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1 Peter 4 · a question people ask

"Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you to test you" (4:12). What does the letter tell them to do instead?

In the text

The next verse begins with But: "But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy." (4:13). These notes don't say what the readers' fiery trial was, or why any trial comes.

The verses

“Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you. But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy.”
1 Peter 4:12-13 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 1 Peter 4

1 Peter 4: Good managers of grace

In 1 Peter 4, think it is strange (4:4) and be astonished (4:12) have one Greek verb behind them, and the chapter that opens with Christ who "suffered" (4:1) closes with those "who suffer according to the will of God" (4:19).

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Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions