1 Peter 1:8
New International Version
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

New Living Translation
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

English Standard Version
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

Berean Standard Bible
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

Berean Literal Bible
whom not having seen you love, on whom now believing though not seeing you also exult with joy inexpressible and filled with glory,

King James Bible
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

New King James Version
whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

New American Standard Bible
and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

NASB 1995
and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

NASB 1977
and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Legacy Standard Bible
And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Amplified Bible
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not even see Him now, you believe and trust in Him and you greatly rejoice and delight with inexpressible and glorious joy,

Christian Standard Bible
Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy,

American Standard Version
whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Him whom you have not seen and yet you love, and in his faith you greatly rejoice with glorious joy which cannot be spoken,

Contemporary English Version
You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whom having not seen, you love: in whom also now, though you see him not, you believe: and believing shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorified;

English Revised Version
whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Although you have never seen Christ, you love him. You don't see him now, but you believe in him. You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words

Good News Translation
You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express,

International Standard Version
Though you have not seen him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

Literal Standard Version
whom, having not seen, you love, in whom, now believing [although] not seeing, you are glad with unspeakable joy and have been filled with glory,

Majority Standard Bible
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

New American Bible
Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

NET Bible
You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

New Revised Standard Version
Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

New Heart English Bible
whom not having seen you love; in whom, though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy inexpressible and full of glory--

Webster's Bible Translation
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory:

Weymouth New Testament
Him you love, though your eyes have never looked on Him. In Him, though at present you cannot see Him, you nevertheless trust, and triumph with a joy which is unspeakable and is crowned with glory,

World English Bible
whom, not having known, you love. In him, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory,

Young's Literal Translation
whom, not having seen, ye love, in whom, now not seeing and believing, ye are glad with joy unspeakable and glorified,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Living Hope
7so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.…

Cross References
John 20:29
Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Ephesians 3:19
of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

1 John 4:20
If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.


Treasury of Scripture

Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

having.

John 20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

2 Corinthians 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 5:7
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

ye love.

1 Peter 2:7
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

Song of Solomon 1:7
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

Song of Solomon 5:9,16
What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? …

believing.

1 Peter 1:6
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

Habakkuk 3:17,18
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: …

Acts 16:34
And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

unspeakable.

John 16:22
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 12:4
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

full.

1 Peter 5:4
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

2 Corinthians 1:22
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

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Believe Believing Crowned Exalted Exult Eyes Faith Filled Full Gives Glorious Glory Greater Greatly Him Inexpressible Joy Love Nevertheless Present Rejoice Triumph Trust Unspeakable Unutterable Words
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Believe Believing Crowned Exalted Exult Eyes Faith Filled Full Gives Glorious Glory Greater Greatly Him Inexpressible Joy Love Nevertheless Present Rejoice Triumph Trust Unspeakable Unutterable Words
1 Peter 1
1. Peter praises God for his manifold spiritual graces;
10. showing that the salvation in Christ the fulfillment of prophesy;
13. and exhorts them accordingly to be holy.














(8) Whom, having not seen.--Said in contrast to the word "revelation" in the last verse: "whom you love already, though He is not yet revealed, so that you have not as yet seen Him." There seems to be a kind of tender pity in the words, as spoken by one who himself had seen so abundantly (Acts 4:20; Acts 10:41; 2Peter 1:16). In this and the following verse we return again from the sorrow to the joy, and to the true cause of that joy, which is only to be found in the love of Jesus Christ. There is another reading, though not so good either in sense or in authority, "whom, without knowing Him, ye love." Bengel remarks that this is intended for a paradox, sight and knowledge being the usual parents of love.

Ye love.--The word of calm and divinely-given attachment, in fact the usual word in the New Testament, that which Christ used in questioning the writer (John 20:15), not the word of warm human friendship with which St. Peter then answered Him.

In whom.--To be construed, not with "ye rejoice," but with "believing." The participles give the grounds of the rejoicing: "because at present without seeing ye believe in Him none the less, therefore ye rejoice." The word "rejoice" takes us back to 1Peter 1:6 : "ye greatly rejoice, I repeat." Notice, again, the stress laid on faith: we have already had it three times mentioned. St. Peter, whose own faith gained him his name and prerogative, is, at least, as much the Apostle of faith as St. Paul is, though his conception of it, perhaps, slightly differs from St. Paul's. The definition given by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:1) might have been, perhaps was, drawn from a study of St. Peter's writings. Our present verse gives us the leading thought of "faith" as it appears in both of these works addressed to Hebrews, viz., its being the opposite of sight, "the evidence of things not seen," rather than as the opposite of works. And the main object of both these Epistles is to keep the Hebrews from slipping back from internal to external religion, i.e., to strengthen faith. (Comp. Hebrews 3:12.) The Apostle is full of admiration for a faith which (unlike his own) was not based on sight. (See John 20:29--an incident which may have been in the writer's mind.) . . .

Verse 8. - Whom having not seen, ye love. Some ancient manuscripts read οὐκ εἰδότες, "although ye know him not:" but the reading ἰδόντες is best supported, and gives the better sense. The Christians of Asia Minor had not seen the gracious face of the Lord, as St. Peter had. But though they had never known him after the flesh, they knew him by the inner knowledge of spiritual communion, and, having learned to love him, had attained the blessing promised to those who had not seen, but yet had believed. St. Peter may possibly be thinking of his well-remembered interview with the risen Lord (John 21:15-17). He has here the word ἀγαπᾶν, expressive of reverential love, which Christ had used in his first two questions; not the word of warm human affection (φιλεῖν ) which he himself had employed in his three answers. In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. The words, "in whom" (εἰς ὅν, literally, "on whom now not looking, but believing"), are to be taken with the participles "seeing" and "believing," not with "ye rejoice." St. Peter insists on the necessity and blessedness of faith as earnestly as St. Paul does, though with him the antithesis is rather between faith and sight than between faith and works. As a tact, St. Peter's readers had never seen the Lord; now, though not seeing him with the outward eye, they realized his presence by faith, and in that presence they rejoiced. The verb is that used in ver. 6 - they rejoiced greatly, they exulted, and that though they saw him not. Human love needs the seen presence of the beloved one to complete the fullness of its joy (2 John 12); but their joy was even amid afflictions unspeakable - like all our deepest and holiest feelings, not to be expressed in words; and it was glorified by the unseen presence of Christ. His chosen behold even now, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, and, beholding, are changed into the same image from glory to glory. Joy in the Lord is a foretaste of the joy of heaven, and is irradiated by glimpses of the glory that shall be revealed. Others, as Huther and Alford, again give to the verb ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, "ye rejoice," a quasi-future sense. The word for "unspeakable" (ἀνεκλαλητός) is found only here.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[Though] you have not seen
ἰδόντες (idontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

[Him],
ὃν (hon)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

you love [Him];
ἀγαπᾶτε (agapate)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 25: To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.

[and though] you do not see
ὁρῶντες (horōntes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

[Him]
ὃν (hon)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

now,
ἄρτι (arti)
Adverb
Strong's 737: Now, just now, at this moment. Adverb from a derivative of airo through the idea of suspension; just now.

you believe
πιστεύοντες (pisteuontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

in [Him]
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

and
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

rejoice
ἀγαλλιᾶσθε (agalliasthe)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 21: To exult, be full of joy. From agan and hallomai; properly, to jump for joy, i.e. Exult.

with an inexpressible
ἀνεκλαλήτῳ (aneklalētō)
Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 412: Unspeakable. Not spoken out, i.e. unutterable.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

glorious
δεδοξασμένῃ (dedoxasmenē)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1392: To glorify, honor, bestow glory on. From doxa; to render glorious.

joy,
χαρᾷ (chara)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5479: Joy, gladness, a source of joy. From chairo; cheerfulness, i.e. Calm delight.


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NT Letters: 1 Peter 1:8 Whom not having known you love (1 Pet. 1P iP i Pet)
1 Peter 1:7
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