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THE MESSAGE

1 Peter 2:18

You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. What counts is that you put up with it for God's sake when you're treated badly for no good reason. There's no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you're treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Example;   Fear of God;   Meekness;   Servant;   Scofield Reference Index - Judgments;   Thompson Chain Reference - Business Life;   Capital and Labour;   Duty;   Employees (Servants);   Servant's Duty;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Masters;   Servants;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Servant;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Fear;   Work;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Discipline;   Offerings and Sacrifices;   Suffering;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Peter, the Epistles of;   Slave;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Black People and Biblical Perspectives;   Fear;   Respect of Persons;   Slave/servant;   1 Peter;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Froward;   Gentleness;   Peter, First Epistle of;   Slave, Slavery;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Arts;   Commandment;   Family;   Goodness (Human);   Justice;   Lasciviousness ;   Master;   Slave, Slavery;   Slave, Slavery (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Master;   Servant;   33 Patience Long-Suffering Forbearance;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Clemency;   Gentleness;   Moderately;   Peter, Simon;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for May 12;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Household slaves, submit to your masters with all reverence not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel.
King James Version (1611)
Seruants, be subiect to your masters with al feare, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
King James Version
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
English Standard Version
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
New American Standard Bible
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh.
New Century Version
Slaves, yield to the authority of your masters with all respect, not only those who are good and kind, but also those who are dishonest.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
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.
Berean Standard Bible
Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable.
Contemporary English Version
Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel.
Complete Jewish Bible
Household servants, submit yourselves to your masters, showing them full respect — and not only those who are kind and considerate, but also those who are harsh.
Darby Translation
Servants, [be] subject with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the ill-tempered.
Easy-to-Read Version
Slaves, be willing to serve your masters. Do this with all respect. You should obey the masters who are good and kind, and you should obey the masters who are bad.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Seruaunts, be subiect to your masters with all feare, not onely to the good and courteous, but also to the froward.
George Lamsa Translation
And the servants among you, let them be submissive to their masters with due respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are severe and difficult.
Good News Translation
You servants must submit yourselves to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
Lexham English Bible
Domestic slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unjust.
Literal Translation
Servants, be obedient to your masters in all fear, not only to those good and forbearing, but also to the perverse ones .
Amplified Bible
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all [proper] respect, not only to those who are good and kind, but also to those who are unreasonable.
American Standard Version
Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
Bible in Basic English
Servants, take orders from your masters with all respect; not only if they are good and gentle, but even if they are bad-humoured.
Hebrew Names Version
Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.
International Standard Version
You household servants must submit yourselves to your masters with all fear,respect
">[fn] not only to those who are kind and fair, but also to those who are unjust.Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And those servants who are among you, be subject to your masters with reverence; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the hard and the severe.
Murdock Translation
And those among you who are servants, be subject to your masters, with reverence; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh and morose.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Seruauntes, obey your maisters with all feare, not only yf they be good & curteous, but also though they be frowarde.
English Revised Version
Servants, [be] in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
World English Bible
Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Honour the king, Servants be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
Weymouth's New Testament
Household servants, be submissive to your masters, and show them the utmost respect--not only if they are kind and thoughtful, but also if they are unreasonable.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Seruauntis, be ye sugetis in al drede to lordis, not oneli to good and to mylde, but also to tyrauntis.
Update Bible Version
Household slaves, [be] in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
Webster's Bible Translation
Servants, [be] subject to [your] masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
New English Translation
Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse.
New King James Version
Isaiah 53:7-9">[xr] Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
New Living Translation
You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.
New Life Bible
Servants, you are to respect your owners and do what they say. Do this if you have a good and kind owner. You must do it even if your owner is hard to work for.
New Revised Standard
Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Ye domestics, submitting yourselves, in all reverence, unto your masters, - not only unto the good and considerate, but also unto the perverse;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward.
Revised Standard Version
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Servauntes obey youre masters with all feare not only yf they be good and courteous: but also though they be frowarde.
Young's Literal Translation
The domestics! be subjecting yourselves in all fear to the masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the cross;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ye seruautes, obey youre masters with all feare: not onely yf they be good and curteous, but also though they be frowarde.
Mace New Testament (1729)
You that are servants, be subject to your masters with all reverence: not only to such as are kind and gentle,
Simplified Cowboy Version
Y'all slaves must show respect to your earthly masters. Do what they tell you, even if they are unkind.

Contextual Overview

13Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order. It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. 18You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. What counts is that you put up with it for God's sake when you're treated badly for no good reason. There's no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you're treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God. 21This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

be: Ephesians 6:5-7, Colossians 3:22-25, 1 Timothy 6:1-3, Titus 2:9, Titus 2:10

the good: 2 Corinthians 10:1, Galatians 5:22, Titus 3:2, James 3:17

but: Psalms 101:4, Proverbs 3:32, Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 10:32, Proverbs 11:20

Reciprocal: Genesis 16:9 - submit Genesis 30:29 - General Genesis 31:6 - General Genesis 31:35 - my lord 1 Kings 18:8 - thy lord Psalms 85:13 - shall set Proverbs 12:26 - righteous Proverbs 27:18 - shall be Romans 13:7 - fear to 1 Corinthians 7:21 - being

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.
Genesis 3:12
The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"
Ruth 3:1
One day her mother-in-law Naomi said to Ruth, "My dear daughter, isn't it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life? And isn't Boaz our close relative, the one with whose young women you've been working? Maybe it's time to make our move. Tonight is the night of Boaz's barley harvest at the threshing floor.
Proverbs 18:22
Find a good spouse, you find a good life— and even more: the favor of God !
1 Corinthians 7:36
If a man has a woman friend to whom he is loyal but never intended to marry, having decided to serve God as a "single," and then changes his mind, deciding he should marry her, he should go ahead and marry. It's no sin; it's not even a "step down" from celibacy, as some say. On the other hand, if a man is comfortable in his decision for a single life in service to God and it's entirely his own conviction and not imposed on him by others, he ought to stick with it. Marriage is spiritually and morally right and not inferior to singleness in any way, although as I indicated earlier, because of the times we live in, I do have pastoral reasons for encouraging singleness.
1 Peter 3:7
The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Servants, be subject to your masters,.... This was another notion of the Jews, that because they were the seed of Abraham, they ought not to be the servants of any; and particularly such as were believers in Christ thought they ought not to serve unbelieving masters, nor indeed believing ones, because they were equally brethren in Christ with them; hence the Apostle Peter, here, as the Apostle Paul frequently elsewhere, inculcates this duty of servants to their masters; see 1 Corinthians 7:20 2 Timothy 2:9 the manner in which they are to be subject to them is,

with all fear; with reverence to their persons, strict regard to their commands, faithfulness in any trust reposed in them, diligence in the discharge of their duty, and carefulness of offending them: and all this,

not only to the good and gentle; those that are good natured, kind, beneficent, and merciful; that do not use them with rigour and severity; are moderate in their demands of service; require no more to be done than what is reasonable; allow them sufficient diet, give them good wages, and pay them duly:

but also to the froward; the ill natured, morose, and rigorous; who exact more labour than is requisite; give hard words, and harder blows; withhold sufficiency of food from them, and keep back the hire of their labours.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Servants, be subject to your masters - On the duty here enjoined, see the notes at Ephesians 6:5-9. The Greek word used here (οἰκέται oiketai) is not the same which is employed in Ephesians, (δοῦλοι douloi.) The word here means properly “domestics” - those employed about a house, or living in the same house - from οἶκος oikos, “house.” These persons might have been slaves, or might not. The word would apply to them, whether they were hired, or whether they were owned as slaves. The word should not and cannot be employed to prove that slavery existed in the churches to which Peter wrote, and still less to prove that he approved of slavery, or regarded it as a good institution. The exhortation here would be, and still is, strictly applicable to any persons employed as domestics, though they had voluntarily hired themselves out to be such. It would be incumbent on them, while they remained in that condition, to perform with fidelity their duties as Christians, and to bear with Christian meekness all the wrongs which they might suffer from those in whose service they were.

Those who are hired, and who are under a necessity of “going out to service” for a living, are not always free from hard usage, for there are trials incident to that condition of life which cannot be always avoided. It might be better, in many cases, to bear much than to attempt a change of situation, even though they were entirely at liberty to do so. It must be admitted, however, that the exhortation here will have more force if it is supposed that the reference is to slaves, and there can be no doubt that many of this class were early converted to the Christian faith. The word here rendered “masters” (δεσπόταις despotais) is not the same which is used in Ephesians 6:5, (κυρίοις kuriois.) Neither of these words necessarily implies that those who were under them were slaves. The word used here is applicable to the head of a family, whatever may be the condition of those under him. It is frequently applied to God, and to Christ; and it cannot be maintained that those to whom God sustains the relation of δεσπότης despotēs, or “master,” are “slaves.” See Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; 2 Timothy 2:21; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 1:4; Revelation 6:10. The word, indeed, is one that might be applied to those who were owners of slaves. If that be the meaning here, it is not said, however, that those to whom it is applied were Christians. It is rather implied that they were pursuing such a course as was inconsistent with real piety. Those who were under them are represented as suffering grievous wrongs.

With all fear - That is, with all proper reverence and respect. See the notes at Ephesians 6:5.

Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward - The word rendered “froward” (σκολιοῖς skoliois) means properly “crooked, bent;” then perverse, wicked, unjust, peevish. Anyone who is a servant or domestic is liable to be employed in the service of such a master; but while the relation continues, the servant should perform his duty with fidelity, whatever may be the character of the master. Slaves are certainly liable to this; and even those who voluntarily engage as servants to others, cannot always be sure that they will have kind employers. Though the terms used here do not necessarily imply that those to whom the apostle gave this direction were slaves, yet it may be presumed that they probably were, since slavery abounded throughout the Roman empire; but the directions will apply to all who are engaged in the service of others, and are therefore of permanent value. Slavery will, sooner or later, under the influence of the gospel, wholly cease in the world, and instructions addressed to masters and slaves will have no permanent value; but it will always be true that there will be those employed as domestics, and it is the duty of all who are thus engaged to evince true fidelity and a Christian spirit themselves, whatever may be the character of their employers.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. Servants, be subjectEphesians 6:5; "Colossians 3:22"; and "Titus 2:9".

With all fear — With all submission and reverence.

The good and gentle — Those who are ever just in their commands, never requiring more work than is necessary or proper, and always allowing sufficient food and sufficient time.

The froward. — σκολιοις. The crooked, perverse, unreasonable morose, and austere. Your time belongs to your master; obey him in every thing that is not sinful; if he employs you about unreasonable or foolish things, let him answer for it. He may waste your time, and thus play the fool with his own property; you can only fill up your time: let him assign the work; it is your duty to obey.


 
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