First Peter 3:1-22

Peter continues teaching about how all holy-people (true Christians) ought to behave ourselves.

I Peter 3:1-6:

^3:1Likewise wives, (you must be) subjecting-yourselves to (your) own husbands in order that also if some (husbands) are un-persuaded by the word, by means of the behavior of the wives they will be gained without a word ^.2having looked-on your pure behavior in fear, ^.3whose orderly-arrangement must not be the outside of interweaving of hairs and putting-around of gold-things or clothing of outer-garments ^.4but the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible (orderly-arrangement) of the meek and quiet spirit which is much-priced before God; ^.5for thus at-some-time also the holy wives, the (wives) hoping into God used-to orderly-arrange themselves subjecting-themselves to (their) own husbands, ^.6as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him “Lord”, whose children you were caused-to-become doing-good and not being caused-to-fear not-one terror.

Similarly (as I Peter 2:12, 13 and 18) the wives (women - translated "wives" depending on the context), you must be subjecting yourselves (causing yourselves to be in submission, to be arranged in the position of being underneath, under authority, being submissive in the walk/behavior category by the freedom of your will) to/with…

your own husbands (adult-males, grown-men - translated "husbands" depending on the context; not other people's husbands)
for the purpose and result that also
- if (since it is a fact that) some husbands are actively unwilling to be persuaded (are not convinced)
  - by/with the word (the spoken account which contains individual words constituting what was spoken by God revealing His inner thoughts),
  - by means of the behavior (through the mode of living, way of turning-up, manner of moving-about during everyday living) of their wives
- they will be gained without a word (you wives will derive or acquire the profit, benefit or advantage which will be your husbands being persuaded apart from you saying a word to them; they will be gained by you without them being aware of any specific word spoken by you to them)
  - having looked-on (after they see as spectators, perceiving with their eyes, making an overview, observing as onlookers of)
  - your pure behavior in fear (your mode of living in the state of being pure, uncontaminated by any bad-thing which may be near-by, because your behavior is done within the sphere of action of fright, being afraid at the consequences of your performance of any wrong behavior, and therefore exhibiting the awe and respect that ought to be shown towards God and the Lord Jesus Christ and towards your husband),

…whose orderly-arrangement (the wives’ ornament, adornment, cosmetic [the root of the noun “orderly-arrangement” is the same as the noun usually translated “world” which is the ordered arrangement that God created, the universe])…

must not be the outside (from the external make-up of your being) consisting of
- interweaving of hairs (plaited, braided hairs, possibly intertwined with various ornaments)
- and putting-around of gold things (placing, bestowing, conferring items made of gold around yourselves such as gold coins, gold ornaments, etc)
- or clothing of outer-garments (what you put on or envelop the body with to cover it, including the clothes which indicate your ‘social status’ or position within the community from the worldly viewpoint)

…but on the contrary, your orderly arrangement must be…

the hidden man (referring to the part of your being that is concealed from view, cryptic to/from other people; the Greek word translated "man" does not specify gender)
- belonging-to and emanating-from the heart (the word "heart" literally means: the organ which keeps the fleshy body alive by circulating the blood; but figuratively it means: the center or core of a person's being, the seat of your whole personal self and life)
within the sphere of action of the incorruptible orderly-arrangement (the ornament that has the quality of not being capable of decay, not corruptible, it is in the state of incorruption)
- which is the meek and quiet spirit (the spirit characterized-by, energizing and manifesting a tender-receptiveness or receptivity towards God and the things of God and it is undisturbed from inside, tranquility from within and therefore not causing disturbance to others)
which is much-priced (extremely costly, very expensive, worth a lot) in the sight (presence) of God.

In truth, in this manner during some past time also the holy wives (the married women who were sanctified, set-apart from what is common, defiled or unclean against God, and so corresponding to the essence of God)…

emphatically and specifically the wives who were hoping into God (their expectation of something future coming to pass was with a view to, directed to God based on the information that He revealed)

…used-to orderly arrange themselves (they were ornamenting themselves, they spent time adorning themselves) – how? – subjecting themselves to their own husbands…

in comparison to how Sarah obeyed Abraham (she listened attentively to her husband and carried-out what she heard him say to her)
- calling him “Lord” (her Master),
whose children you were caused to become (you came to pass to be Sarah’s born offspring in the walk/behavior category)
- doing-good (while you are actively performing that-which issues from God; God is the One Who issues His goodness and He sets the standard to be conformed to by you)
- and not being caused to fear not-one terror (the double negative gives emphasis: and while you are not being afraid of/by anything that exudes terror; it may be terrifying because it is beyond your own capabilities in the flesh category, you are not to be panicking but you are to rely on God and His working with/within your husband).

[Reference: Genesis 18:12; Proverbs 3:25 and 26; Romans 2:29; I Corinthians 4:21; Ephesians 5:21-24 and 33, 6:24; Colossians 3:18; I Timothy 2:9; Hebrews 11:1; I Peter 1:17 and 23, 2:8.]

Verse 7:

^.7Likewise husbands, (you must be) dwelling-together-with (them) according to knowledge, as to a weaker vessel conveying honor to the wife, as also inheritors-together of (the) grace of life, with-a-view-for your prayers not to be obstructed.

Similarly the husbands (adult-males, grown men – translated "husbands" depending on the context), you must be dwelling (inhabiting, housing) in conjunction with your wives in accordance with knowledge (personal knowledge, a truly active and relative knowing, knowledgeable information)…

in comparison to a weaker vessel (in the physical category – a utensil that is naturally made with less physical strength – so as not to ‘break’ the weaker vessel and then it could not function as it was designed and assigned to function; 'vessel' is used figuratively referring to the body of flesh)
- conveying honor to the wife (spreading along, feeding, apportioning from yourselves the estimation of value, price, worth to the womanly or female partner),
in comparison also to inheritors-together (in the spirit category – people who inherit together, joint heirs, those who have the inheritance, the assigned lot, the allotted-portion in conjunction with one-another, co-heirs)
- of the grace of life (the bestowed unmerited favor consisting of life; this grace is life – holy spirit life),

…with a view (the purposed objective is) for your prayers not to be obstructed (your communications to/with God, your general speaking towards/with God not to be cut-in, thwarted, interrupted, held-back, blocked, like digging a trench in the way of an enemy to impede them – except here you would be impeding yourselves by your own wrong behavior).

[Reference: Acts 9:15; Romans 5:21, 8:17; I Corinthians chapter 7, 12:8 and 22; II Corinthians 4:7; Ephesians 3:6; I Thessalonians 4:4; II Timothy 2:21; Titus 3:7.]

Verses 8-12:

^.8But the completion: all (of you must be) like-minded, suffering-together, brotherly-loving, well-compassionate, humble-minded, ^.9not giving-away a bad-thing in-the-place-of a bad-thing or a revilement in-the-place-of a revilement, but contrariwise (you must be) blessing because into this you were called, in order that you may inherit a blessing; ^.10for the (person) “intending to love¹ life and to see good days must stop the tongue away-from a bad-thing and lips not to utter-forth deceit, ^.11but he must lean-out away-from a bad-thing and do a good-thing, he must seek-after peace and pursue it, ^.12because (the) Lord’s eyes (are) on righteous-people and His ears into their supplication, but (the) Lord’s face (is) on (the people) doing bad-things.”

The ending-issue (fulfillment) is that: all (every holy-person) of you must be…

like-minded (people having similar thoughts in your minds),
suffering-together (people experiencing, being affected by things in conjunction with one another, sympathetic),
brotherly-loving (people evidencing the friendly or brotherly kind of love),
well-compassionate (people having good compassion; this word comes from the word meaning: well or good, and the word meaning: inward or inside parts, insides, bowels, intestines – and when put together, these words figuratively refer to your whole insides deep down being compassionate in a well manner towards another, an inner affection which is good, a yearning to help from deep within, to feel the bowels of your being, the inner-self, the emotion and attitude of wanting to assist another to that-which is well from God's viewpoint),
humble-minded (people having humility or lowliness of your mind's thoughts, in the position of having humble thinking with respect to what God says and the things of God),

…not giving-away a bad-thing (paying-back something that does not issue from the only true God as though being due or obligated as payment)

in exchange for a bad-thing (instead of, in return for having received something bad from another person)

…or a revilement (verbal abuse, insult)

in exchange for a revilement,

…but in opposition to that kind of behavior, you must be blessing (presently and actively speaking words that are well/good to and regarding one-another, which includes asking God to bless or speak well of one-another in different situations, because whom/what God speaks well of receives the blessing, it comes to pass for the recipient)

because into this (with a view to this purpose, directed to this objective, for this reason – you blessing one-another)
- you were called (invited),
for the purpose and result that you would inherit (become heirs, inheritors of the assigned lot, the allotted portion, which would be)
- a blessing (this word is a noun meaning: a good word spoken, good wording, the speech that is well; here it is referring to the truth that the well-spoken word happens, the good words spoken come to pass, you receive the outcome, the effect, the result of God’s blessing).

Peter continues by referencing what was previously written in Psalm 34:13-17 to explain regarding our behavior and the blessing that we can receive during the everyday living of our lives. Also in verse 10 the verb translated "love¹" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else. God tells His children today (all who have the spirit of Christ within us) how to Godly-love by means of His previously-revealed written Word and also via our holy spirit-life whereby we receive information from Him regarding how to love in different specific situations. It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will (refer to I Corinthians chapter 13 and I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.

In truth, the person who is intending (willing)…

“to presently and actively love¹ life (the state of being alive)
- and to see good days (to the end of perceiving and knowing in his mind days that are lived in a manner that is in alignment with God Who is good and sets the standard for what is good)
must stop the tongue away-from a bad-thing (cause to come to an end, cease the activity of the tongue, referring to speaking in any language, away from evidencing badness, from that-which is contrary to God’s intention)
- and lips not to utter-forth deceit (not to speak guile or bait out through his lips, as used to catch people by stratagem or subterfuge),
but he must lean-out (bow out, bend outwards, leave, depart, shun, turn-aside and keep) away from a bad-thing
- and do (perform) a good-thing,
he must seek after peace (look for tranquility and harmony, wholesomeness, without any strife or disagreement, which is the opposite of war, the opposite of conflict, the opposite of being at odds with the other party)
- and presently and actively pursue it (during the everyday living of his life in the walk/behavior category he must follow or proceed earnestly after peace),

...because…

the eyes of the Lord (referring to the only true God) are looking
- down on righteous-people (those who are just in the walk/behavior category, who behave in a justified manner, who are being and doing that which is right/just from God's viewpoint)
and His ears are hearing
- into their supplication (with a view to, directed to, for, regarding their specific communication of prayer, making known their needful-request, beseeching God regarding a lack and thus having a specific need in their particular situation or circumstance),
but the face (visage, countenance, presence) of the Lord (God) is
- down on the people who are performing bad-things (whatever they are doing does not escape God’s notice).”

[Reference: Psalm 34:12-16; Acts 3:26; Romans 12:14 and 17; I Corinthians 4:12; Ephesians 1:3, 4:2 and 32; I Thessalonians 5:15 and 16; I Timothy 5:14; II Timothy 2:22; Hebrews 10:34, 12:14, 13:1; James 3:3-12; I Peter 1:22 and 23.]

Verses 13-16:

^.13And who (is) the (one who) will be treating you badly if-ever you may become zealots of the good-thing?

^.14But if also you may suffer because-of righteousness (you are) happy-people, but let you not be caused-to-fear their fear neither be disturbed ^.15but you must make-holy the Christ (who is) Lord in your hearts. (You must be) prepared-people always towards a defense to every-person asking you a word concerning the hope in you ^.16but with meekness and fear having good conscience in order that in that-which you are slandered they may be brought-down-to-shame, the (people) maligning your good behavior in Christ –

Following on from verse 12 – who is there who will be treating you badly (inflicting and affecting you with badness at a future time) if it should ever happen that you would cause yourselves to become zealots (people who continue boiling with very-eager and vehement passion) pertaining to the good-thing? This is a rhetorical question for there need not be any answer written here, because Peter has already explained in this writing (chapters 1 and 2, and verses above) that God has begotten us who are holy-people, how we are to behave correctly, regarding our future, including the promises, blessing, inheritance, which God gives now and also in the future by means of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But contrary to our spiritual standing right now in Christ and our promised future…

if in addition you would suffer (since there is the potential for you to experience, be affected by things at the present time)
- on account of righteousness (justness, justice, the attributes of justification, the quality of being and doing what is just/right from God's point of view)
  - you would be happy-people (the word translated "happy" means that those spoken about are pronounced happy, felicitous; you would be happy people from God's viewpoint, not that you would feel happy at that time necessarily, but because of the reason that Peter explains),

…but…

you should not let yourselves be caused to fear (be afraid of/by) their fear (the fear that they exude towards others expecting to cause you to be fearful, or what they may be frightened of and expect you to also be fearful of the same people/things)
neither should you be disturbed (stirred up, agitated - just like a normally calm pool of water is agitated and moves when something else is thrown into it breaking through its surface and causing a rippling effect over the whole pool)

…but…

you must make holy the Christ who is Lord in your hearts (cause the Anointed-one, the Messiah, who is your Master, to be sanctified, set-apart from that-which is common, from the state of being common, defiled or unclean against God, sanctify him within the center or core of your beings, the seat of your whole personal selves during the everyday living of your lives).

You must be prepared-people (in the state of readiness, people who are ready) on every occasion…

towards a defense (a speech of defense, words spoken to others to get away from a difficult situation before a tribunal, etc)
to everyone asking you (as an inferior asks a superior for something to be given to him, requesting)
a word concerning the hope in you (a spoken account, an uttered statement about what God has given you to expect to come to pass in the future; refer to I Peter 1:3 and 21)

…but contrary to their bad treatment of you, you give your defense in company and association with…

meekness (tender receptiveness or receptivity towards God and the things of God) and
fear (fright, being afraid at the consequences of your performance of any wrong behavior, and therefore exhibiting the awe and respect that is rightfully due and ought to be shown towards God)
- while having good conscience (the word “conscience” means: a person’s knowing-awareness, the perception of what is right which he put together for himself in his mind as a result of all that he has already been taught and learned in relation to the one whom he recognizes as his ruler, the one who has authority – ultimately this authority should be the only true God – a good conscience is one that agrees with what issues from God; God is the standard of what is good)

…for the purpose and result that in that-which you are slandered (with reference to anything whereby all kinds of statements are uttered forth against you)…

they may be brought-down-to-shame (they would be made to feel shame before you; caused to have the feeling or emotion of disgrace and guilt bringing reproach having recognized and being sorry for their own performance of an improper, ignominious or dishonorable deed from God's point of view),
- emphatically and specifically the people who are presently and actively maligning (being insolent, abusive and accusatory towards/against)
  - your good behavior (your mode of living, way of turning-up, manner of moving-about during everyday living that agrees with what issues from God)
  - within the cause and sphere of action of Christ.

[Reference: Isaiah 8:12 and 13; Matthew 5:10; Acts 2:36, 10:36, 23:6, 24:12-21, 26:1-23, 28:20; Romans 3:24, 8:31-39, 9:1, 10:9 and 10, 12:5, 15:13; I Corinthians 4:17, and chapter 15; Ephesians 1:18, 4:4; Colossians 1:5 and 27; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Timothy 1:5 and 19; II Timothy 3:12; I Peter 1:3, 2:12.]

Verses 17-22:

^.17for (it is) a stronger-thing doing-good if the intention of God may intend (you) to suffer than doing-bad –

^.18because also Christ once suffered concerning sins, a righteous-person on behalf of unrighteous-people, in order that he may lead you towards God having been put-to-death indeed in flesh but having been made-alive in spirit, ^.19in which having journeyed also he heralded-forth to the spirits in prison ^.20having been un-persuaded at-some-time when the patience of God used-to eagerly-await in (the) days of (the) ark of Noah being fully-prepared, into which little, this is eight souls, were throughly-saved by means of water, ^.21an antitype baptism which also now saves you, not a putting-away of (the) filth of flesh but an asking of a good conscience into God, by means of (the) resurrection of Jesus Christ ^.22who is in (the) right-side of God having journeyed into heaven, angels and authorities and abilities having been subjected to him.

In truth, it is a stronger-thing (that-which takes comparatively more force with exerted-power) for you to be…

doing-good (actively performing that-which issues from God; God is the One Who issues His goodness and He sets the standard to be conformed to by you)
- if God’s intention (His will, His active volition and desire) could intend you to suffer
than doing-bad (actively performing that-which does not issue from God) –

…because also Christ once suffered concerning sins (at one time the Messiah, the Anointed-one experienced, was affected by things [some Greek texts read “died” instead of “suffered] with respect to people’s sins against God, actions of missing the mark of what God said, swerving from God’s Word to mankind)…

a righteous-person (one who is just, in a right/just state, justified, who is living his life in a right manner, being and doing what is just/right from God’s viewpoint)
- on behalf of unrighteous-people (people who are not righteous),

…for the purpose and result that he would lead you towards God (bring you to God giving you access to Him)…

having been put-to-death indeed in flesh (this righteous one was caused to die in his physical natural body with its soul/breath life, the flesh category)
but having been made-alive in spirit (he was given life in the spiritual body with its holy spirit life that he received when God raised him up alive from being dead; refer to I Corinthians 15:45),

…within the sphere of action of his new spiritual body, after he journeyed (passed, traveled from where he was located), he also heralded-forth (proclaimed his triumph) to…

the spirits located in prison (referring to the spirit-being angels who became demons, devils, which are currently in imprisonment, watched and guarded; refer to II Peter 2:4) – why are they in prison? –
- because of their bad behavior – they were actively un-persuaded (unwilling to be convinced by what the only true God told them; these spirits caused the contamination of most of mankind referred to in Genesis 6:1-7 and Jude verses 5-19) during a past time
  - when the patience of God (God’s long-suffering, long-forbearance towards or with others, His long-temperedness) was eagerly awaiting (waiting to accept, to subjectively receive, to take to Himself what was to be presented to Him)
  - during the days of Noah’s ark being fully-prepared (an “ark” is a box, a chest, a vessel built to contain items; Noah was making the ark ready in accordance with God’s detailed instructions, as putting an implement, vessel, or utensil down in the correct position ready for its appropriate use, which was to contain himself and his wife and their 3 sons and their wives and the animals, birds, etc),
  - into which (going from the outside into the inside/interior of the ark)
  - little (few, a small amount of people), this is eight souls (8 physically alive people; the word “soul” refers to the life of a human-being which is evidenced by breathing, natural / physical life),
  - were throughly-saved (made safe, brought safely through the judgment, brought to full safety)
  - by means of water (through water, which was coming down on the ark as rain and also kept the ark afloat on top of it when the earth flooded; they did not die by drowning at that time),
an antitype baptism ("baptism" is an immersion or surrounding of/by/in something; here it refers to the use of water during Noah's time - by means of which only the people who believed and obeyed what God said were saved alive - being a type or mark made, an impression or pattern received, as an old typewriter would impress the shape of the required letter on a piece of paper, an example of the type of baptism) which
- also at the present time is actively saving you,
  - not a putting-away (a placing or setting from yourselves, a removal)
  - of the filth of flesh (the dirt that gets on the flesh or which is flesh – during the flood everyone died except Noah and those inside the ark with him, also Jesus died because of mankind’s sins – you who are alive in the physical category still have our fleshy bodies and you do not have to literally put away your filthy flesh by dying)
  - but on the contrary, an asking (a statement of request, an application, an inquiry with desire for something to be done by God for you, the subject matter of what is stated has the quality and character)
  - of a good conscience (as detailed in verse 16 above)
  - into God (with a view to, directed to God, as going from the outside into the inside/interior of God’s presence),
- by means of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (through or by-way-of the standing-up of Jesus Christ out from among the rest of the dead people – as opposed to water during Noah's time; without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there could not be any asking of a good conscience into God for mankind today; nobody can be saved without the Lord Jesus Christ)
who presently and actively is located in the right-side of God (he is within the sphere of action of and is continuing at God’s right-hand side, which gives him the authority, power, honor, blessing, grace, approval, and excellence being an extension of the power, etc, of the One Whose side he is at – God’s right side)
- having journeyed into heaven (passed from the outside into the inside/interior of heaven, into God’s realm),
  - after the occurrence of (the following happened before the Lord Jesus Christ sat in the right-side of God)
  - angels (spirit-beings whose office and character is one of a messenger in official service via words and/or actions; refer to Hebrews chapter 1)
  - and authorities (authoritative powers or rights, which some spirits and people have been given or have taken for themselves)
  - and abilities (able powers or capabilities, which some spirits and people have been given or have taken for themselves)
  - having been subjected to him (were caused by God to be in submission, to be arranged in the position of being underneath the Lord Jesus Christ).

All holy-people (true Christians) have been immersed, surrounded in/within holy spirit; we have been washed clean permanently in holy spirit-life (refer to Acts 1:5, 2:1-4 and 38; I Corinthians 12:12 and 13; Ephesians 1:13 and 14; I Peter 1:2 and 12, 2:5). In the comparison above we learn that 8 people were throughly saved "by means of water" - we are presently being saved "by means of the resurrection of Jesus Christ" because he was made alive in spirit which we have received, but we still have our physical fleshy bodies. Water was the antitype; the resurrected Christ is the type of our full salvation; in the future we will be throughly saved. Currently we have the spirit of Christ in us; it is the deposit, token, earnest of what we will receive at a future time. The full completeness for us will come to pass when our Lord Jesus Christ will come to gather all holy-people together with him giving us new spiritual bodies, the life of which will be holy spirit-life, like the body he has already received from God, his Father and our Father, when God raised him up alive from those who are dead.

[Reference: Genesis 5:32 – 9:17; Acts 1:10 and 11, 2:34-36, 3:14 and 21, 7:52, 55 and 56; Romans 1:3 and 4, 5:1 and 2, 6:3-11, 8:9-11 and 34-39; I Corinthians 6:1 and 9, 15:23-28 and 44-46; II Corinthians 5:14-17; Galatians 1:4, 3:26-29; Ephesians 1:19-23, 2:14 and 18, 3:10, 4:5, 5:26; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22, 2:10-15, 3:1; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:7; I Timothy 1:5; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 1:3, 4 and 13, 2:5-10, 4:14, 5:8, 7:26, 8:1, 9:9-15 and 24-28, 10:10-12 and 22, 11:7; 12:2, 13:11 and 12; I Peter 1:3 and 19-21, 2:15, 20, 21 and 24; II Peter 2:4, 5 and 9, 3:9; Jude 1:5-19.]

I Peter Chapter 4