But here is the problem, these are not "lost souls" of human beings. The Greek word used in the verse is 'pneumasin' [Strong's Greek 4151] which is used in the New Testament to refer to angels (Hebrews 1:14), demons (Mark 1:23), the spirit of Jesus (Matthew 27:50), and the Holy Spirit (John 14:17). While the Bible makes it clear that human beings have the 'breath (of God)' His spirit or 'psuche' [Strong's Greek 5590] the Bible never refers to human beings as “spirits” or 'pneumasin'. We have a 'breath (of God)' or 'psuche' which makes us a living soul, but we are not spirits. God the Father, the Holy Spirit, angels, and demons do not have a spirit; they are spirits. So the standard meaning of the word spirits in the phrase “spirits in prison” shows that the spirits being something other than human beings.

If the spirits in prison are not the spirits of deceased human beings, and we know that the Holy Spirit is not imprisoned, and that God’s holy angels are not imprisoned, that leaves us with one option—the spirits in prison are demons, fallen angels.

So if you look at where the word 'pneumasin' is used in the scriptures and compare, 1 Peter 3:19 declares, “. . . He went and preached to the spirits in prison…” Who were these “spirits in prison,” it has in the the Greek 'tois en phulake pneumasin', or "the in prison spirits", they are 'pneumasin'. Lets look at the other use of pneumasin':

Luke 4:36
They were all amazed and began to say to one another, “What’s happening here? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits (pneumasin), and they come out!”


1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits (pneumasin) and doctrines of devils

So now you see what spirits (pneumasin) Peter is talking about, it refers to 'pneumasin', which are evil spirits (fallen angels).

Mt 5:3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit 4151: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mt 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit 4151 indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.

Mk 2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit 4151 that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

Mk 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit 4151, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

Mk 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit 4151 truly [is] ready, but the flesh [is] weak.

Lk 1:47 And my spirit 4151 hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Lk 8:55 And her spirit 4151 came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

Lk 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit 4151 ye are of.

Jn 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost 4151.

1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits 4151 in prison;

"Spirits In Prison
Please explain 1 Peter 3:18-20 where it speaks of Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison.

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

- 1 Peter 3:18-20


There has been considerable misunderstanding of these verses of Scripture. It has been preached that Christ actually descended into the lower regions of the earth and preached to lost souls who were in prison in some type of purgatory or limbo. This is very far from what the text actually says. Let's look at it closely now and get the real message of these verses. It says, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins ... that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached ..."

First of all, notice how Christ preached to those spirits in prison. He did it by the Spirit, and that word is capitalized in your Bible. It actually refers to the Holy Spirit. So whatsoever Christ did in preaching during this period of time, He did it through or by the Holy Spirit.

With that in view, let's ask this: "When was the preaching done?" The answer is plainly given in verse 20: "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." So the preaching was actually done while the ark was being built -- during the preaching of Noah to that antediluvian world. Now, one more question: "To whom was the preaching done?" The text says here "unto the spirits in prison." Throughout the Bible we find this terminology used in describing those who are bound in the prison house of sin. David prayed, "Bring my soul out of prison, ..." (Psalm 142:7).

Paul spoke of his experience in these words, "bringing me into captivity to the law of sin." What Peter is telling us here is simply that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, was present while Noah preached; Christ was there through the Holy Spirit to speak conviction to their hearts and appeal to them to come into the ark. There is absolutely nothing in this text to indicate that Jesus left His body during the time He was dead to go to any subterranean place to minister to wicked spirits. The three questions are clearly answered in the text itself: (1) that He preached by the Holy Spirit, (2) He did it while the ark was preparing, and (3) He did it to the spirits in prison, or to those individuals whose sinful lives were bound in the prison house of sin."
http://www.helltruth.com/q-a/spirits-in-prison.aspx

But I think they are missing the point, I think the question here is really is it about "lost souls" or "fallen angels". If it is about "lost souls" then it goes against all the many verses in scripture that clearly show that the dead know nothing and scripture does not present the human soul (nepeš) or spirit (rûah) as immortal before the resurrection. Now if they are "fallen angels", then there is no conflict with what scripture gives us on the state of the dead.

So we see the word employed in various senses in the Bible and so the context has to be taken in to understand exactly what it is trying to convey.

The word used in 1 Peter 3:18-20, is 'pneumasin' which is many spirits. Then the context tells us they are not good spirits as otherwise they would not be in prison and 2 Peter 2:4 supports this context.

King James 2 Peter 2:4
'For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;'

and so does Jude 1:6
'And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.'

So in this context they are not the spirit or soul of a human being or one spirit or many holy angels, but of many fallen or evil angels.

"The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psalm 14:2-3)

"And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:17)

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1)

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:23-24)

25:35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?
25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]?
25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Does the word "spirits" in these verses refer to angels or to men?