Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson, Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS 09 Aug 2015
2:17 Honor all: Love the brotherhood, keep being respectful toward God; keep honoring the king.
2:18 [You who are] slaves [should honor all] by submitting yourselves with total respect to your masters, not only to the good and gracious ones but also to the crooked ones...
3:1 Similarly, [you who are] wives [should “honor all”] by submitting yourselves to your own husbands in order that, even though some are uncompliant with the word, they will be won over through the lifestyle of their wives without a word,
3:2 after observing y’all’s respectful, pure lifestyle,
3:3 of whom your world must be – not external, of braiding of hairs or of decoration made of gold things or of trying on of clothes,
3:4 but rather [it must be] – the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable [characteristic] of your meek and quiet spirit which continues to be very precious in God’s sight.
· Did you know that Christians had marriage problems back in the early church? For all of us who are married, we understand that marriage is not as easy as we thought it would be when we were starry-eyed young singles. In fact, I’d venture to say that every marriage could use some counseling. My wife and I have gotten counseling for our marriage several times when our relationship was fragile – including one time just last year.
· So when I saw that the Apostle Peter was giving a marriage seminar here in chapter 3, I was pretty excited! I’m going to have to break it into at least two sermons,
o looking at verses 1-4 today, which focuses more on advice to married women,
o and then hopefully next week I can get into v. 7, which focuses on advice to married men.
Our Petrine marriage seminar starts out...
· Do you find it curious that the first word is a comparison? In WHAT “same way”? What is the submission of wives to their husbands supposed to be “like” or “similar” to?
o If you look a few verses previous into chapter 2, you find the exact same grammar construction in v.18: “slaves” “submitting” to “masters” with “respect” –
§ same classification use of the plural definite article in the subject,
§ same participial verb “submitting” (from hupotassw),
§ same use of the plural object to indicate a class of covenantal authority,
§ and the same prepositional phrase “en phobos,” indicating the manner in which this submitting should be done.
o Now, in Greek, it does not say “homo” (in the exact “same” way) but “homoi” (in a “similar” way), and that is significant.
§ Although there are parallels which can be drawn between the submission of a slave to his master or an employee to an employer, the submission of a wife to her husband is a relationship of a different class and is not exactly the same.
§ A wife is a “co-heir together with her husband,” as Peter points out in v. 7;
§ she is not in any sort of probationary or subservient status like a slave or a child in the house. The husband who doesn’t get that is sabotaging his own life. (I hope to get more into that next week.)
· I might also point out that the wording chosen by the Apostle here is terribly politically-incorrect:
o Our contemporary culture might think it terribly insensitive of him not to use gender-neutral wording here so as to accommodate same-sex couples. (For instance, “You who are spouses should submit yourselves to your significant other – or significant others.”)
o The way this passage reads does not give room for a man married to a man or a woman married to a woman; it assumes that the married pair is a male husband with a female wife[1].
· But coming back to the application to the women, the logical flow of 1 Peter has the command to show “honor” to all proper authorities in chapter 2 verse 17, and that includes “being subject/submissive” to civil magistrates (2:13), being subject/submissive to employers (2:18), “surrendering” to God (2:23), and now “submitting/being subject to” the head of your home here in chapter 3 verse 1. Do you see how this is being laid out? Married ladies, here is how you start living out the lifestyle of a Christian: walk in an orderly way under the authority of your husband. That’s where you start.
o I might also add here, that when we see the big picture of what Peter is communicating here about being submissive to proper authority, we see that this principle of a wife submitting to her husband can be applied more broadly to include children obeying and being properly submissive to parents (or legal guardians), which is the authority God has placed over children in the sphere of the home and family.
o Peter is talking about submission to proper authority. Proper submission to authority should be characteristic of the lifestyle of Christians. Does this characterize you?
· Another thing to note is that this is not teaching the male chauvinistic notion that all women are inferior to all men or that all women have to do what any man wants them to do. That is a sick, warped idea of the relationship between the sexes which results in terrible abuse of women. Peter is talking about respecting the lines of authority which are contractually or covenantally established.
o Our theological heritage speaks of three spheres of authority, the civil government, the church, and the home, and in each sphere, God has established order and authority.
§ Peter has already talked about submission to the proper authorities of civil government,
§ and he will talk about respect for the church government in chapter 5,
§ but here he is speaking of the sphere of the family, where God has appointed that the husband be the leader of his household.
o This is not oppression of women; this is a covenantal, mutually-agreed-upon relationship where the woman at the outset has already given her consent in marriage to a man she believes she can trust and follow. She has promised, of her own free will, in her marriage vow to submit to and honor him. In this covenant relationship, the husband makes a covenantal commitment to provide for her needs and love and cherish her in return. This is not abuse; this is nurture and blessing.
· Now, no man is perfect, and so every marriage is going to have its share of struggles. And situations may arise when a husband tries to use his authority in the marriage to get his wife to do something which is sinful.
o When a husband steps outside of the realm of his authority and commands his family to disobey something that is in the sphere of authority of the civil government or something that is in the sphere of authority of the church, the wife or children can appeal to the civil or church authority which also has a covenantal jurisdiction over them.
o If your husband is hitting you and is causing physical harm to you or your children, that is not the time to be submissive, that is the time to call the police, get a restraining order, and do what is necessary to protect yourself and your children from real and permanent damage.
o If it is a moral issue that the state does not deal with – perhaps he is telling you to lie about something or telling you to join with him in the use of pornography, you can follow the conflict resolution pattern of Matthew 18 and explain how what he is asking you to do is the opposite of what God has commanded in the Bible and that you believe he needs to change his position. If he tells you to submit anyway, and if he doesn’t have a reasonable explanation for how his command might be consistent with God’s word, then it is time to bring in the spiritual authorities over him in the church to hold him accountable.
o Obviously, only a man who is a member of the church can be threatened by church discipline, but I’m just pointing out that there are limits to a wife’s submission, and those limits come when a jurisdiction is crossed and especially when there is a clear violation of Biblical law.
o (I say “clear” violation because merely having a bad feeling about something and digging your heels in over an issue where there is genuine debate is the opposite of a submissive and gentle spirit. Sometimes our conscience can prick us over things which aren’t actually wrong; that seems to happen when we have calibrated our sense of right and wrong based on someone’s opinion rather than on the clear teaching of scripture. Husbands, if your wife has a weak conscience like that, you need to be “washing her with the water of the word” and giving her more exposure to the Bible, and,as her conscience becomes better informed, you’ll find conflicts between you melt away!).
· This phrase “uncompliant with/disobedient to/not believing in the word”
o goes back to 1 Peter 2:7-8 “This Precious One therefore is yours – for you who believe, (but as for those who remain non-compliant, “this stone which the builders rejected became the corner stone.” And [this] “stone of stumbling ” or “rock of scandal” which they stumble upon while being non-compliant with the Word, is that into which also they were appointed.” These are non-Christians.
o The phrase is rooted in the Septuagint of Isaiah 30:9-13 “For the people is disobedient, false children, who would not hear the law of God: who say to the prophets, ‘Report not to us;’ and to them that see visions, ‘Speak them not to us, but speak and report to us another error;’ ... Therefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye have refused to obey these words, and have trusted in falsehood; and because thou hast murmured, and been confident in this respect: therefore shall this sin be to you as a wall suddenly falling...” (Brenton)
· Submission is demonstrated in your “anastrophe/conversation/conduct/behavior.”
o We have already seen this lifestyle evangelism concept introduced in 1 Peter 1:15 (“in accordance with the Holy One who called you, you yourselves should also start becoming holy in all [your] lifestyle”) and verse 18 (“...y’all were ransomed out of your empty lifestyle passed along from forefathers”) and 2:12 (“...keeping your lifestyle among the nations good, in order that, in that which they are trash-talking you about as [though you were] evildoers, they might glorify God...”).
· The Greek word translated “without” is actually an alpha-privative construction of the Greek word for “mind” (nous), so it implies an act of the will not to utilize words.
o So, we’re not talking about “cold shoulder” treatment or apathy that doesn’t even try to have a conversation; rather this is a smart use of strategic good works flowing from a submissive attitude that seeks to honor a man.
o It is the conscious choice not to lash out at him with your words and show him how wrong he is and shame him for his unspiritual-ness and belittle him in front of others.
o It’s the choice to convince him of the value of your faith by how much good it does you (and him) once you realize you can’t argue him into it.
· The Greek word for “won” does not mean, “Ha, I beat him, and showed him who’s boss!” but rather it means to “gain/get/win over/be benefitted by a new resource.” Once again, this points to an attitude of seeking the best for your man and your marriage instead of being impatient and selfish.
o In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, kerde- is used to describe the investors making capital gains. When your husband is “won over” (Matt. 18:15), it is a “personal gain” for Jesus and His kingdom!
o The Apostle Paul used this same word to describe his evangelism in 1 Cor. 9:19-22 “...I became to... those under law as one under law (not being under law myself) in order that I might win over those under law, to the lawless, as a lawless one (not being lawless in respect to God, but rather within the law of Christ) in order that I might win over the lawless... I have become all things to all men always in order that I might save some.” (NAW)
· Does this strategy of lifestyle evangelism sound familiar? – this hope that detractors will be won over by observing your good behavior? This is the exact same strategy Peter laid out in chapter 2 verse 12, for dealing with Gentile neighbors who were saying bad things about the Christians: “keeping your lifestyle among the nations good, in order that, in that which they are trash-talking you about as [though you were] evildoers, they might glorify God after observing [for themselves] some of your good works, during a day of supervision.” (NAW)
· Peter uses two words to describe that winning lifestyle/conduct/behavior: 1) phobw/Fear/respect/ reverence and 2) hagnēn/chaste/pure.
1. phobw/Fear/respect/reverence:
§ We have seen some of the former already. In chapter 1, Peter spoke of having “fear” or “reverence” toward God, verse 17, “And since the Father y’all are calling upon is the One who judges against the work of each man without showing favoritism, y’all should start lifestyling the time of your temporary residence with respectfulness.”
§ He also talked about fear/respect towards employers in chapter 2 verse 18 (2:18 “The slaves... submitting themselves with total respect to their masters” NAW).
§ While this verse in chapter 3 could be speaking of demonstrating respect toward husbands (and, ladies, the Bible does command that in Ephesians 5:33 – and you will make a huge success of your marriage if you show respectfulness consistently to your husband), I think here it is actually talking about a healthy respect toward God which keeps you from committing sins and therefore keeps you pure and chaste. This fear of God actually protects you from being afraid of anything else, which Peter is going to get to in verse 6.
2. Regarding the second winning quality, hagnēn/chaste/pure:
§ This is something the Apostle Paul encouraged the older women in Titus’ church in Crete to teach the younger women to be characterized by: “admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed” (Titus 2:4-5, NKJV)
§ “Chaste/pure” means not participating in sin. In 1 John 3, the opposite of hagnen is sinning: “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness...” (1 John 3:3-4, NKJV)
§ How do you get to be pure like that when everybody participates in sin of some sort? Probably you haven’t robbed a bank, but you have probably violated the commands of this very passage of scripture by being insubmissive and disrespectful to your father or your husband, and the Bible says that if you are guilty of even one sin, you stand condemned (James 2:10).
§ That’s where the blood of Jesus comes in. He washes us clean when we ask Him to, on the basis of His death as a substitute for ours. He substitutes His perfect obedience with our disobedience and makes us pure – white as snow.
§ Of course you will slip into sin here and there, but you can always confess it to God, ask forgiveness in Jesus’ name and ask for the power to overcome that sin.
§ That’s not natural for human beings; it only happens when God gives us grace to repent, and when we do, others in our household will sit up and take notice of what God is doing in you.
· Now, what do girls naturally think of when they try to come up with how to win over a man? Outward appearance, right? “What can I wear that will catch his eye? How can I cover that blemish on my face? How do I compare to Suzie over there? Maybe if I talk a little louder or move a little more...” God says that’s the wrong way to think.
· Externals – outward things – are not where you should start to win over your husband. That is not all that should be in your little world. No, you start with your heart, your attitude, which brings us back to the opening command, “submit to your own husband.”
· The Greek word translated “adornment/beauty” is cosmos, and all 186 times that the word cosmos appears outside of this verse in the New Testament, it is translated “world” – it describes any organized system, and, of course, we all have certain organizing principles which affect how we present ourselves to others. (Let me quickly concede, however, that the majority of the times this word cosmos is used in the Greek Old Testament, it refers to women’s accessories, so the other English versions are not unreasonable to translate the word “adorning.”)
· Now, some people take this passage to mean that the organizing principle of a woman’s life therefore is to be a plain-dresser.
o Never braid your hair (but you can put it in a bun);
o never wear gold jewelry (but you can wear silver).
o Now, if that’s what this verse means, then they would have to live in their underwear because this verse would also ban “wearing clothes” – and the Greek word for “clothes” here, himation, is just the regular word for “clothes” or “apparel” – it’s not limited only to the fancy, ostentatious dresses.
· So, it’s a matter of order. You start by paying attention to your heart – your inner attitudes – by submitting to your husband (or father) and then express your Christ-honoring, spirit-led attitude through your outward appearance, and it will affect what you choose to wear and even how you do your hair.
o But if you do it the other way around, and your focus starts on your hair and makeup and accessories and sees your inner attitudes as incidental and unimportant, you will not grow much as a Christian, and you will see little in the way of people won for Christ, and frankly, I hold out little hope for your marriage.
o Jesus said, “Woe to you... hypocrites, because y’all are cleaning the exterior of the cup and of the saucer, but interiorly they are loaded with stealing and injustice... first clean the inside of the cup and the saucer in order that the outside of them might also become clean. Woe to you... hypocrites, because y’all are comparable to whitewashed tombs, which have a beautiful exterior shine, but interiorly are loaded with dead men’s bones and every [kind of] unclean thing. In this way you yourselves also make a shining exterior appearance as righteous to men, but interiorly y’all are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:25-28, NAW)
· Notice what Peter contrasts a preoccupation with braids and jewelry and dresses with:
· The contrast is between external appearance and internal heart attitudes.
o “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).
o When your world starts with your heart – with the needs and wants and interests known only to you (and to God who sees everything hidden in our hearts – Mat. 6:4) – when you have your private world ordered rightly before God, then everything else comes into place.
o The way that God has designed us, our heart is more important than anything else; it is the part of us that will last forever after our body dies, and it is the fountain from which everything about us flows (Matt. 15:19). (cf. Romans 2:29)
· Peter has already mentioned in chapter 1 verses 4 & 23 that spiritual things are “imperishable/incorruptible/unfading.” That which is physical is temporary – will decay and be lost.
o That Cover Girl face is temporary; it will decay and be lost.
o The beauty of a gentle and quiet attitude of submission and respect and eagerness to be a helper to your man will not fade away. Instead it will make you amazingly beautiful in your man’s eyes, and people will want to be around you because they enjoy your company.
o I have never seen a girl who was filled with love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness – no matter how plain or even disfigured she looked – who wasn’t attractive and a joy to be around.
o The world will lie to you your whole life long, telling you that in order to be attractive – in order to be loved – you have to make your exterior look a certain way.
o The whole purpose of every advertisement is to make you discontent. You have been bombarded with messages telling you not to be content with what God has given you.
o That was the original lie that the devil pitched to Eve in the Garden of Eden. That is Satan’s message!
o God’s message is to get your heart right with Him and quit worrying about the external things and you will find peace beyond anything you thought was possible. (Phil. 4:8)
· Just as there were two words describing the lifestyle or behavior of a Christian woman in v.2, here are two words in v.4 describing the spirit – the attitude, the inner person – of a Christian woman: 1) praeos/meek/gentle and 2) asuchiou/quiet.
1. Of meekness and gentleness, the Psalms say: (in Brenton’s LXX translation)
§ “Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he instruct sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: the meek will he teach his ways. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that seek his covenant and his testimonies...” (Psalm 25:8-10)
§ “...the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace...” (37:11, cf. Mt. 5:5)
§ “ ...God arose to judgment, to save all the meek in heart.” (76:9)
§ “... The Lord lifts up the meek; but brings sinners down to the ground.” (147:6)
§ The opposite of meekness, according to the Psalms, is sinning. To sin is to rebel against God’s authority and to be proud. Such attitudes are the opposite of Christlikeness.
§ As God empowers us to be meek, we will be more like Christ, who was described as “meek, riding on a donkey” (Mt. 21:5) and “meek & lowly in heart” (Mt. 11:29).
2. The second word “quiet” is found in only two other places in the Greek Bible:
§ First in Isaiah 66:2b “to whom [says the Lord] will I have respect, but to the humble and quiet, and the man that trembles at my words?”
§ and in 1 Timothy 2:2b “[Pray] ...that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” (NKJV)
§ The quiet spirit is not out to draw attention to itself. It is content for people to worship God and not pay much attention to you.
· This “imperishable” spiritual characteristic, this “hidden person of the heart” is “of much value in God’s sight.”
o The same word polyteles is used of Jesus being a “precious cornerstone” in Isa. 28:16
o God sees that gentle and quiet spirit which characterized His own son and says, “I can build a great house with that!”
o 1 Timothy 2:9-10 “...the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” (NKJV)
o The word polyteles literally means “many ends” in Greek, and it was often used to describe precious stones, so I wonder if it is speaking of a precious stone that has been shaped by a jeweler to look even more beautiful with many facets, like the diamonds and precious stones we wear nowadays in jewelry.
o Proverbs 31:10-12 “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.” (NKJV)
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2:17 πάνταςAPM τιμήσατεAAM, τὴν ἀδελφότηταASF ἀγαπησᾶτε[ii], τὸν ΘεὸνASM φοβεῖσθεPNM, τὸν βασιλέαASM τιμᾶτεPAM. |
17 Honor all of them: Love the brotherhood, keep being respectful toward God; keep honoring the king. |
17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. |
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. |
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. |
17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. |
17 Show |
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2:18 Οἱ οἰκέταιNPM, ὑποτασσόμενοιPPP-NPM ἐν παντὶDSM φόβῳ τοῖς δεσπόταις DPM, οὐ μόνον τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς καὶ ἐπιεικέσινDPM, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς σκολιοῖς. |
18 [You who are] slaves[iii] [should honor all[iv]] by submitting yourselves with total respect to their masters[v], not only to the good and gracious ones but also to the crooked ones, |
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. |
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. |
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. |
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. |
18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. |
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3:1 ῾Ομοίως αἱ γυναῖκεςNPF ὑποτασσόμεναιPPP-NPF τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσινDPM, ἵνα καὶ εἴ τινεςNPM ἀπειθοῦσιPAI τῳ λόγῳ, διὰ τῆς τῶν γυναικῶν ἀναστροφῆςGSF ἄνευ[vi] λόγου κερδηθήσο[vii]νται FPI, |
1 Similarly[viii], [you who are] wives [should “honor all”] by submitting yourselves to your own husbands[ix] in order that, even though[x] some are uncompliant with the word[xi], they will be won over through the lifestyle[xii] of their wives without a word |
1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, X if any obey not the word, they also may without [the] word be won by the conversation of the wives; |
1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, |
1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, |
1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, |
1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, X if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without word[s] by the behavior of their wives, |
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2 ἐποπτεύσαντεςAAP-NPM τὴνASF ἐν φόβῳ ἁγνὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν. |
2 after observing y’all’s respectful, pure lifestyle[xiii], |
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2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. |
2 when they see your respectful [and] pure conduct. |
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2 when they see the purity [and] reverence [of] your lives. |
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3 ὧνGPF ἔστωPAM-3S οὐχ ὁNSM ἔξωθενADV [xiv]ἐμπλοκῆςGSF τριχῶν καὶ [xv]περιθέσεωςGSF χρυσίων ἢ [xvi]ἐνδύσεωςGSF ἱματίων κόσμοςNSM, |
3 of whom your world must be – not external, of braiding of hairs or of decoration made of gold things or of trying on of clothes[xvii], |
3 Whose X adorning let it not be [that] outward adorning of plaiting [the] hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparelX; |
3 Do not let your X adornment be merely outward—arranging [the] hair, X wearing gold, or putting on fine apparelX— |
3 Do not let your X adorning be external--the braiding of hair and [the] putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothingX [you] wearX-- |
3 Your X adornment must not be merely external--braiding [the] hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; |
3 Your X beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and [the] wearing of gold jewelry and X [fine] clothes. |
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4 ἀλλ᾿ ὁNSM κρυπτὸς τῆςGSF [xviii]καρδίαςGSF ἄνθρωπος ἐν τῳ ἀφθάρτῳ τοῦ πραέο[xix]ςGSN καὶ ἡσυχίουGSN πνεύματοςGSN, ὅNSM ἐστιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ πολυτελέςNSN. |
4 but rather [it must be] – the hidden person of the heart[xx], with the imperishable [characteristic] of your meek and quiet spirit[xxi] which continues to be very precious[xxii] in God’s sight. |
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that [which is] not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. |
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. |
4 but [let your adorning be] the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable [beauty] of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. |
4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable [quality] of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. |
4 Instead, [it should be that of your inner self, the unfading [beauty] of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. |
[1] Although this particular passage does not speak very directly to polyamory, other passages in scripture do, such as Genesis 2 – and Jesus’ application of it in Matthew 19:5 – which mentions only two persons involved in a marriage: “a man will leave his father and his mother behind and be attached to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (NAW).
[i]
Where the traditional Patriarchal edition of the Greek Bible is challenged by
the Textus Receptus or by the
modern critical editions, I note that. When an English translation adds words
not in the Greek text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of
italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When
one English version chooses a wording which is different from all the other
translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation
which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Greek
word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original Greek word, I use
strikeout. And when an English version omits a word which is in the
Greek text, I insert an X. (Sometimes I will place the X at the end of a word
if the Greek word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I have
also tried to use colors to help the reader see correlations between the Greek
original and the various translations.
[ii] The majority of manuscripts spell this word in the Aorist tense, however, since there is no manuscript older than the 8th Century which spells it Aorist, this reading is considered suspect by most modern scholars. The reading of the oldest-known texts here is Present Imperative, so that is the way the modern critical texts spell it. However, it doesn’t really make a difference in English translation. At the most, it could shade the meaning between an ingressive command “Start loving” (Aorist) and the progressive “Keep loving” (Present). In the last instance of this verb – in 1 Peter 1:22b, all known manuscripts agree on the Aorist imperative spelling.
[iii] This is not the Greek word for one who merely renders service contractually, but of someone who for the rest of this life is under the authority of and is a chattel slave of the master of a household. Deut.15:17, a doulos contracted-servant might be put in charge of the oiketai chattel-slaves (Matt.24:45), and this lends more perspective to Jesus’ statement that a chattel-slave can’t serve more than one master (Luke 16:13), because he has no such choice; he is owned as household property by that master.
[iv] I believe the lack of an indicative verb in v.18 makes it dependent on the imperatives of verse 17, making the participle “submitting” in v.18 a description of HOW a slave can begin to go about obeying the command to “honor.” The slave (and, by parallel circumstances, the employee) starts “honoring all” by first submitting - righteously and cheerfully - to his (or her) master (or boss, in the case of the employee).
[v] Thayer suggests that “master” is a combination of the Greek word for “bind” and “husband.” This indicates a covenantally or contractually-tied relationship. cf. 1 Tim. 6:1-2, Titus 2:9-10
[vi] Rare word, only here and in Matthew 10:29 (“fall to the ground apart from my Father”) and 1 Peter 4:9 (“love one another without grumbling”) in the N.T. (+ 27 more instances in the LXX O.T.). Alpha-privative construction of the Greek word for “mind” (nous), so it implies an act of the will not to utilize words
[vii] The Textus Receptus has an omega instead of an omicron here, making it a Present Subjunctive (that they might/shall be won) instead of Future Indicative (they will/shall be won), which, in Greek can be practically interchangeable in meaning, as evidenced by the fact that the modern versions which follow the critical text chose to use the KJV wording “may,” normally reserved for the subjunctive mood.
[viii] cf. grammar construction in 2:18 – same classification use of the plural definite article in the subject, same participial verb “submitting” (from hupotassw), same use of the plural object to indicate a class of covenantally-organized authority, and same prepositional phrase “en phobos,” indicating the manner in which this submitting should be done.
[ix] There are limits to a wife’s submission, and those limits come when a jurisdiction is crossed and especially when there is a clear violation of Biblical law.
[x] 1st class conditional structure (ei + Present indicative verb) indicates that this condition is indeed the case, so I chose the English “though” instead of “if” to reflect this reality.
[xi] cf. 1 Peter 2:7-8 cf. Isaiah 30:9-13
[xii] anastrophe/conversation/conduct/behavior introduced in 1 Peter 1:15-18 & 2:12. In Matthew 25, kerde- is used to describe making capital gains. Cf. Matt. 18:15, 1 Cor. 9:19-22
[xiii] cf. 1 Peter 2:12. Regarding phobos cf.1:17, 2:18, Eph 5:33. Regarding hagnen cf. Titus 2:4-5, 1 John 3:3-4, 1 Tim. 5:22, Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 20:9.
[xiv] Brenton, in his English translation of the Septuagint, rendered this word in Exo. 35:22 “necklace,” in Num 31:50 “hair-clasp,” in Isa. 3:18 “fringes,” and in Isa. 3:20 “wreathed work.” This is the only noun form in the NT of this root. Three verb forms occur in the NT in Rom 15:24, 2 Tim. 2:4, 2 Peter 2:24, all rendered “entangle.”
[xv] Hapex legomenon, but the verbal form of paratithemi occurs some 45 times throughout the Bible in various contexts from building construction to clothing to jewelry.
[xvi] Rare noun form used only here in the N.T., and in Job 41:13 and the apocryphal Esther 5 in the Greek O.T., where Brenton translated it “garment” and “train” respectively.
[xvii] All 186 times that the word cosmos appears outside of this verse in the New Testament, it is translated “world,” but the majority of the times this word cosmos is used in the Greek Old Testament, it refers to women’s accessories. See Matthew 23:25-28 on “exterior”
[xviii] Perhaps alluding to Deut 15:9 ...κρυπτὸν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ... and Romans 2:16 “...τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων...”
[xix] The Alexandrian text reads omega instead of omicron here, but it is merely a variation in spelling with no difference in parsing or meaning.
[xx] cf.1 Sam. 16:7, Mat. 6:4, 15:19, Romans 2:29.
[xxi] cf. 1 Peter 1:4 & 23. Re: “meekness/gentleness” see Psalms 25:8-10, 37:11 (cf. Mt. 5:5), 76:9, 147:6, Matt. 21:5 & 11:29. Re: “quiet”: Isaiah 66:2b, 1 Timothy 2:2b.
[xxii] cf. Isa. 28:16, 1 Timothy 2:9-10, and Proverbs 31:10-12