Did Jesus Descend into Hell? (1 Peter 3:19–20 Commentary)
1 Peter 3 has a weird verse that sounds like Jesus went to hell, preached to spirits there, and got them to believe in Him. But after studying the verse more closely, I concluded that’s probably not the case. Here’s the verse:
“In the spirit Jesus went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not as the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
—1 Peter 3:19–21 NASB
That’s the NASB, which is the most accurate word-for-word translation. The sentence structure is hard to follow, but it sounds like Jesus’s spirit went to “prison” (hell?) and preached to some spirits who were disobedient during Noah’s time, and eight of them were somehow “brought safely through the water” (saved?).
That was my old way of interpreting this verse, but here are 3 reasons why I now believe that interpretation to be inaccurate.
1. The 8 People were Noah’s Family
After the word “ark,” it says “in which” the 8 people were saved. So the 8 people who were saved in this passage, were saved in the ark. The only people who were on the ark were Noah, his wife, his 3 sons, and their 3 wives (which totals to 8). Noah and his family were the 8 people (not spirits from hell).
2. Jesus’s Visit to the Spirits Took Place in Noah’s Time
Peter wrote that “Jesus went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison.” At first glance, that might seem like Jesus went to the prison to visit the spirits, but it could just mean that He visited those spirits when they walked the earth. I believe that’s what this verse is talking about. Jesus’s spirit tried to convince humanity to follow God during Noah’s day, but Noah was the only one who did.
3. Baptism Corresponds to This
Jesus spiritually pleaded with the people of Noah’s time, but only 8 depended on Jesus to bring them through the floodwaters to safety. In verse 21, Peter says that baptism “corresponds to this,” saving us today. Instead of trusting Jesus to bring us through floodwaters, we’re trusting Him to bring us through the water of baptism to safety. And baptism doesn’t save us by purifying our flesh, but it’s a spiritual appeal to God in the same way that Jesus saved Noah’s family in spirit.
Conclusion
This passage of 1 Peter is structured in a confusing way, which makes it seem like Jesus might have preached to spirits in hell, but the main point of the passage is that Jesus’s spirit pulled Noah out of the floodwaters to safety, and now He pulls us out of the water (baptism) to spiritual safety.
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