the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you
The prophets mentioned here are the Old Testament prophets who spoke of the coming Messiah and the grace that would be revealed through Him. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel provided glimpses of the future salvation and the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Isaiah 53, for example, vividly describes the suffering servant, a prophecy of Jesus' sacrificial death. The grace to come refers to the unmerited favor of God, which is a key aspect of the New Testament gospel message.

searched and investigated carefully
This phrase highlights the diligent efforts of the prophets to understand the revelations they received. They were aware that their prophecies had a future fulfillment beyond their own time. The prophets sought to comprehend the timing and circumstances of the Messiah's coming and the salvation He would bring (Daniel 9:2). Their careful investigation underscores the continuity and unity of Scripture, as the Old Testament prophecies find their fulfillment in the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ.

“Concerning this salvation” (1 Peter 1:10) reaches back to verses 3–9, where Peter celebrates the new birth, living hope, and imperishable inheritance secured by Jesus’ resurrection.

• Salvation is a completed act in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9) yet fully revealed “in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).

• It rescues from sin’s penalty (Romans 5:9), empowers holy living now (Titus 2:11–12), and guarantees everlasting joy (Hebrews 2:3).

• Every aspect flows from God’s initiative, underscoring grace, not human effort.

“The prophets who foretold” points to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and the rest who spoke under divine inspiration.

• God “spoke through the prophets long ago” (Hebrews 1:1–2), revealing Christ in advance (Acts 3:18).

• On the Emmaus road, Jesus showed that “Moses and all the Prophets” testified about Him (Luke 24:25–27).

• Prophecy confirms Scripture’s unity and reliability (2 Peter 1:20–21).

“The grace to come to you” identifies the Messiah’s saving work now enjoyed by Peter’s readers—and by every believer.

• John writes, “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

• Through Christ’s sacrifice, “the gift is not like the trespass” but abounds to many (Romans 5:15).

• Even Gentiles stand “saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11), fulfilling God’s promise to bless all nations.

They “searched and investigated” because the Spirit gave them glimpses that stirred holy curiosity.

• Daniel pored over Jeremiah’s writings to understand the exile’s end (Daniel 9:2).

• When his own visions puzzled him, he asked for insight (Daniel 12:8–9).

• Proverbs declares, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search it out is the glory of kings” (Proverbs 25:2).

• Their diligent study models how believers should mine Scripture (Psalm 119:162; 2 Timothy 2:15).

“Carefully” underscores the intensity of their effort.

• They sought with the determination of those who “search for it as for hidden treasure” (Proverbs 2:4–5).

• The Spirit now “reveals the deep things of God” to us as well (1 Corinthians 2:10).

• God rewards those who “earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6), inviting present-day readers to the same thoughtful pursuit.

• Salvation is God’s gracious, comprehensive rescue, celebrated in 1 Peter 1.

• Old-Testament prophets, moved by the Spirit, foretold Christ’s redemptive grace.

• Though they lived centuries earlier, they studied their revelations with passionate care, longing to grasp the fullness now experienced by believers.

• Their example invites Christians to treasure Scripture, confident in its accuracy and eager to explore its riches with the same careful devotion.

(10) Of which salvation.--The "of" stands for "concerning," "with regard to"; and the salvation which formed the subject of investigation to the prophets was the present deliverance of the believing soul from sin and gloom, as well as the salvation yet future. It is difficult not to believe that the song of Zacharias was in St. Peter's mind when he thus wrote; the theme of that song is precisely the glory of present salvation through Christ, and the fulfilment of prophecy thereby: "Blessed be the Lord God . . . who hath raised up a horn of salvation for us . . ., as He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets,--salvation from our enemies . . ., that we might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days; and thou too, little child, shalt be called a prophet . . . to give knowledge of salvation unto His people."

Have enquired and searched diligently.--Rather, did inquire; for our present version tends to convey the notion that the prophetic writings which we now possess are the result of the inquiry. This would be wrong. Calvin rightly says: "When he states that the prophets inquired and examined, this refers not to their writings or teaching, but to the private longing with which each was fired." In fact, St. Peter goes on to say that the writings which the Holy Spirit impelled them to make were actually the text on which their longings were the comment: they endeavoured to understand what they themselves had written. The two Greek words give a much more lively picture than the English, of the intense eagerness of the search, and of the depth to which it penetrated. If these great prophets took such pains to understand our present salvation, we ought to take heed not to "let it slip." Precisely the same argument is used for precisely the same purpose by our Lord in Matthew 13:16-17.

Who prophesied of the grace.--This is a description of the prophetic scriptures. The whole subject of the Old Testament is the bounty of God under the New; and this was what the prophets tried to realise.

The grace that should come unto you.--Perhaps the words in italics might be with advantage changed into, "the grace in reserve for you:" the word is the same as in 1Peter 1:4. "Grace" here seems to mean little more than "favour" or "bounty," not the ordinary theological sense. The "favour" consists in our salvation.

"Thoughts beyond their thoughts
To those high bards were given."

(Christian Year.') (Compare the song of Zacharias, Luke 1:68-79.) Who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you? He defines the prophets, of whom he speaks as those who prophesied of the favor of God manifested in the redemption of mankind through his blessed Son. "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). St. Paul loved to dwell on the grace of God; so did St. Peter.

Parallel Commentaries ...