Chaste conversation; free from all manner of impurities, and any thing contrary to the marriage covenant. Coupled with fear; such a fear or reverence of your husbands, whereby out of the fear of God, and conscience of his command, you give them all due respect, and do not willingly displease them. See Ephesians 5:1-33; subjection is required, Ephesians 5:22, and fear, Ephesians 5:33. read more
Let it not be; let it not be chiefly, or not so much the adorning of the outward man as the inward; the negative here is to be taken as a comparative, as Exodus 16:8; Luke 14:12. The apostle doth not absolutely condemn all kind of ornaments, or rich attire, which we find used sometimes by the godly themselves in the Scripture, Genesis 24:22,Genesis 24:30; Esther 5:1; compared with Psalms 45:9,Psalms 45:13, where the spiritual ornaments of Christ’s spouse are set forth by terms taken from the... read more
The hidden man of the heart; the inward man, Romans 7:22; 2 Corinthians 4:16; either the soul in opposition to the body, or the image of God, and graces of his Spirit in the soul, called elsewhere the new man, and opposed to natural corruption, or the old man, Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9,Colossians 3:10. In that which is not corruptible: this relates to what follows, the ornament of a meek, & c., and is opposed to those external ornaments before mentioned, which are of a fading,... read more
Holy women; and therefore worthy of imitation. Who trusted in God; whose only hope was in God, and therefore their care to please him. Adorned themselves; viz. with a meek and quiet spirit, counting that the best ornament. read more
Even as Sara; after ger name was changed from Sarai, my lady, to Sarah, simply a lady or princess, because kings were to come of her, Genesis 17:15,Genesis 17:16; yet even then she obeyed Abraham; and this is spoken in commendation of her obedience. Calling him lord; not merely in compliment, but in reality, hereby acknowledging his authority and her own subjection. Whose daughters ye are; not only according to the flesh, but spiritually, according to the promise. Ye are; either ye are made or... read more
Dwell with them; perform all matrimonial duties to them; by a synecdoche, all the duties of that relation are contained under this one of cohabitation. According to knowledge; either, according to that knowledge of the Divine will, which by the gospel ye have obtained; or, prudently and wisely, and as becomes those that understand their duty. Giving honour unto the wife; not despising them because of their weakness, or using them as slaves, but respecting them, caring for them, {as Matthew... read more
Be ye all of one mind; either, be of one mind in the things of faith, and then this implies the consent of the understanding, and the next, that of the affections; or, be united both in faith and affection: see Romans 12:16; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 4:2. Having compassion one of another: mutually affected with each other’s good or evil, Romans 12:15; Hebrews 10:34; Hebrews 13:3. This he joins with the other as the consequent of it; they that are united in faith and love are of the same... read more
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; not recompensing evil either in words or deeds, Proverbs 24:29; See Poole on "1 Peter 2:3", see Romans 12:14,Romans 12:17,Romans 12:19,Romans 12:21. But contrariwise blessing; praying for, and, as ye can, doing good to, those that do evil to you, or speak evil of you, Matthew 5:39,Matthew 5:44; Luke 16:27,Luke 16:28. Knowing that ye are thereunto called; either: 1. To bless those that do evil to you, that so by patient bearing of injuries,... read more
THE CHRISTIAN SPIRIT IN SOCIAL RELATIONSCRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTESTHE main contention of St. Peter is that the Christian life and obligations are not intended to be, and never should be, made a disturbing force in social and family relations. Our Lord warned His disciples that Christianity would become such a disturber, by reason of the opposition which it would excite; but the disturbing force must never be in the Christian. As much as “lieth in him” he must “follow peace with all men.”... read more
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Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - 1 Peter 3:1
To your own husbands; this he adds both to mitigate the difficulty of the duty, subjection, in that they were their own husbands to whom they were to be subject, and likewise to bound and circumscribe their obedience, that it was to be only to their own husbands, not to others; and so while he persuades them to subjection, he cautions them against unchastity. That if any obey not the word; the word of the gospel. He exhorts not only them that had believing husbands, but unbelieving ones, to be... read more