1 Peter 5:12
“Concluding Greetings and Benediction”1 Peter 5:12–14
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Bible text: King James Version with Strong's numbers · Public domain
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain
Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain
Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain
Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain
- ΔιὰDiaThroughG1223PREPPreposition
- ΣιλουανοῦSilouanouSilvanusG4610N-GSM-PNoun Genitive Singular Masculine Individual
- ὑμῖνhuminto youG4771P-2DPPersonal pronoun Dative 2nd Plural
- τοῦtoutheG3588T-GSMDefinite article Genitive Singular Masculine
- πιστοῦpistoufaithfulG4103A-GSMAdjective Genitive Singular Masculine
- ἀδελφοῦadelphoubrotherG80N-GSMNoun Genitive Singular Masculine
- ὡςhōsasG5613PRTParticle or Disjunctive
- λογίζομαιlogizomaiI regard [him]G3049V-PNI-1SVerb Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Indicative 1st Singular
- δι᾽di᾽throughG1223PREPPreposition
- ὀλίγωνoligōnfew [words]G3641A-GPNAdjective Genitive Plural Neuter
- ἔγραψαegrapsaI have writtenG1125V-2AAI-1SVerb 2nd Aorist Active Indicative 1st Singular
- παρακαλῶνparakalōnexhortingG3870V-PAP-NSMVerb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
- καὶkaiandG2532CONJConjunction
- ἐπιμαρτυρῶνepimarturōntestifyingG1957V-PAP-NSMVerb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
- ταύτηνtautēnthisG3778D-ASFDemonstrative pronoun Accusative Singular Feminine
- εἶναιeinaito beG1511V-PANVerb Present Active Infinitive
- ἀληθῆalēthē[the] trueG227A-ASFAdjective Accusative Singular Feminine
- χάρινcharingraceG5485N-ASFNoun Accusative Singular Feminine
- τοῦtou[the]G3588T-GSMDefinite article Genitive Singular Masculine
- θεοῦtheouof GodG2316N-GSM-TNoun Genitive Singular Masculine Title
- εἰςeisinG1519PREPPreposition
- ἣνhēnwhichG3739R-ASFRelative pronoun Accusative Singular Feminine
- στῆτεstētedo stand firmG2476V-2AAM-2PVerb 2nd Aorist Active Imperative 2nd Plural
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Greek, not the KJV's wording. Why?
This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Greek word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Greek word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “charity” where the gloss reads “love”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.
Words in [ ] are added by the English.
Details
See on the biblical-era maps
Study this verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers 1 Peter 5:10–14. He set out his notes in a three-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.
We come now to the conclusion of this epistle, which,
I.The apostle begins with a most weighty prayer, which he addresses to God as the God of all grace, the author and finisher of every heavenly gift and quality, acknowledging, on their behalf, that God had already called them to be partakers of that eternal glory, which, being his own, he had promised and settled upon them, through the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ. Observe,
1.What he prays for on their account; not that they might be excused from sufferings, but that their sufferings might be moderate and short, and, after they had suffered awhile, that God would restore them to a settled and peaceable condition, and perfect his work in them - that he would establish them against wavering, either in faith or duty, that he would strengthen those who were weak, and settle them upon Christ the foundation, so firmly that their union with him might be indissoluble and everlasting. Learn,
(1.)All grace is from God; it is he who restrains, converts, comforts, and saves men by his grace.
(2.)All who are called into a state of grace are called to partake of eternal glory and happiness.
(3.)Those who are called to be heirs of eternal life through Jesus Christ must, nevertheless, suffer in this world, but their sufferings will be but for a little while.
(4.)The perfecting, establishing, strengthening, and settling, of good people in grace, and their perseverance therein, is so difficult a work, that only the God of all grace can accomplish it; and therefore he is earnestly to be sought unto by continual prayer, and dependence upon his promises.
2.His doxology, 1 Peter 5:11. From this doxology we may learn that those who have obtained grace from the God of all grace should and will ascribe glory, dominion, and power, to him for ever and ever.
II.He recapitulates the design of his writing this epistle to them (1 Peter 5:12), which was,
1.To testify, and in the strongest terms to assure them, that the doctrine of salvation, which he had explained and they had embraced, was the true account of the grace of God, foretold by the prophets and published by Jesus Christ.
2.To exhort them earnestly that, as they had embraced the gospel, they would continue stedfast in it, notwithstanding the arts of seducers, or the persecutions of enemies.
(1.)The main thing that ministers ought to aim at in their labours is to convince their people of the certainty and excellency of the Christian religion; this the apostles did exhort and testify with all their might.
(2.)A firm persuasion that we are in the true way to heaven will be the best motive to stand fast, and persevere therein.
III.He recommends Silvanus, the person by whom he sent them this brief epistle, as a brother whom he esteemed faithful and friendly to them, and hoped they would account him so, though he was a ministers of the uncircumcision. Observe, An honourable esteem of the ministers of religion tends much to the success of their labours. When we are convinced they are faithful, we shall profit more by their ministerial services. The prejudices that some of these Jews might have against Silvanus, as a minister of the Gentiles, would soon wear off when they were once convinced that he was a faithful brother.
IV.He closes with salutations and a solemn benediction. Observe,
1.Peter, being at Babylon in Assyria, when he wrote this epistle (whither he travelled, as the apostle of the circumcision, to visit that church, which was the chief of the dispersion), sends the salutation of that church to the other churches to whom he wrote (1 Peter 5:13), telling them that God had elected or chosen the Christians at Babylon out of the world, to be his church, and to partake of eternal salvation through Christ Jesus, together with them and all other faithful Christians, 1 Peter 1:2. In this salutation he particularly joins Mark the evangelist, who was then with him, and who was his son in a spiritual sense, being begotten by him to Christianity. Observe, All the churches of Jesus Christ ought to have a most affectionate concern one for another; they should love and pray for one another, and be as helpful one to another as they possibly can.
2.He exhorts them to fervent love and charity one towards another, and to express this by giving the kiss of peace (1 Peter 5:14), according to the common custom of those times and countries, and so concludes with a benediction, which he confines to those that are in Christ Jesus, united to him by faith and sound members of his mystical body. The blessing he pronounces upon them is peace, by which he means all necessary good, all manner of prosperity; to this he adds his amen, in token of his earnest desire and undoubted expectation that the blessing of peace would be the portion of all the faithful.
Historical interpretation
Three Centuries of Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Through Sylvanus, your faithful brother, etc. What he says, beseeching, can refer to what precedes, because he writes briefly after all, not commanding, but beseeching them to stand firm in faith. It can also be rightly connected to what follows, so that it is understood that he not only testifies that this is their true grace which he declares by writing, since indeed there is no other in whom we must be saved (Acts IV), but also urges them to make this their true grace which they have been imbued with in Christ. For the grace of Christ becomes their grace, who accept it with a pure heart. For he who despises the grace of God does not diminish grace itself, but makes it not his own, that is, makes it to not benefit himself.
By Silvanus, a faithful brother to you, as I consider, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. The Church that is in Babylon, elected together with you, greets you, and Mark my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
"By Silvanus." This Silvanus was very faithful and eagerly motivated around the preaching. Indeed, Paul also mentions him and takes him as a helper along with Timothy in his letters, saying: "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy." (1-2 Thess. 1:1)
Peter calls Rome Babylon, because it was so remarkable and distinguished, as it had been for a long time in Babylon.
Peter calls his son Mark according to the spirit, and not according to the flesh. To him, he entrusted the task of writing the Gospel. However, some have dared to assert that Mark was the son of the divine Peter according to the flesh, using as an argument what was said by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. (Acts 12:1) For he says that Peter was miraculously brought out of prison by the angel of God, in which Herod had kept him, and after being released from the angelic conversation, Peter came to the house of the mother of John, who was surnamed Mark, as if he had come to his own house and to his lawful wife. However, when Paul writes that they should greet each other with a holy kiss (2 Cor. 14:12), Peter says here,
"With a kiss of love," saying the same as that. For Paul (1 Cor. 13:1-19) knows the love which is according to Christ and is greater than all virtues, even than martyrdom itself suffered for Christ. Therefore, he calls the holy kiss separate and defined in God, while he similarly refers to the kiss of love which is true love, which Paul has praised. Therefore, he also adds:
"Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus:" not speaking of the common peace which is among men, which is dear to men because of the affection for vain glory and the enjoyment of pleasures, to which those who are free from war surrender themselves; but Peter prays that they may attain the peace which Christ himself agreed to grant them as he proceeded to passion, saying: "My peace I leave with you;" and adding a distinction: "Not as the world gives." (Jn. 14:27) For peace is not to be sought because of affection, but that we may be united in love, in order to receive in this way the blows of adversaries. Moreover, the disciples of the Lord, adding as it were a seal, bring a prayer at the end, as a genuine sign of their holiness. (It was written from the city of Rome.)
Continue studying 1 Peter 5:12 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
CNTR CollationThe earliest Greek manuscripts of this verse, collated letter by letter.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
Written with AI assistance. Always check it against Scripture.
This verse
Peter says he has written briefly through Silvanus, a faithful brother, to encourage his readers and to testify that the grace they stand in is the true grace of God.
“By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you,”
Silvanus, also called Silas, wrote the letter down for Peter or carried it. “Faithful” is Peter’s commendation of him to the churches that will receive it.
“as I suppose,”
Peter’s own judgment of Silvanus, modestly put. It is a personal word of confidence in him.
“I have written briefly,”
gráphō, to write. For all its depth, the letter is a short one.
“exhorting, and testifying”
The letter’s two aims: to encourage and urge (parakaléō), and to bear confirming witness (epimartyréō).
“that this is the true grace of God”
“This” is everything the letter has taught. Alēthḗs marks it as the genuine favour of God.
“wherein ye stand.”
Hístēmi, to stand firm. Grace is the believer’s secure position, already given and to be held.
Passage study1 Peter 5:12–14
Standing in the True Grace of God
Summary
Peter ends his letter in three short verses. He names Silvanus, the faithful brother through whom he has written, and he sums up the whole letter in one line: this is the true grace of God, and you stand in it. He passes on greetings from the church at Babylon and from Mark, whom he calls his son. Then he tells his readers to greet one another with a kiss of love, and he blesses everyone who is in Christ Jesus with peace.
Why Peter wrote: the true grace of God in which you stand
These verses follow Peter’s last instructions about humility, watchfulness against the devil and casting our cares on God (1 Peter 5:1–11). His readers were believers scattered as strangers across the Roman provinces of Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1), and they were suffering for their faith, shut out by their neighbours and persecuted (1 Peter 4:12–19). To people in that position Peter now says what his letter has been for.
“I have written briefly,” he says, and the verb gráphō is the plain word for writing. The letter is short, and it had two aims. The first is “exhorting”, from parakaléō, which means to call someone near, to comfort, encourage and urge. Here we see Peter the pastor, strengthening people under trial. The second is “testifying”, from epimartyréō, which means to attest further or to corroborate. Here Peter speaks as an apostle and a witness, confirming that what his readers have believed is real.
What he confirms is “that this is the true grace of God”. The word “this” gathers up the whole letter, with all it has said about suffering, holiness, hope and love. The adjective alēthḗs means true in the sense of genuine, and it comes from a root meaning “not concealing”. The favour God has shown these believers is authentic and effective, the real thing and no counterfeit. Believers under pressure to give way needed to hear that, and so do we.
Grace has run through the letter from the start. It is the grace of salvation the prophets spoke of (1 Peter 1:10), the kindness of the Lord that newborn believers have tasted and grow by (1 Peter 2:2–3), and the manifold grace of which each of us is a steward (1 Peter 4:10). It is God’s unearned favour, as Paul teaches when he says that we are saved by grace through faith, as the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8–9).
What it means to stand in grace
“Wherein ye stand” uses the verb hístēmi, which speaks of being established and holding one’s ground. Grace is the ground under a believer’s feet, as firm as the footing of a soldier who holds his position or the foundation under a building. Peter’s readers already possess it, and they are called to keep their footing there. Paul speaks of the same standing: through Christ we have access by faith into the grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2). He calls believers to stand in the evil day (Ephesians 6:13), and Hebrews speaks of our receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved (Hebrews 12:28).
Our standing rests on what Christ has done. God showed his love for us in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). He was made sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21), which means our place before God rests on his righteousness and holds when our own performance wavers. Paul says that the grace of God which brings salvation has appeared, teaching us how to live while we look for our Saviour (Titus 2:11–14). To stand in the true grace of God is to stand in Jesus Christ and in his finished work.
Who is Silvanus?
Silvanus is the man also known as Silas, a respected figure in the early church. Paul chose him as a companion for his missionary travels (Acts 15:40), and Paul names him beside himself and Timothy as a preacher of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:19). “By Silvanus” tells us he served Peter as scribe for this letter, or as its carrier. Writing through a trusted helper was common in letters of that time. It made the work easier, and the name of a man the churches knew confirmed that the letter truly came from the apostle.
Peter calls him “a faithful brother unto you”, a reliable man who shares the same commitment to the gospel. The words “as I suppose” give Peter’s own considered judgment of him, said modestly, and they cast no doubt on his faithfulness.
Where is Babylon?
Babylon here is best understood as Rome. The name Babylṓn belongs first to the capital of Chaldea, the empire that oppressed Israel, and it came to stand for any great power set against God’s people. Revelation speaks in the same way of “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17:5). Christians were suffering under Roman rule, and strong early tradition places Peter in Rome. He may have used the name for safety, or to say something about Rome itself, as the new centre of the world’s opposition to God’s kingdom. His readers would have understood him.
Two other places have been proposed: the old city in Mesopotamia, and a Roman military camp called Babylon in Egypt, near modern Cairo. The weight of the evidence is with Rome. Whichever city it was, the church there lived as God’s chosen people inside a power hostile to them, as Peter’s readers did in their own provinces.
Elected together with you
The church at Babylon is “elected together with you”. This is one Greek word, syneklektós, meaning chosen in company with someone, a fellow elect. The believers where Peter is and the believers in Asia Minor are equally and jointly chosen by God. Distance and trouble do nothing to that bond, because it rests on God’s choice. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, by his grace (Ephesians 1:4–6), and Christ has redeemed a people out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation (Revelation 5:9).
A greeting sent from one church to another puts that unity into practice. Paul passes on the same kind of greeting when he writes, “The churches of Christ salute you” (Romans 16:16). Jesus prayed that all who believe in him through the apostles’ word would be one, as he and the Father are one (John 17:20–23), and he himself has broken down the wall of hostility and made one new people in himself (Ephesians 2:14–16).
Who is Marcus?
Marcus is John Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark. He was close to both Peter and Paul. The believers met to pray at the house of his mother (Acts 12:12), and Paul names him among his companions and fellow workers (Colossians 4:10, Philemon 1:24).
Peter calls him “my son”. The word huiós is the ordinary word for a son, and it is used widely of kinship both literal and figurative. Here it is a spiritual bond. Peter had a father’s part in Mark’s faith and service, and he may have been the one who led him to Christ. Paul speaks of Timothy the same way, as his own son in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2). The church is a family in which older believers bring up younger ones, and that rests on something deeper still: God sent his Son so that we might receive the adoption of sons (Galatians 4:4–7).
The kiss of charity
A kiss, phílēma, was a common greeting in the apostles’ day, a sign of respect, affection or recognition. Among believers it became something set apart. Paul calls it a “holy kiss” (Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26), and Peter calls it a “kiss of charity”, that is, of agápē. This noun comes from the verb agapáō and names love that is active and chosen, the self-giving love God has for us and asks us to show one another. The kiss was the outward sign of that love, pure and sincere, shared among believers of every rank and background.
“One another” is allḗlōn, the word for something done mutually: each believer both gives the greeting and receives it. Peter has already told his readers to have fervent love among themselves (1 Peter 4:8–11), and for scattered and pressured churches this visible affection mattered a great deal.
This love comes from Christ. He said that the greatest love is to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13), and he did so. The love of God is now poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), and that is how we are able to love each other as he loved.
Is the kiss of charity still practised?
The command under the kiss holds in every place: believers are to show one another real, self-giving love in a way that is plainly seen. The kiss itself was the form that love took in the apostles’ world. In many cultures and churches today it is uncommon, because customs differ and it could be misunderstood, and there the same love is shown through a warm greeting, sincere hospitality, acts of service and peaceable relationships.
Peace to all who are in Christ Jesus
Peter’s last words are a blessing: “Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus.” Peace, eirḗnē, probably comes from a verb meaning “to join”. Like the Hebrew shalom, it takes in well-being, harmony, rest and a right relationship with God and with others. It is God’s gift. Peter gives it to “you all”, where hymîn is the plain plural “you” and pâs means all, so that every reader of the letter is included.
The blessing belongs to those who are “in Christ Jesus”, in Christós Iēsoûs. The small preposition en speaks of a fixed position, the place or state in which something is. To be in Christ is to be united to him, so that our identity, our security and every spiritual blessing are found in him (Ephesians 1:3). It means sharing in his death and in his risen life (Romans 6:3–5). The phrase comes again and again in the New Testament, most of all in Paul’s letters, and Peter uses it here as the ground of peace. His letter began with a living hope kept through trials (1 Peter 1:3–9), and it ends with peace in the same Lord.
Christ himself is the source of this peace. He made peace through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20). He gives his own peace, which is unlike anything the world gives (John 14:27), and the peace of God guards our hearts and minds through him (Philippians 4:7).
“Amen”, amḗn, is a Hebrew word carried over into Greek. It is a strong affirmation meaning “truly” or “so be it”, and at the end of a blessing it is the speaker’s own assent. Peter earnestly wants this peace and love to be real for his readers. The word also points to Christ, who is called “the Amen, the faithful and true witness” (Revelation 3:14), and in whom all the promises of God are yes and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20).
What Peter’s farewell gives us
Peter’s closing lines give suffering believers firm ground. The grace you stand in is the true grace of God, and it was secured by Christ, so your place before him holds on your worst day as on your best. The same grace that saved us carries us through every trial.
They also give us a family. A church in a hostile city greets churches far away as people chosen together with them, and an old apostle calls a younger man his son. We belong to believers we have never met, and those who have gone before us in the faith have a part in bringing up those who come after.
And they leave us with peace. God’s last word to his people in this letter is a blessing, spoken over all who are in Christ Jesus, and it comes from the One who made peace by his cross.
1 Peter 5:12 This verse
“By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you,”
Silvanus, also called Silas, wrote the letter down for Peter or carried it. “Faithful” is Peter’s commendation of him to the churches that will receive it.
“as I suppose,”
Peter’s own judgment of Silvanus, modestly put. It is a personal word of confidence in him.
“I have written briefly,”
gráphō, to write. For all its depth, the letter is a short one.
“exhorting, and testifying”
The letter’s two aims: to encourage and urge (parakaléō), and to bear confirming witness (epimartyréō).
“that this is the true grace of God”
“This” is everything the letter has taught. Alēthḗs marks it as the genuine favour of God.
“wherein ye stand.”
Hístēmi, to stand firm. Grace is the believer’s secure position, already given and to be held.
1 Peter 5:13
“The church that is at Babylon,”
Babylṓn, the name of Israel’s old oppressor, used here for Rome, the place Peter writes from.
“elected together with you,”
Syneklektós, co-elect. The two groups of believers share one calling from God.
“saluteth you;”
A greeting of warmth and solidarity from one part of Christ’s body to another, as was usual at the close of a letter.
“and so doth Marcus my son.”
John Mark adds his own greeting. “Son” (huiós) is spiritual here, the bond of a younger believer to the man who nurtured his faith.
1 Peter 5:14
“Greet ye one another”
A command, and a mutual one (allḗlōn): every believer greets and is greeted.
“with a kiss of charity.”
The customary kiss (phílēma) made a sign of agápē, the love Christ showed on the cross.
“Peace be with you all”
A blessing of eirḗnē, full well-being from God, on every reader (hymîn, you, and pâs, all).
“that are in Christ Jesus.”
En marks where this peace is found, in union with Christós Iēsoûs.
“Amen.”
Amḗn, “so be it”. Peter’s assent to his own blessing, and the last word of the letter.
Last revised