Understanding 1 peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

sober-  means Keep your appetites and passions under proper restraint  it and refers to a sound mind . Sound mind means a saved mind or delivered mind .
in other words this describes a mind that has been set free and is thinking correctly sensible thinking.

vigilant - Watchful against the subtle and malicious designs of your spiritual enemies.
Awake, and keep awake; sleep no more; be this your care, while you cast your temporal and anxious cares on God.

Peter himself suffered for want of the wakeful vigilance which he here recommends

The name devil is taken from the Greek word (diabolos) . it is a compound of the words dia and balos . Dia means through and carries the idea of penetration.

The word balos is taken from the word ballo, which means I throw, as in throwing a ball or a rock. when the two words are compounded, the new word depicts the act of repeatedly throwing a ball or rock against something until it penetrates that barrier and breaks through to the other side.

his mode of operation is found in the meaning of his name which means that he is one who continually strikes and strikes and strikes again beating against the walls of people's minds over and over again - until he breaks through and penetrates their thought process .


The enemy of both God and man is called Satan which is taken from the Hebrew word (shatana) and means to hate and to accuse  and also carries with it the idea of slander and false accusation.


Roaring lion- fierce and hungry,  full of rage

Walketh about - Watching for an opportunity to insnare and destroy you

Seeking- With all subtlety

Whom he may  - assault with the greatest likelihood of success,