19–22
Verses 19–22 are difficult to understand. For more details of the debates, see the UBS Handbook Translator’s Handbook on 1 Peter. There is also a fairly long discussion in Key Biblical Terms on Translators Workplace, in the article on Spirit, sense A1(d). Because the interpretation of these verses is uncertain, it is best to translate them literally. Supply as little implied information as possible.
3:19
in whom: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in whom can also be translated as “in which.” Here it refers to the sphere of the Spirit and spiritual life mentioned in 3:18e. The Good News Translation makes this explicit:
in his spiritual existence (Good News Translation)
He also went and preached to the spirits in prison: The Greek text does not say exactly where the spirits in prison were. One way to translate this is:
he went to the spirits in prison and preached to them
also: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as also seems to function to introduce more information about the “spiritual realm” in 3:18e. It can also be translated as “even.” It is not translated in some versions such as the Revised Standard Version. Translate it in a way that is natural in your language.
preached: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as preached can also be translated as “proclaimed” or “announced.” The text does not say what Christ proclaimed to the spirits in prison. Commentators suggest two possibilities:
(1) Christ proclaimed his victory over the spiritual forces of darkness.
(2) Christ preached about the need to repent and come to God for salvation.
If you must choose, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), which has the support of most commentaries. This is based on the interpretation of “spirits” as evil spiritual beings. See the following note for more information.
Some other ways preached can be translated are:
proclaim his victory (God’s Word)
-or-
made a proclamation (New Revised Standard Version)
the spirits: There are two ways to understand the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spirits :
(1) It refers to evil spiritual beings such as demons or fallen angels.
(2) It refers to the souls of dead people.
It is recommended that you use an expression that could refer to either of these. If you must choose between them, it is recommended that you choose interpretation (1). This is the normal meaning of spirits in the New Testament. It is also the view of the majority of modern commentators.
in prison: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prison refers to a place where people are guarded and cannot leave. Presumably the spirits were in prison because they were waiting for God to judge them. Your translation should not give the idea that the spirits were in an earthly prison, but rather that they were held in some kind of custody so that they could not escape.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
who are being held/restrained
-or-
who are waiting for the judgment of God
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