1 Peter 1:11 — Why “glories” and not “glory”?
1 Peter 1:10 (NKJV)
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
The word “of” as used here is translated from the Greek word “peri” which serves as the root of the English term “perimeter.” “Peri” means “ALL concerning, everything pertaining to.”
The subject here would be salvation. The word “salvation” is translated from the Greek word “soteria” which implies a rescue or deliverance from danger unto safety.
..the prophets have inquired and searched carefully,
The word “inquired” as used here is translated from the Greek word “ekzeto” which means “to seek out after, search for”
The phrase “searched carefully” was translated from just one word in the Greek. It is the word “exeraunaó” which means “to search diligently, in an investigative manner.” It often involves inquiring after facts.
The Greek Lexicon explains that the way the word is grammatically constructed here carries an idea of a destination. That is, the Prophets did not only investigate salvation (the work of Christ) diligently, but they also investigated its results in the believer’s life.
Hence this..
“..who prophesied of the grace that would come to you”
This is what they found — Grace TO you!
The word “grace” as used here is translated from the Greek word “charis.” It refers to kindness.
“Charis” is derived from another noun “xar” which means “inclined,” this shows that act of leaning towards someone to extend favour to him/her. So, God is seen as coming near to bless. It describes an extension towards to bestow upon.
Hence Peter says “grace to you” that is, the kindness coming to you.
1 Peter 1:11 (NKJV)
11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
The word “searching” as used here is translated from the Greek word “ereunaó” which means “examining into, in a search to know.”
..the Spirit of Christ who was IN them
Now, there is a little translation problem here. This would imply that the Old Testament prophets had the Spirit of Christ IN them, and this cannot be as the indwelling of the Spirit of God is a New Testament reality and is exclusive to same (John 14:26, John 16:12-15, 1 Corinthians 3:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16-27, 1 Corinthians 6:15-20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 2:19-22). Hence the need to observe this more closely.
Now, the word “in” as used here (1 Peter 1:11) is translated from the Greek word “en.” This word is unique as it carries a plethora of meanings in the Greek Lexicon, context would determine where a particular definition applies in a given text. It could either be: in, on, against, about or among in which case the translator from the Greek to English has a freedom or license of imputation.
If I were to re-translate this today, I’d pick “on” instead of the NKJV’s “in” as this makes more grammatical sense & fits in well with Old Testament verbiage.
Judges 3:10 (NKJV)
10 The Spirit of the Lord CAME UPON him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.
Judges 6:34 (NKJV)
34 But the Spirit of the Lord CAME UPON Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
1 Samuel 16:13 (NKJV)
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord CAME UPON David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
Ezekiel 11:5 (NKJV)
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord FELL UPON me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.
The Spirit of the Lord came UPON or ON these Old Testament folks as an enabling for them to stand in their offices as prophets and rulers of the people but the Spirit was never IN them — this is a post-Redemption reality.
So, back to 1 Peter 1:11
A better translation would be:
11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was ON them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
The influence of the Spirit UPON was that they spoke (utterance) concerning the Christ.
“..was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
The phrase “was indicating” was translated from the Greek word “déloó” which means “pointing into, like a flash light pointing to something.”
“Testified beforehand” (in vs. 11) is translated from the Greek word “promarturo.” It means “to predict, tell of a thing before it happens.”
So what did the Spirit speak of? Peter tells us
..the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
The word “sufferings” as used here is translated from “pathéma” which means “agony, passion, affliction.”
So, the Spirit testified of Christ Jesus. This pervades the searchings of the Old Testament prophets.
Revelation 19:10 (NKJV)
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS IS THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY.”
The spirit (or essence) of prophecy (spirit-inspired foretelling &forthtelling) is to testify of Christ.
The Spirit does not speak concerning the sufferings of Christ alone but the glories that follows as well (1 Peter 1:11)
Now, the NKJV got a more accurate translation of the word “glories” here. The KJV missed it when they translated same as “glory.”
Checking with the Greek Lexicon helps clear this grammatical issue. Beyond just quoting Greek & Hebrew words, we must understand that these words must be understood within their individual contexts. A blanket meaning is inevitably hazardous as words usually appear in different morphological formats in various Biblical texts. In translation, one must honour the tenses, moods, voices, numbers and even genders of the words being translated. Hence, A LOT of work is put into grammatical analysis in Bible hermeneutics.
Now, the word “glories” as used in the text under examination (1 Peter 1:11) is translated from the Greek word “doxa.” It appears in its accusative feminine PLURAL here. That is, it refers to more than one thing. The originals actually read:
“And the after THESE GLORIES”
So after Jesus’ death & burial, SEVERAL “glories” follow. We know without much information that the first following His death and burial is His Resurrection from the dead (Luke 24:25-26, Matthew 17:22-23, Acts 3:14-15, Acts 13:28-30, Acts 10:39-40, Romans 4:24, Romans 6:4, 9, Romans 8:11, Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:20, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:20, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Peter 1:18-21). But from what we see in 1 Peter 1, it doesn’t end there.
His death, burial and Resurrection are not in themselves the good news but what EXACTLY He accomplished via these acts. And that’s why the Epistles NEVER stop there; they show us the WHY of His death, burial and Resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
He died FOR sins, whose sins? Man’s! His burial and Resurrection were for man as well.
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Jesus did not need His death, burial and Resurrection. They were for us! Hence, the benefits thereof CANNOT and SHOULD NOT end with Him alone. Until we see the fruits (results) of same in man, it is not good news yet.
And that’s why the Prophets did not only search into the WHAT of the Saviour’s work in salvation, they also searched into the WHY. That is, the effects in the life of the believer today.
So, we can say that the Resurrection of Christ is A glory that followed accompanied by SEVERAL other glories but it is key to note that it is from the glory of His Resurrection that the others spring forth. The glories of the New Testament find their source in Him being raised from the dead.
(For a thorough treatment of this subject, get the teaching “What God Always Wanted” by Pastor Josh Banks.)
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2018.
