1 Peter

5:1-11

4. Concluding exhortations, 5:1-14

i] General exhortations for elders and church members

Having encouraged his readers in the face of suffering, 3:13-4:19, Peter now, in chapter 5, gives instructions to elders on godly leadership, v1-4, and then to younger men on the issue of accepting the authority of their church leaders, v5a, concluding with a general exhortation to church members on suffering and steadfastness, v5b-11.

Peter seems to be winding up his letter with general instructions that are unrelated to his main subject material, but this is really not the case. "The writer had deliberately placed his special instruction to leaders and the community as a whole here because, in the testing situation with which all his previous exhortations have been concerned, effective and disinterested pastoral leadership and mutual respect between members is absolutely indispensable", Kelly.

As to the substance of this passage "the writer now returns to finish what he had to say of the duties which his brethren owed to one another in the communion of the Church", Lillie, Lectures on the First and Second letters of Peter. It is, in a sense, "a summary of the ethical demands of the Christian life", Hiebert. In contrast to the earlier instructions on respect toward secular authority, slave masters, unbelieving partners and slanderers, Peter now gives instruction on "how to treat each other in the shared life of the believing congregation", Michaels.

Instruction to church elders ("they must guide and shepherd their charges not for financial gain or ego satisfaction, but willingly and without complaint", Michaels), v1-4, and to those under their authority ("respect the elders authority, and more than that, follow the elder's example by becoming servants to each other in the face of mounting threats among those hostile to their movement", Michaels), v5a.

oun "-" - for. Expressing cause/reason. Although best not translated, given the self-sufficient nature of this passage, this conjunction does tie into the previous passage, a fact expressed in its inferential force; See above. "So therefore ...."

presbuterouV (oV) acc. "elders" - [therefore I appeal to] elders [among you]. If Peter is just using the common sense of the word then it is age specific, but he is probably drawing on Jewish usage where, although age related (those referred to are mature), it is used of church leaders. At this stage such leadership would be fairly fluid, functional rather an appointment based. "Now I have something to say to those of you who are elders (leaders in the church)", TNT.

en "among [you]" - in, one / with [you]. Here expressing association, "among".

parakalw (parakalew) pres. "I appeal" - I exhort, appeal, beseech, encourage. "I" = "the co-elder (the one who is a fellow elder) and witness .... and .... the partner ..... appeals to the elders among you." This, the main verb of the verse, defines the purpose of the verse, or more generally the passage ("if not the entire book", Achtemeier). "I am writing to encourage you", CEV.

oJ sumpresbuteroV (oV) "as a fellow elder" - a fellow elder. If this letter comes from the hand of Peter, "fellow elder" will obviously allude to his apostolic authority, but at least his functional authority is being noted.

twn .... paqhmatwn (a) gen. "of [Christ's] sufferings" - of the sufferings [of Christ]. The genitive is adjectival, descriptive, possibly appositional, defining "witness", "a witness namely of the sufferings of Christ", or epexegetic, explaining the "witness", "a witness which consists of the sufferings of Christ." The genitive "of Christ" is also adjectival, but possessive. Although it is often assumed that Peter is referring to being an eye witness of Christ's suffering, he actually wasn't present at the crucifixion, so possibly "a witness which consists of = which concerns / is about the crucifixion of Christ" (ie. a witness of the gospel), or a witness of the sufferings of Christ in the sense of the suffering of Christ's body the church.

oJ ... koinwnoV (oV) "one who also will share" - the partaker, partner. Again some see a reference here to Peter's participation in the transfiguration and Christ's ascension (thus the selection of this reading for Easter 7), but surely the glory Peter is speaking of is his participation in eschatological glory.

thV doxhV (h) gen. "in the glory" - of the glory. The genitive is adjectival, descriptive, appositional; "the partner, namely in the glory ...."

melloushV (mellw) gen. pres. part. "-" - being about. The participle is adjectival, limiting "the glory"; "the glory which is about to be revealed."

apokaluptesqai (apokaluptw) pres. pas. inf. "to be revealed" - The infinitive is complementary, completing the verbal sense of the participle "of the being about."

poimanate (poimainw) aor. imp. "be shepherds" - shepherd, tend, feed. The aorist is possibly used to express urgency, so Hiebert. "Be a shepherd" in the sense of "tend by discipline and doctrine", Selwyn, ie. guard and guide.

en + dat. "that is under [your] care" - in / with [you]. This prepositional phrase, placed between the article to and its noun poimnion, functions adjectivally, descriptive, attributive; "the flock [of God] which is in you." Here possibly expressing association, "among/with you", but better local, "in you" = "in the different localities were the elders live and work", Selwyn / "in whose midst you are", Cassirer, or better, "in your charge", Zerwick / "God has given you", Knox.

episkopounteV (episkopiw) pres. part. "serving as overseers" - overseeing, taking care of = exercising pastoral care. Omitted in some major MSS. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner in which the action of the verb "shepherd / tend" is accomplished. "See to it that your flock of God is properly fed and cared for", Phillips.

mh anagkastwV adv. "not because you must" - not under compulsion, forced. Hapax legomenon, once only use in the NT. At this point Peter uses three pairs of adverbial modifiers (adverbs, v2b, adverbial participial phrases, v3), each in a negative and positive contrast, to further define the manner in which a shepherd shepherds, v2b-3. "not because you are a reluctant draftee."

alla "but" - but. Strong adversative, used in the contrast established within the three sets of adverbial modifiers; "not this, but that."

ekousiwV adv. "because you are willing" - spontaneously. "But like willing volunteers", Barclay.

kata + acc. "as [God] wants" - according to [God]. Not in all MSS. "As being in God's service", Selwyn; "In God's way", Zerwick.

mhde aiscrokerdwV adv. "not greedy for money" - not greedily. "Not for the mean motive of what you can get out of it", Barclay.

proqumwV adv. "[but] eager to serve" - [but] willingly, eagerly, wholeheartedly, zealously, enthusiastically. "But because you actually want to do it yourself."

mhd "not" - Setting up the negative element of the third adverbial modifier; "not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way", Peterson.

wJV "-" - as, like. Peter seems to use this particle in two ways, "as if / as it were", or, particularly when used with a substantive participle, as here, "in the manner of / functioning as", so Achtemeier. So here forming an adverbial phrase, the negative contrast of the third adverbial modifier.

katakurieuonteV (katakurieuw) pres. part. "lording it over" - having power over, lording it over, domineering, exercising complete control over. The participle functions as a substantive; "not in the manner of / functioning as one who is domineering."

twn klhrwn (oV) pl. gen. "those entrusted to you" - of the lots, portions. Referring to that which is assigned by lot, in this case, that portion of God's people ("of the flock of God", v2) which is assigned by God for a shepherd to guard and guide. The plural "lots" simply aligns with the plural "shepherds" giving one "lot" per "shepherd", v2. The genitive is adjectival, appositional, serving to define the domineering, namely over "those allotted to your charge", Barclay.

alla "but" - but. Strong adversative.

ginomenoi (ginomai) pres. part. "being" - being. At first glance this participle looks as if it is adverbial, but it is likely that the particle wJV also introduces and shapes this adverbial phrase as well, so making the participle function as a substantive, "but in the manner of / functioning as one being an example"; "but as one who serves as an example." Each of them as elders "must stand out as a distinct representative of the unseen Master to whom he and his people must be conformed", Fronmuller, via Hiebert.

tou poimniou (oV) gen. "to the flock" - of the flock. Here a singular noun, see "lots" above. The genitive is usually treated as objective, ie. the genitive "of the flock" receives the action of the verbal noun phrase "one being an example"; "as someone who serves as an example to/for the flock." Yet, technically the genitive is functioning adjectivally, describing and so limiting the example of the elder/shepherd, an example which is on behalf of the flock. "But tenderly showing them the way", Peterson.

fanerwqentoV (fanerow) gen. aor. pas. part. "when the [Chief Shepherd] appears" - [the chief shepherd] having been revealed, made known, manifested. A temporal genitive absolute participial phrase, as NIV. Peter has already called Jesus "a shepherd", here the master shepherd under whose authority the shepherds shepherd. The appearing is obviously eschatological; "when the chief shepherd is manifested in/at the parousia."

thV doxhV (a) gen. "[the crown] of glory" - [the crown, garland] of glory. The genitive is adjectival, limiting, possibly descriptive, attributive, "the glorious crown", or definitive, epexegetic, "the crown which consists of the divine glory", Kelly. For Paul the crown is a crown of righteousness, 2Tim.4:8, but Peter is probably reflecting its Old Testament use as a symbol of divine glory, a glory in which believers participate at the parousia.

oJmoiwV adv. "-" - likewise. "The attitude of the young men should parallel the attitude called for on the part of the leaders", Hiebert; "in the same way", Barclay.

newteroi adj. "young men" - young, new. The adjective is being uses as a substantive. Usually taken to refer to younger members of the congregation, even new believers, but it may refer to younger shepherds/elders whose exercise of humility should primarily apply to the more mature shepherds/elders in the congregation. If this is not the case (the lack of articles for "young" and "older" supports this contention), then the comparison in v1-5 is between older persons and younger persons, with Peter's instruction to older persons balanced by a comment to those under their care, cf. husbands, 3:1-6, wives, 3:7, so Achtemeier. In the 1st century the mature-aged were expected to exercise authority, given their accrued wisdom - a concept not recognized in modern society!!! It is unlikely that Peter is telling deacons to be submissive to priests since this hierarchical structure is a later development in the Christian church, but of course, the advice applies.

uJpotaghte (uJotassw) aor. imp. "be submissive" - be subject. The aorist may express urgent action, calling for an immediate willingness to voluntarily submit to "elders". "Younger men (trainee ministers??) should defer to those who are older (leaders??)", Berkeley.

An exhortation toward mutual humility, of resisting the powers of darkness and trusting in the Lord, v5b-11. It is more than likely that this passage is Peter's exposition of Proverbs 3:34, LXX, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." He paraphrases the quote in v6, explains the nature of humility in v7-9, (bring your worries to the Lord, be self controlled, alert to the powers of darkness, firm in faith and accepting of suffering), explains the gift/promise of grace in v10, and ends with a doxology in v11. All this sits under the reality of eschatological suffering, providing a guide to appropriate behavior. It is interesting to note that James attempts an exposition of the same verse cited in James 4:6b and expounded in 4:7-10. Naturally, arguments abound as to whether Peter depends on James, or James depends on Peter, but it is likely that they have worked independently of each other. The expositions are similar, as is often the case of sermons on the same text, but differences abound, as would be expected.

de "-" - but, and. Here transitional, "now".

panteV adj. "all of you" - all. The adjective functions as a substantive = "everyone". It seems best to take this as the introduction of a new paragraph / a new subject, rather than link the rest of verse 5, even v5 -7/11 with Peter's instruction to the "young", as is the case with most translations. So "the exhortation now turns from particular groups within the community to the community as a whole", Best.

egkombwsasqe (egkomboomai) aor. imp. "clothe [yourselves with humility]" - put on [humility]. As leaders and their assistants are to be humble, cf. v1-5a, so likewise should the whole Christian community be humble, willingly putting on humility as if putting on a piece of clothing. "Clothe yourselves with humility", Junkins.

allhloiV dat. pro. "toward one another" - to one another. Probably a dative of association; "in your association with one another."

oJti "because" - that. Here expressing cause/reason in the form of a quote from Proverbs 3:34 LXX, as NIV.

antitassetai (antitassw) pres. "[God] opposes" - resists. The present tense is durative such that God continually resists, in the sense of is constantly against, opposed to the proud.

uJperhfanoiV dat. adj. "the proud" - arrogant, proud. The adjective functions as a substantive, dative of direct object after the verb "opposed to." The "proud" are those who claim status before God in their own right, ie. theologically proud rather than socially proud, "haughty", although haughtiness is a natural consequence for those who think that their standing before God is maintained by their own faithfulness, ie. those who have adopted the Jesus loves good little boys and girls heresy.

carin (iV ewV) "grace" - In the scriptures the word takes the sense "divine favor (hesed)", "covenant mercy" - of forgiveness bestowed on members of the covenant when a just condemnation would be more appropriate.

tapeinoiV dat. adj. "to the humble" - The adjective functions as a substantive and is dative of direct object. A theological sense is paramount so "those who are broken before God claiming no right of access to the divine on the basis of their own righteousness", but of course, such an attitude affects social behavior as well prompting a humble demeanor where others are considered before self, cf. v2-3.

oun "therefore" - therefore. Drawing a logical conclusion, ie., "therefore, given that scripture tells us that God's grace flows to the humble, v5, be ....."

tapeinwqhte (tapeinow) aor. pas. imp. "humble yourselves" - be humble / humbled. The aorist, being punctiliar, gives a sense of urgency to the command. The passive may be treated as a middle voice, so NIV, or better passive, "allow yourselves to be humbled", Selwyn, best expressed "accept your humble status under God's mighty hand", Achtemeier.

uJpo + acc. "under" - under. Here expressing subordination.

thn krataian ceira tou qeou "the mighty hand of God" - An Old Testament phrase depicting God's sovereignty, eg. Ex.3:19.

iJna + subj. "that [he may exalt you]" - that [you may be exalted]. The construction usually forms an adverbial clause expressing purpose, "in order that", or hypothetical result, "so that", so Moffatt. God exalts those who put their trust in (are humbled before / accept their humble status before) him, cf. Psalm 9:13. Therefore we must trust /be humbled before God in order that we might be exalted. Peter is still contrasting humility and exaltation in theological terms, of trust in / dependence upon God for salvation. At this point some commentators think that the humility in Peter's mind is a humble acceptance of life's troubles and that we should adopt this attitude "in order that" we might appropriate eschatological exaltation, eg. "humble acceptance of that which God now causes them to endure is title to ultimate exaltation", Beare. Divine glory is not awarded to those who have a proper attitude toward life's difficulties, but is awarded to those who have a proper attitude toward Christ and his death on their behalf.

en kairw/ "in due time" - in time. Temporal phrase, possibly "when he comes", Moffatt. "In a propitious season / at a proper time", Hiebert, although obviously "in God's good time", Selwyn.

In the Greek, this verse and verse 6 form a single sentence. A believer's standing in the sight of God rests on a humble acceptance of divine mercy. Peter now extends this attitude toward the circumstances of life, particularly the troubles experienced by his readers. In the same way we throw ourselves on the mercy of God on the basis of his sovereign grace which we know will be fully realized in the day of glory, so we should cast all our cares on him in the knowledge that he cares for us. Our attitude toward the day of judgment, of a hope in promised glory, needs to be the attitude we bring to the troubles that plague us in the here and now. God does not necessarily manage the troubles (a debatable issue!!), but he does certainly manage the outcome. The powers of darkness may have their way, but ultimately their end is sealed - all will be well because he cares for us.

epipiyanteV (epiptw) aor. part. "cast [all your anxiety]" - having cast [all the anxiety of you]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the imperative verb "be humbled", v6; "be humbled ..... and cast all your cares ..." The participle is imperatival because it is attendant on the imperative "be humbled", rather than carrying imperatival force itself. See earlier notes on imperatival participles in 1 Peter. "Live carefree before God", Peterson.

pasan adj. "all" - all, every. Emphatic by position.

oJti "because [he cares for you]" - because [it is a concern to him about you]. Expressing cause/reason. References to God's providential care are found throughout the Old and New Testament, cf. Jesus' take on the subject, Matt.6:25-34. It is clearly stated that God is "concerned with the afflictions of man", Beare. What is not clearly stated is that God promises to intervene on our behalf when we face difficult times, in fact, what he promises is difficult times - the sufferings of Christ / glory through suffering!

autw/ "-" - to him. Dative of interest.

peri + gen. "-" - about, concerning.

nhyate (nhfw) aor. imp. "be self-controlled" - be sober, self-controlled. Probably in respect to persecution / end time tribulations, Selwyn, or possibly a sober eschatological watchfulness, Best; "be self controlled and vigilant always", Phillips.

grhgorhsate (grhgorew) aor. imp. "and alert" - be alert, wakeful, watchful. Both sobriety and watchfulness, within an eschatological context, are encouraged in 1Thes.5:6.

oJ antidikoV (oV) "[your] enemy" - the adversary, foe, opponent [of you]. In Hebrew "the one who opposes is Satan. The word was initially used in a legal setting, but was extended to cover any opponent.

diaboloV (oV) "the devil" - accuser. This word was used in the LXX to translate the MT (Hebrew )Satan, used in later Old Testament writings of the one who accuses humanity before God. "In the NT he is the tempter, the rebellious prince of evil, the antichrist and perverter of God's purposes, the vicious power to whom God allows temporary domination over the world", Kelly, or as the old chorus often reminds us, "he's got the whole world in his hands, he's got the whole wide world in his hands, .....", Oops!!!!

wJV "like" - as, like. Here comparative, ", like / in like manner of / functioning as."

wruomenoV (wruomai) pres. part. "roaring [lion]" - The participle is adjectival, attributive, as NIV. We must not forget that although the devil is indeed stalking us, as a lion stalks its prey, he presents, not so much as a roaring lion, but as an angel of light. So, if for example we are seeking God's will by the open / closed doors approach, it's the open doors we need to be suspicious of! When it comes to determining God's will, the principles of scripture are our safest guide.

peripatei (peripatew) pres. "-" - walks around. Cf. Job 1:7.

zhtwn (zhtew) pres. part. "looking for" - seeking. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the lion's walking around, it is wandering around in a hunting mode.

katapiein (katapinw) pres. inf. "to devour" - to swallow. Variant katapiei pres. subj., "he may swallow / devour." The infinitive forms an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what the lion is "seeking", namely someone to devour.

antisthte (anqisthmi) aor. imp. "resist" - resist, oppose, withstand.

w|/ dat. pro. "him" - to him. Dative of interest / direct object of the verb "stand up against".

stereoi adj. "standing firm" - firm, solid, steadfast.

th/ pistei (iV ewV) dat. "in the faith" - The dative is probably instrumental; "by the faith." The presence of the article implies that "faithfulness" is not intended. Nor does it mean "the faith" in the sense of Christian belief, but rather that particular personal trust / reliance on Christ which saves; "you must resist him with a rock-like faith", Barclay.

eidoteV (oida) perf. part. "because you know that" - having known, realized. The participle is possibly adverbial, causal, as NIV, yet although with a possible causal sense the participle primarily forms a dependent statement of perception expressing what they know, what they have come to realize, namely "that these sufferings ...." The dependent statement is best rendered "[realizing] that the same things, that is the sufferings, are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the word."

ta auta pro. "the same kind" - the same things. "The same things", being the sufferings, functions as an accusative substantive, subject of the infinitive "to complete, fulfill"; "knowing that the same things ...."

twn paqhmatwn (a atoV) gen. "of sufferings" - The genitive is adjectival, possibly describing, "the same things which you are suffering", or more probably defining, epexegetic or appositional, eg. "these things that consist of suffering", so Achtemeier; "realizing that the same things, that is the sufferings."

epiteleisqai (epitelew) pres. mid/pas. inf. "are undergoing" - to complete, fulfil, accomplish. Hapax Legomenon, once only use in the NT, and taking a number of possible meanings: i] to pay a tax, ii] to perform a religious duty, and iii] either mid. = to accomplish / complete a personal obligation, or pas. to be accomplished, / completed / fulfilled / carried out / played out / "accomplished as divinely appointed", Hiebert, so "experienced", "happening or taking place", Michaels. Passive is best; "realizing that the same things, that is the sufferings, are being experienced." The infinitive forms an accusative infinitive construction with "the same things" so functioning verbally, but syntactically it has prompted some hair-pulling, even to the point of spawning a variant finite verb; "these things .... are being experienced." See Beare for an alternate approach.

th/ .... adelfothti (hV htoV) dat. "[your] brothers" - the brotherhood, fellow believers [of yours]. The dative is probably instrumental / agency, so "by [your] fellow believers."

en + dat. "throughout [the world]" - in [the world]. Local.

de "and" - but, and. Here coordinative, but also adding something new, so "moreover", Hiebert.

pashV caritoV gen. "[the God] of all grace" - The genitive is possibly adjectival, descriptive, but better ablative, source / origin / author; "and God, the source of all grace", Cassirer. The "all" is probably "all varieties of."

oJ kalesaV (kalew) aor. part. "who called" - the one having called. The participle functions as a substantive. Probably not with the limited sense of "selected", but rather the wider sense of "invited".

eiV "to" - to, into. The preposition here may well express purpose; "in order that you may share his eternal glory."

thn ... doxan (a) "[eternal] glory" - the [eternal] glory. "Glory" entails the full range of divine blessings that are ours in our association with / by means of Christ's actions on our behalf, which gifts are ours eternally, ie. they abide.

en + dat. "in [Christ]" - Possibly local, the grace is found in Christ, but also possibly instrumental, the grace is by means of Christ; "who through Christ called you into his eternal glory", Barclay.

paqontaV (pascw) aor. part. "after you have suffered" - having suffered. The participle is adverbial, temporal, as NIV. The "you" is assumed, since the reference could be to Christ's sufferings, although this is unlikely.

oligon adv. "a little while" - little. A temporal sense seems likely, as NIV, although degree of suffering is possible. These words could be viewed as if devaluing the troubles, a kind of "don't be cry-babies", but Peter is simple reminding us that our life here, troubled or otherwise, is but a grain of sand on the beach of eternity.

autoV pers. pro "himself" - he. Here reflective and emphatic by position.

katartisei (katartizw) fut. "will [himself] restore you" - will restore, mend, reestablish, make whole. This is the first of a series of four future indicative verbs which Peter lists without any linking particles, a feature not observable in the NIV; "the God of all grace ..... will, after you have suffered awhile, personally equip, stabilize, strengthen and firmly establish you", Berkeley. These four verbs serve as "a final assurance of the providence of God, who will in the end make them fit for the glorious destiny to which He has called them in Christ", Beare. They are promises of perseverance for the individual readers as they face the coming day, although some commentators see them more in terms of a promise for the ongoing life of the Christian community, so Elliott, Selwyn, ... "God will supply believers with the needed support so that they will not topple and fall, impart the needed strength so that they will not collapse, and set them upon an immovable foundation so that they will not be swept away", Hiebert.

sthrixei (sthrizw) fut. "make you strong" - will support, strengthen, fix firmly.

sqenwsei (sqenow) fut. "firm" - to make strong, impart strength.

qemeliwsei (qemeliow) fut. "and steadfast" - will found, make/lay a foundation. Missing in some MSS.

autw/ pers. pro. "to him" - to him. Dative of interest.

to kratoV (oV ouV) "[be] the power" - the power to rule, might. cf. doxology in 4:11. Here the mighty power of God is affirmed, a power evident in the four descriptives in v10.

eiV touV aiwnaV "for ever and ever" - into the age. A common phrase for "eternally."

amhn "amen" - truly, indeed = may it be so.

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