1 Peter study section

1 Peter word studies

A handful of Greek words carry the theology of 1 Peter. Tap the speaker next to any word to hear it pronounced.

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Key words

ἐλπίς (elpis): “Hope”

Usage: 1 Peter 1:3, 13, 21; 3:15

Meaning: Hope: confident expectation of future good, grounded in God’s promise.

Theological Significance: Believers are born again to “a living elpis” through Christ’s resurrection, a hope so real that suffering saints must be ready to explain it. This hope, set fully on God’s grace and inheritance, sustains them through every trial (1 Peter 1:3, 13; 3:15).

παρεπίδημος (parepidēmos): “Sojourner, Exile”

Usage: 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11

Meaning: A sojourner, temporary resident, exile, one living away from home in a foreign land.

Theological Significance: Believers are parepidēmoi, strangers whose true home is heaven, living for a time in a hostile world. This identity frees them from bondage to the world’s approval and calls them to honorable, distinct living as pilgrims (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11; Hebrews 11:13).

ἅγιος (hagios): “Holy”

Usage: 1 Peter 1:15-16; 2:9; 3:5

Meaning: Holy, set apart, consecrated; morally pure.

Theological Significance: “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” Ransomed by Christ, God’s people are “a holy nation,” set apart to reflect His character and live differently from the world (1 Peter 1:15-16; 2:9; Leviticus 19:2).

πάσχω (paschō): “To Suffer”

Usage: 1 Peter 2:19-23; 3:14, 17-18; 4:1, 13, 19

Meaning: To suffer, undergo pain or hardship.

Theological Significance: Paschō is a keynote of 1 Peter. Christ paschō for sins as our example and sin-bearer, and believers who paschō for righteousness share His sufferings and will share His glory, entrusting themselves to God while doing good (1 Peter 2:21; 4:13; Romans 8:17).

ποιμαίνω (poimainō): “To Shepherd”

Usage: 1 Peter 5:2

Meaning: To shepherd, tend, care for a flock; the work of a pastor.

Theological Significance: Elders are to poimainō God’s flock, leading, feeding, and guarding it willingly and humbly as examples, under “the chief Shepherd,” Christ, who will reward them. Shepherding reflects the care of Christ Himself for His people (1 Peter 5:2-4; John 21:16; Ezekiel 34).

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