1 Peter 4 · Verse 14

1 Peter 4:14

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

1 Peter 4:14, King James Version

1 Peter 4:14 in other translations

BSB	If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
WEB	If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.
ASV	If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are ye; because the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God resteth upon you.
YLT	if ye be reproached in the name of Christ--happy are ye, because the Spirit of glory and of God upon you doth rest; in regard, indeed, to them, he is evil-spoken of, and in regard to you, he is glorified;
DARBY	If ye are reproached in the name of Christ, blessed are ye; for the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God rests upon you: on their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.
BBE	If men say evil things of you because of the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you.
Webster	If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

What does 1 Peter 4:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

14. for--Greek, "IN the name of Christ," namely, as Christians (1Pe 4:16; 3:14, above); "in My name, because ye belong to Christ." The emphasis lies on this: 1Pe 4:15, "as a murderer, thief," &c., stands in contrast. Let your suffering be on account of Christ, not on account of evil-doing (1Pe 2:20). reproached--Reproach affects noble minds more than loss of goods, or even bodily sufferings. the spirit ... upon you--the same Spirit as rested on Christ (Lu 4:18). "The Spirit of glory" is His Spirit, for He is the "Lord of glory" (Jas 2:1). Believers may well overcome the "reproach" (compare He 11:26), seeing that "the Spirit of glory" rests upon them, as upon Him. It cannot prevent the happiness of the righteous, if they are reproached for Christ, because they retain before God their glory entire, as having the Spirit, with whom glory is inseparably joined [Calvin]. and of God--Greek, "and the (Spirit) of God"; implying that the Spirit of glory (which is Christ's Spirit) is at the same time also the Spirit of God. on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified--omitted in the two oldest Greek manuscripts and Syriac and Coptic versions, but supported by one very old manuscript, Vulgate, Sahidic, Cyprian, &c. "Evil spoken of," literally, "blasphemed"; not merely do they "speak against you," as in 1Pe 3:16, but blasphemously mock Christ and Christianity itself.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye. That is, in his cause, or on his account. Mt 5:11. The sense of the word happy here is the same as blessed in Mt 5:3,4, etc. It means that they were to regard their condition or lot as a blessed one; not that they would find personal and positive enjoyment on being reproached and vilified. It would be a blessed condition, because it would be like that of their Saviour; would show that they were his friends; would be accompanied with rich spiritual influences in the present world; and would be followed by the rewards of heaven.

For the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. The glorious and Divine Spirit. There is no doubt that there is reference here to the Holy Spirit; and the meaning is, that they might expect that that Spirit would rest upon them, or abide with them, if they were persecuted for the cause of Christ. There may be some allusion here, in the language, to the fact that the Spirit of God descended and abode on the Saviour at his baptism, (Jn 1:33;) and, in like manner, they might hope to have the same Spirit resting on them. The essential idea is, that, if they were called to suffer in the cause of the Redeemer, they would not be left or forsaken. They might hope that God would impart his Spirit to them in proportion to their sufferings in behalf of religion, and that they would have augmented joy and peace. This is doubtless the case with those who suffer persecution, and this is the secret reason why they are so sustained in their trials. Their persecutions are made the reason of a much more copious effusion of the Spirit on their souls. The same principle applies, doubtless, to all the forms of trial which the children of God pass through; and in sickness, bereavement, loss of property, disappointment in their worldly plans, and death itself, they may hope that larger measures of the Spirit's influences will rest upon them. Hence it is often gain to the believer to suffer.

On their part. So far as they are concerned; or by them.

He is evil spoken of. That is, the Holy Spirit. They only blaspheme him, (Greek;) they reproach his sacred influences by their treatment of you and your religion.

But on your part he is glorified. By your manner of speaking of him, and by the honour done to him in the patience evinced in your trials, and in your purity of life.

(f) "If ye be" Mt 5:11

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ - To be reproached for the name of Christ is to be reproached for being a Christian, that is, for being like Christ. This is the highest honor to which any man can arrive in this world, and therefore the apostle says to such? Happy are ye. The Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you - As this Divine Spirit rested upon Jesus, so does it rest upon his persecuted followers. There is a various reading here, και δυναμεως, and of power, which is found in some of the chief MSS., (the Codex Alexandrinus, and above twenty others), the later Syriac, all the Arabic, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, some copies of the Itala, Athanasius, Theophylact, Cyprian, and Cassiodorus; and in them the whole verse reads thus: If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory, And of Power, and of God, resteth upon you. This is agreeable to our Lord's words, Mat 5:11, Mat 5:12. So that what constituted them unhappy in the sight of the world was their chief happiness in the sight of God; they carried Christ the fountain of blessedness in their heart, and therefore could not be unhappy. On their part he is evil spoken of - Κατα μεν αυτους βλασφημειται, κατα δε ὑμας δοξαζεται· By them he is blasphemed, by you he is honored.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Peter 4:12-19

By patience and fortitude in suffering, by dependence on the promises of God, and keeping to the word the Holy Spirit hath revealed, the Holy Spirit is glorified; but by the contempt and reproaches cast upon believers, he is evil spoken of, and is blasphemed. One would think such cautions as these were needless to Christians. But their enemies falsely charged them with foul crimes. And even the best of men need to…

Read the full comment on 1 Peter 4:12-19 →

1 Peter 4:14 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

εἰeiIfG1487

ὀνειδίζεσθεoneidizestheyou are insultedG3679

ἐνeninG1722

ὀνόματιonomati[the] nameG3686

Χριστοῦ,Christouof Christ,G5547

μακάριοι·makarioi[you are] blessed;G3107

ὅτιhotibecauseG3754

τὸto<the>G3588

τῆςtēs<the>G3588

δόξηςdoxēsof gloryG1391

καὶkaiandG2532

τὸto<the>G3588

τοῦtou<the>G3588

θεοῦtheouof GodG2316

πνεῦμαpneuma[the] SpiritG4151

ἐφ᾽eph᾽uponG1909

ὑμᾶςhumasyouG4771

ἀναπαύεταιanapauetairestsG373

κατὰkataaccording toG2596

μὲνmenindeedG3303

αὐτοὺςautousthemG846

βλασφημεῖταιblasphēmeitaihe is blasphemedG987

κατὰkataaccording toG2596

δὲdehoweverG1161

ὑμᾶςhumasyouG4771

δοξάζεται.¶doxazetaihe is honored.G1392

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Peter 4:14

1 Peter 3:14
But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
Luke 6:22
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Matthew 5:11
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
1 Peter 3:16
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Psalms 146:5
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
1 Peter 2:19-20
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
2 Corinthians 12:10
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Isaiah 51:7
Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
John 15:21
But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Psalms 89:51
Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
2 Kings 2:15
And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

ye be.
2:19,20; 3:14,16
reproached.
4,5; Ps 49:9; 89:51; Isa 51:7; Mt 5:11; Lu 6:22; Joh 7:47-52; 8:48
Joh 9:28,34; 2Co 12:10
happy.
1Ki 10:8; Ps 32:1,2; 146:5; Jas 1:12; 5:11
for.
Nu 11:25,26; 2Ki 2:15; Isa 11:2
on.
Ac 13:45; 18:6; 2Pe 2:2
but.
2:12; 3:16; Mt 5:16; Ga 1:24; 2Th 1:10-12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1 Peter 4:14
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1 Peter 4:15
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

Read all of 1 Peter 4

1 Peter 4:14 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Si sois vituperados en el nombre de Cristo, sois bienaventurados; porque la gloria y el Espíritu de Dios reposan sobre vosotros. Cierto, según ellos, él es blasfemado, mas según vosotros es glorificado.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Si vous êtes insultés pour le nom de Christ, vous êtes bienheureux, car l’Esprit de gloire et de Dieu repose sur vous: de leur part, il est blasphémé, mais quant à vous, glorifié.
German Elberfelder 1871	Wenn ihr im Namen Christi geschmäht werdet, glückselig seid ihr! denn der Geist der Herrlichkeit und der Geist Gottes ruht auf euch. Bei ihnen freilich wird er verlästert, bei euch aber wird er verherrlicht.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Si exprobramini in nomine Christi, beati eritis: quoniam quod est honoris, gloriæ, et virtutis Dei, et qui est ejus Spiritus, super vos requiescit.