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1 Peter 3

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Duties of Wives and Husbands 1–7

1
In like manner, ye wives, bein subjection to your own husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives; ​
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beholding your chaste behaviorcoupledwith fear. ​
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Whoseadorninglet it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; ​
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but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. ​
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For after this manner aforetime the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:
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as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose children ye now are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by any terror. ​
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Ye husbands, in like manner, dwell withyour wivesaccording to knowledge, giving honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker vessel, as being also joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not hindered. ​

General Exhortations to Unity and Love 8–12

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Finally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded: ​
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not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. ​
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For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: ​
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And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it.
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For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil. ​

Suffering for Righteousness and Christian Hope 13–17

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And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good? ​
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But even if ye should suffer for righteousness’ sake, blessed are ye: and fear not their fear, neither be troubled; ​
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but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear: ​
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having a good conscience; that, wherein ye are spoken against, they may be put to shame who revile your good manner of life in Christ.
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For it is better, if the will of God should so will, that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing.

Christ’s Example and Exaltation 18–22

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Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; ​
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in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, ​
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that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: ​
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which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; ​
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who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Peter 3

Verse 1

be in subjection — Hupotasso, to rank oneself under. Peter uses it of every reader toward the king (2:13), of servants (2:18) and, in v.22, of angels and powers under Christ. 'Won' is kerdaino, gained; 'conversation' is anastrophe, manner of life (1:15; 2:12). The husband who 'obey not the word' is reached 'without the word'.

Verse 2

chaste conversation coupled with fear — 'Chaste' is hagnos, pure; 'behold' (epopteuo) is to watch as an observer, found only here and at 2:12, where Gentiles 'behold' good works. 'Fear' is phobos, the word of 1:17, 'pass the time of your sojourning here in fear'; it is read as reverence toward God or toward the husband (Eph 5:33).

Verse 3

outward adorning — Kosmos, ornament. The three items, plaiting of hair, gold and apparel, are three of the four in 1 Tim 2:9: 'not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array'. The verse says where the adorning is not to lie; v.4 says where it is.

Verse 4

the hidden man of the heart — The person unseen: 'the LORD looketh on the heart' (1 Sam 16:7). 'Of great price' is polutelēs, the word for 'costly array' in 1 Tim 2:9 and for the 'very precious' ointment of Mark 14:3. 'Meek' is praus and 'quiet' hesuchios, which 1 Tim 2:2 renders 'peaceable' ('a quiet and peaceable life').

Verse 6

calling him lord — Sarah's own words in Gen 18:12, 'my lord being old also'. Isaiah points Israel to her with Abraham: 'Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you' (Isa 51:2). 'Amazement' is ptoesis, a sudden alarm, found only here in the New Testament.

Verse 7

the weaker vessel — Skeuos, a vessel or implement, with asthenes, without strength. 'Giving honour' (aponemo) is found only here. 'Heirs together' is sugkleronomos, the word of 'joint-heirs with Christ' (Rom 8:17). 'Hindered' is ekkopto, cut off: prayer is the thing at stake.

Verse 8

be ye all of one mind — Five words follow 'Finally'. Four of them (homophron, sumpathes, philadelphos, philophron: one mind, compassion, brotherly love, courtesy) occur nowhere else in the New Testament. 'Pitiful' (eusplagchnos) is the 'tenderhearted' of Eph 4:32.

Verse 9

not rendering evil for evil — 'Thereunto called' repeats 2:21, 'hereunto were ye called', where Christ is the example: 'when he was reviled, reviled not again' (2:23). Those called to bless 'inherit a blessing' (eulogia); the verb is from the same root as the 'heirs together' of v.7.

Verse 10

refrain his tongue from evil — The quotation runs from Ps 34:12 through v.16 (vv.10–12 here): 'Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile' (Ps 34:13). 'Guile' is dolos, put away in 2:1 and denied of Christ in 2:22, 'neither was guile found in his mouth'.

Verse 12

the eyes of the Lord — From Ps 34:15–16: 'The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry'. Peter has 'prayers' (deesis) for the cry. The psalm's verse goes on 'to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth' (Ps 34:16); Peter stops at 'against them that do evil'.

Verse 13

followers of that which is good — Mimetes, imitator, the word of 'followers of God' in Eph 5:1. The question is answered by the next verse, which allows that suffering may still come: 'But and if ye suffer'. Doing well and suffering were already joined in 2:19–20.

Verse 14

happy are ye — Makarios, blessed, the word of the beatitude in Matt 5:10. 'Be not afraid of their terror' draws on Isa 8:12, 'neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid'; the next verse of Isaiah is quoted in v.15.

Verse 15

sanctify the Lord God in your hearts — Hagiazo, to set apart as holy, from Isa 8:13, 'Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear'. 'Answer' is apologia, a defence (as in Phil 1:7, 'the defence… of the gospel'). 'Fear' is again phobos (vv.2, 14), now toward God.

Verse 18

the just for the unjust — Dikaios for adikos; Acts 3:14 calls him 'the Holy One and the Just'. 'Once' (hapax) is the word of Heb 9:28, 'once offered to bear the sins of many'. 'Bring' is prosago, to lead into God's presence; 'quickened' is zoopoieo, made alive.

Verse 19

preached unto the spirits in prison — Kerusso, to proclaim as a herald; the gospel-telling verb of 1:12 and 4:6 is euangelizo. The spirits are those 'disobedient' in Noah's days (v.20). Christians differ whether Christ went through Noah, 'the Spirit of Christ which was in them' (1:11), or after his death.

Verse 20

eight souls — Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives (Gen 7:7, 13); 2 Pet 2:5 calls Noah 'the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness'. 'Longsuffering' is makrothumia, found only here in this letter. 'Saved' is diasozo, brought safely through; Heb 11:7 says Noah prepared the ark.

Verse 21

the like figure — Antitupon, a counterpart answering to the type; the only other use is Heb 9:24, 'the figures of the true'. Baptism corresponds to the water of the flood. Peter excludes 'the putting away of the filth of the flesh', and the saving is 'by the resurrection of Jesus Christ'; 'answer' (eperotema) is an appeal.

Verse 22

on the right hand of God — From Ps 110:1, 'Sit thou at my right hand'; Eph 1:20–21 sets him there 'far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion'. 'Is gone' is poreuomai, the verb of 'he went' in v.19. 'Made subject' is hupotasso, the verb of v.1.