1 Peter 5:8

Contextual Overview

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁸ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.⁸Keep your head on a swivel and pay attention. The outlaw, the devil, stalks you every minute of every day like a hungry lion. ⁸ Be serious and keep watch; the Evil One, who is against you, goes about like a lion with open mouth in search of food; ⁸ Be vigilant, watch. Your adversary [the] devil as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour. ⁸ Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁸ for your adversary the devil, walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: ⁸ Curb every passion, and be on the alert. Your great accuser, the Devil, is going about like a roaring lion to see whom he can devour. ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant: because your aduersary the deuill, as a roaring Lion walketh about, seeking whom he may deuoure.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sober: 1 Peter 1:13, 1 Peter 4:7, Matthew 24:48-50, Luke 12:45, Luke 12:46, Luke 21:34, Luke 21:36, Romans 13:11-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, 1 Timothy 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:15, 1 Timothy 3:2, 1 Timothy 3:11, Titus 1:8, Titus 2:2, Titus 2:4, Titus 2:6, Titus 2:12

your: Esther 7:6, Job 1:6, Job 2:2, Psalms 109:6, *marg. Isaiah 50:8, Zechariah 3:1, Luke 22:31

the devil: Matthew 4:1, Matthew 4:11, Matthew 13:39, Matthew 25:41, John 8:44, Ephesians 4:27, Ephesians 6:11, James 4:7, 1 John 3:8-10, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 20:2, Revelation 20:10

as: Judges 14:5, Psalms 104:21, Proverbs 19:12, Proverbs 20:2, Isaiah 5:29, Isaiah 5:30, Isaiah 14:12, Isaiah 14:13, Jeremiah 2:15, Jeremiah 51:38, Ezekiel 19:7, Hosea 11:10, Joel 3:16, Amos 1:2, Amos 3:4, Amos 3:8, Zechariah 11:3, 2 Timothy 4:17, Revelation 12:12

walketh: Job 1:7, Job 2:2

devour: Ezekiel 22:25, Daniel 6:24, Hosea 13:8

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 4:9 - set a watch Psalms 7:2 - like Psalms 17:4 - destroyer Psalms 17:12 - Like Psalms 22:13 - as a Psalms 22:21 - me from Proverbs 28:15 - a roaring Isaiah 21:8 - General Matthew 6:13 - lead Matthew 12:43 - he Matthew 13:25 - enemy Matthew 24:42 - Watch Matthew 25:5 - they Matthew 25:13 - General Matthew 26:41 - Watch Mark 4:15 - Satan Mark 5:12 - General Mark 9:20 - the spirit Mark 13:33 - General Mark 14:34 - and watch Mark 14:38 - Watch Luke 8:33 - the herd Luke 9:39 - lo Luke 11:24 - he walketh Luke 12:41 - Lord Luke 22:32 - strengthen Luke 22:40 - Pray Acts 5:3 - why Acts 10:38 - who Romans 8:38 - nor Romans 12:3 - soberly 1 Corinthians 10:13 - hath 1 Corinthians 16:13 - Watch 2 Corinthians 1:24 - for 2 Corinthians 2:11 - General Ephesians 6:16 - the shield Hebrews 11:33 - stopped 1 Peter 4:18 - if 1 John 2:13 - because Revelation 2:10 - the devil Revelation 3:2 - watchful Revelation 12:4 - the dragon Revelation 12:17 - the dragon Revelation 13:2 - and his mouth

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be sober, be vigilant,.... The apostle had exhorted to each of these before; see 1 Peter 1:13 but thought fit to repeat them; sobriety and watchfulness being exceeding necessary and useful in the Christian life; and the one cannot well be without the other: unless a man is sober in body and mind, he will not be watchful, either over himself or others, or against the snares of sin, Satan, and the world; and if he is not on his watch and guard, he is liable to every sin and temptation. The Syriac version renders the words, "watch", and "be ye mindful", or "remember"; watch with diligence, care, and industry, keeping a good lookout, minding and observing everything that presents, and remembering the power and cunning of the enemy; and the Ethiopic version renders them thus, "be ye prudent, and cause your heart to understand"; referring them not to temperance of body, but sobriety of mind, and to a prudent conduct and behaviour, as having a subtle as well as a malicious enemy to deal with:

because your adversary the devil; he who is a defamer and calumniator; who accuses God to men, and men to God, and is therefore styled the accuser of the brethren; he is the saints' avowed and implacable enemy. Satan is an enemy to mankind in general, but more especially to the seed of the woman, to Christ personal, and to Christ mystical, to all the elect of God: the word here used is a forensic term, and signifies a court adversary, or one that litigates a point in law, or opposes another in an action or suit at law. The Jews c have adopted this word into their language, and explain it by בעל דין, "a law adversary", or one that has a suit of law depending against another. Satan accuses men of the breach of the law, and pleads that justice might take place, and punishment be inflicted, and which he pursues with great violence and diligence:

as a roaring lion; so called, both on account of his strength, and also because of his rage, malice, and cruelty, which he breathes out against the saints, who, though he cannot destroy them, will do all he can to terrify and affright them; so the young lions in

Psalms 104:21 are, by the Cabalistic Jews d, understood of devils; to which, for the above reasons, they may be truly compared:

walketh about; to and fro in the earth; see Job 1:7 as a lion runs about here and there, when almost famished with hunger; and it also denotes the insidious methods, wiles, and stratagems Satan takes to surprise men, and get an advantage of them: he takes a tour, and comes round upon them, upon the back of them, at an unawares, so that they have need to be always sober, and upon their guard:

seeking whom he may devour; this is the end of his walking about: and the like is expressed in the Targum on Job 1:7

"and Satan answered before the Lord, and said, from going about in the earth למבדק בעובדי, "to search into the works" of the children of men, and from walking in it;''

that so he might have something to accuse them of, and they fall a prey into his hands. This is the work he is continually employed in; he is always seeking to do mischief, either to the souls, or bodies, or estates of men, especially the former; though he can do nothing in either respect without a permission, not unless he "may"; and though this, with respect to body and estate, is sometimes granted, as in the case of Job, yet never with respect to the souls of any of God's elect, which are safe in Christ's hands, and out of his reach; this hinders not but that saints should be sober and watchful.

c Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 41. 4. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 82. fol. 41. 4. & Jarchi & Aruch in Mattanot Cehuna in ib. d Lex. Cabal. p. 231, 417.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be sober - While you cast your cares Upon God, and have no anxiety on that score, let your solicitude be directed to another point. Do not doubt that he is able and willing to support and befriend you, but be watchful against your foes. See the word used here fully explained in the notes at 1 Thessalonians 5:6.

Be vigilant - This word (γρηγορέω grēgoreō) is everywhere else in the New Testament rendered “watch.” See Matthew 24:42-43; Matthew 25:13; Matthew 26:38, Matthew 26:40-41. It means that we should exercise careful circumspection, as one does when he is in danger. In reference to the matter here referred to, it means that we are to be on our guard against the wiles and the power of the evil one.

Your adversary the devil - Your enemy; he who is opposed to you. Satan opposes man in his best interests. He resists his efforts to do good; his purposes to return to God; his attempts to secure his own salvation. There is no more appropriate appellation that can be given to him than to say that he resists all our efforts to obey God and to secure the salvation of our own souls.

As a roaring lion - Compare Revelation 12:12. Sometimes Satan is represented as transforming himself into an angel of light, (see the notes at 2 Corinthians 11:14); and sometimes, as here, as a roaring lion: denoting the efforts which he makes to alarm and overpower us. The lion here is not the crouching lion - the lion stealthfully creeping toward his foe - but it is the raging monarch of the woods, who by his terrible roar would intimidate all so that they might become an easy prey. The particular thing referred to here, doubtless, is persecution, resembling in its terrors a roaring lion. When error comes in; when seductive arts abound; when the world allures and charms the representation of the character of the foe is not of the roaring lion, but of the silent influence of an enemy that has clothed himself in the garb of an angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11:14.

Walketh about, seeking whom he may devour - “Naturalists have observed that a lion roars when he is roused with hunger, for then he is most fierce, and most eagerly seeks his prey. See Judges 14:5; Psalms 22:13; Jeremiah 2:15; Ezekiel 22:25; Hosea 11:10; Zephaniah 3:3; Zechariah 11:3“ - Benson.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 8. Be sober — Avoid drunkenness of your senses, and drunkenness in your souls; be not overcharged with the concerns of the world.

Be vigilant — Awake, and keep awake; be always watchful; never be off your guard; your enemies are alert, they are never off theirs.

Your adversary the devil — This is the reason why ye should be sober and vigilant; ye have an ever active, implacable, subtle enemy to contend with. He walketh about-he has access to you everywhere; he knows your feelings and your propensities, and informs himself of all your circumstances; only God can know more and do more than he, therefore your care must be cast upon God.

As a roaring lion — Satan tempts under three forms: 1. The subtle serpent; to beguile our senses, pervert our judgment, and enchant our imagination. 2. As an angel of light; to deceive us with false views of spiritual things, refinements in religion, and presumption on the providence and grace of God. 3. As a roaring lion; to bear us down, and destroy us by violent opposition, persecution, and death. Thus he was acting towards the followers of God at Pontus, c., who were now suffering a grievous persecution.

Walketh about — Traversing the earth a plain reference to Job 2:2, which see.

Seeking whom he may devour — τινψκαταπιη. Whom he may gulp down. It is not every one that he can swallow down: those who are sober and vigilant are proof against him, these he MAY NOT swallow down; those who are drunken with the cares of this world, c., and are unwatchful, these he MAY swallow down. There is a beauty in this verse, and a striking apposition between the first and last words, which I think have not been noticed: Be sober, νηψατε from νη, not, and πιειν to drink do not drink, do not swallow down: and the word καταπιη, from κατα, down, and πιειν, to drink. If you swallow strong drink down, the devil will swallow you down. Hear this, ye drunkards, topers, tipplers, or by whatsoever name you are known in society, or among your fellow sinners. Strong drink is not only the way to the devil, but the devil's way into you; and YE are such as the devil particularly MAY swallow down.