What Does 1 Peter 3:21 Mean in the King James?
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The deliverance baptism names is not skin made clean, but a good conscience answering toward God through resurrection.
THE MEANING
Baptism speaks of deliverance that is present now, while the verse refuses to locate that deliverance in washing dirt from the body. Its focus falls on the good conscience’s answer toward God and on Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The water marks a threshold; resurrection gives the image its living force.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that baptism’s meaning lies in outward washing. The verse locates it in the conscience’s answer toward God and in resurrection.
THE ROOT
σῴζει
sōzei
GROWS FROM
σωζ-
σωζ- (sōz-): make safe, rescue, preserve, carry through danger.
The Greek word translated “save” belongs to a family that speaks of making safe and carrying through, so deliverance remains audible in the verse. Here that deliverance is joined to a good conscience’s answer toward God and to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
ALSO GROWS
diasōzō: bring safely through
διασῴζω
The added διά keeps the sense of being carried through a danger, echoing deliverance through the water.
aposōzō: bring safely away; preserve
ἀποσῴζω
The added ἀπό gives the same root’s deliverance the sense of being brought away from danger.
ἐπερώτημα
eperōtēma
GROWS FROM
ἐρωτ-
ἐρωτ- (erōt-): ask, inquire, request, appeal.
The KJV’s “answer” is ἐπερώτημα (eperōtēma), from a word family centered on asking or inquiry; its shade can also be heard as an appeal. That gives the good conscience an active address toward God, rather than making baptism an outward washing.
ALSO GROWS
erōtaō: ask; request
ἐρωτάω
It shares the ἐρωτ- family and makes the asking sense beneath “answer” audible.
eperōtaō: ask; inquire
ἐπερωτάω
It uses the same root with ἐπί and reinforces the sense of an inquiry or appeal directed toward someone.
erōtēsis: inquiry; request
ἐρώτησις
This noun from the same family keeps the conscience’s response connected to asking or appealing.
βάπτισμα
baptisma
GROWS FROM
βαπτ-
βαπτ- (bapt-): dip, immerse.
“baptism” in this verse is baptisma. The word’s root carries the action of immersion. The verse distinguishes this immersion from removing dirt from the body and directs its meaning toward conscience, God, and resurrection.
ALSO GROWS
baptizō: dip; immerse
βαπτίζω
This verb gives the action behind the noun baptism.
baptismos: immersion; washing
βαπτισμός
This related noun shows how the same root can name an immersion or washing, while this verse specifies that bodily dirt removal is not its meaning here.
THE PATTERN
Water marks a crossing into deliverance, whose meaning reaches beyond bodily washing.
Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.THE THREAD
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.The Greek verb translated “were saved” in this verse is διεσώθησαν (diesōthēsan), from the same σώζω (sōzō) root as “save” in 3:21. Peter links being brought through the water there with baptism’s deliverance here, then names the conscience’s answer and resurrection as its meaning.
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