{Was the gospel preached} (eu(8867)gelisth(885c)). First aorist
passive indicative of euaggeliz(935c). Impersonal use. {Even to the
dead} (kai nekrois). Does Peter here mean preached to men after
they are dead or to men once alive but dead now or when the
judgment comes? There are those (Augustine, Luther, etc.) who
take "dead" here in the spiritual sense (dead in trespasses and
sins as in  Col 2:13  Eph 2:1 ), but consider it "impossible" for
Peter to use the same word in two senses so close together; but
Jesus did it in the same sentence, as in the case of psuch(885c)
(life) in  Mt 16:25 . Bigg takes it to mean that all men who did
not hear the gospel message in this life will hear it in the next
before the final judgment. {That they might be judged} (hina
krith(9373)in men). Purpose clause with hina and the first aorist
passive subjunctive of krin(935c), to judge, whereas z(9373)in de (by
contrast) is the present active subjunctive of za(935c), to live.
There is contrast also between kata anthr(9370)ous (according to
men) and kata theon (according to God).