1 Peter 1:22
in 1 Peter 1Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:
KJV
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
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This verse in 1 Peter 1
Commentary
10 notes on this verseSeeing ye have purified your souls - Having purified your souls, in obeying the truth - by believing in Christ Jesus, through the influence and teaching of the Spirit; and giving full proof of it by unfeigned love to the brethren; ye love one another, or ye will love each other, with a pure heart fervently.
This site's exposition
Since you have purified your souls
Souls purified by obedience produce a genuine love for your brothers, and the command then doubles it: love one another deeply, from a pure heart. The word for deeply, ektenos, means stretched out, love as sustained effort.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit. Love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. "Love one another …
Why does Peter talk about purifying our souls but says nothing about the body? The reason for this is that true purity comes from within. If the soul is clean, the body will be cleansed as well.
"Do you only keep your house pure, as they will delight to dwell in a pure abode. For they are pure, and chaste, and industrious, and have all influence with the Lord. Therefore, if they find your house to be pure, they will remain with you; but if any defilement, even a little, befall it, they will immediately withdraw from your house. For these virgins do not at all like any defilement." I said to him, "I hope, sir, that I will please them, so that they may always be willing to inhabit my house.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Having said that Christians are born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which lives and abides forever, the apostle sets before their eyes the insignificance and extreme fragility of human glory, thereby urging the listener to hold more …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth, John xvii. This word, as it is pointed in our translation, is referred to what goes before it, and denotes the end of sanctification, which is, to bring rebellious sinners to obedience again, to universal obedience, to obey the truth and gospel of Christ: You have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit,
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Seeing ye have purified your souls,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
purified . . . in obeying the truth--Greek, "in your (or 'the') obedience of (that is, 'to') the truth (the Gospel way of salvation)," that is, in the fact of your believing. Faith purifies the heart as giving it the only pure motive, love to God (Ac 15:9; Ro 1:5, "obedience to the faith"). through the Spirit--omitted in the oldest manuscripts.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Seeing ye have purified your souls - Greek, “Having purified your souls.” The apostles were never afraid of referring to human agency as having an important part in saving the soul Compare 1Co 4:15. No one is made pure without personal intention or effort - any more than one becomes accomplished or learned without personal exertion. One of the leading effects of the agency of the Holy Spirit is to excite us to make efforts for our own salvation; and there is no true piety which is not the fair result of culture, as really as the learning of a Person, or the harvest of the farmer. The amount of effort which we make “in purifying our souls” is usually also the measure of our attainments in religion. No one can expect to have any true piety beyond the amount of effort which he makes to be conformed to God, any more than one can expect wealth, or fame, or learning, without exertion. In obeying the truth - That is, your yielding to the requirements of truth, and to its fair influence on your minds, has been the means of your becoming pure. The truth here referred to is, undoubtedly, that which is revealed in the gospel - the great system of truth respecting the redemption of the world. Through the Spirit - By the agency of the Holy Spirit. It is his office to apply truth to the mind; and however precious the truth may be, and however adapted to secure certain results on the soul, it will never produce those effects without the influences of the Holy Spirit. Compare Tit 3:5-6; the notes at Joh 3:5. Unto unfeigned love of the brethren - The effect of the influence of the Holy Spirit in applying the truth has been to produce sincere love to all who are true Christians. Compare the Joh 13:34 note; 1Th 4:9 note. See also 1Jn 3:14-18. See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently - Compare the Heb 13:1 note; Joh 13:34-35 notes; Eph 5:2 note. […]
The words behind it
18 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Τὰς | tas | The | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ψυχὰς | psuchas | souls | G5590 → | 103 times |
| ὑμῶν | humon | of you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| ἡγνικότες | hegnikotes | having purified | G48 → | |
| ἐν | en | by | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῇ | tea | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὑπακοῇ | hupakoea | obedience | G5218 → | 14 times |
| τῆς | tes | to the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀληθείας | aletheias | truth | G225 → | |
| εἰς | eis | unto | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| φιλαδελφίαν | philadelphian | brotherly love | G5360 → | |
| ἀνυπόκριτον | anupokriton | sincere | G505 → | |
| ἐκ | ek | out of | G1537 → | 911 times |
| καθαρᾶς | katharas | purity | G2513 → | |
| καρδίας | kardias | of heart | G2588 → | 156 times |
| ἀλλήλους | allelous | one another | G240 → | 100 times |
| ἀγαπήσατε | agapesate | do love | G25 → | 143 times |
| ἐκτενῶς· | ektenos | fervently; | G1619 → |
ΤὰςThe
tasG3588 →19766 times
ψυχὰςsouls
psuchasG5590 →103 times
ὑμῶνof you
humonG4771 →2973 times
ἡγνικότεςhaving purified
hegnikotesG48 →
ἐνby
enG1722 →2738 times
τῇ<the>
teaG3588 →19766 times
ὑπακοῇobedience
hupakoeaG5218 →14 times
τῆςto the
tesG3588 →19766 times
ἀληθείαςtruth
aletheiasG225 →
εἰςunto
eisG1519 →1755 times
φιλαδελφίανbrotherly love
philadelphianG5360 →
ἀνυπόκριτονsincere
anupokritonG505 →
ἐκout of
ekG1537 →911 times
καθαρᾶςpurity
katharasG2513 →
καρδίαςof heart
kardiasG2588 →156 times
ἀλλήλουςone another
allelousG240 →100 times
ἀγαπήσατεdo love
agapesateG25 →143 times
ἐκτενῶς·fervently;
ektenosG1619 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Peter 3:8Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
it leads to
- Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
- Ephesians 4:31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
- Philippians 4:8–9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Romans 12:10
Through
1 Timothy 1:5The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 1:19
holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.
- Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- 1 Timothy 1:19
Through
Hebrews 13:1Continue in brotherly love.
it leads to
- 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.
- 1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
- 1 John 4:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies31
On this verse
On this chapter
- Ammon
- Born of the Spirit
- Clean and Unclean
- Eternal Security, and the Five Warnings of Hebrews
- Fire
- Holiness and Purity
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About 1 Peter

This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Hilary of Arles, INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on 1 Peter; Shepherd of Hermas, Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 10 and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Peter.
