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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Peter 3:1-7

The apostle having treated of the duties of subjects to their sovereigns, and of servants to their masters, proceeds to explain the duty of husbands and wives. I. Lest the Christian matrons should imagine that their conversion to Christ, and their interest in all Christian privileges, exempted them from subjection to their pagan or Jewish husbands, the apostle here tells them, 1. In what the duty of wives consists. (1.) In subjection, or an affectionate submission to the will, and obedience to... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 Peter 3:1-2

3:1-2 Likewise, you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that, if there are any who refuse to believe the word, they may be won for Christ without a word because they have seen your pure and reverent behaviour. Peter turns to the domestic problems which Christianity inevitably produced. It was inevitable that one marriage partner might be won for Christ, while the other remained untouched by the appeal of the gospel; and such a situation inevitably had difficulties. It may seem... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Peter 3:1

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands ,.... As well as subjects to princes, and servants to masters; though not with the same sort of subjection, but what is suitable to the relation they stand in to their husbands; See Gill on Ephesians 5:22 . See Gill on Colossians 3:18 . that if any obey not the word ; any husband who is an unbeliever, has no love for the Gospel, and gives no credit to it, but despises, disbelieves, and rejects it, the word of truth, of faith,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Peter 3:1

Ye wives, be in subjection - Consider that your husband is, by God's appointment, the head and ruler of the house; do not, therefore, attempt to usurp his government; for even though he obey not the word - is not a believer in the Christian doctrine, his rule is not thereby impaired; for Christianity never alters civil relations: and your affectionate, obedient conduct will be the most likely means of convincing him of the truth of the doctrine which you have received. Without the word - ... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Peter 3:1

Verse 1 He proceeds now to another instance of subjection, and bids wives to be subject to their husbands. And as those seemed to have some pretense for shaking off the yoke, who were united to unbelieving men, he expressly reminds them of their duty, and brings forward a particular reason why they ought the more carefully to obey, even that they might by their probity allure their husbands to the faith. But if wives ought to obey ungodly husbands, with much more promptness ought they to obey,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Peter 3:1

Expositions Likewise, ye wives. St. Peter has spoken of the duties of servants: why does he omit those of masters? There must have been Christian masters in Asia Minor, as is plain from Ephesians 6:9 ; Colossians 4:1 . But we notice that St. Paul, though he has a few words for masters, addresses slaves at much greater length. Probably Christian masters were comparatively few, while large numbers of slaves had embraced the religion which could do so much to comfort and elevate the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Peter 3:1-7

I. DUTIES OF WIVES . 1. Obedience. Holy matrimony is a very sacred thing. It is not a mere human ordinance ( ἀνθρωπινὴ κτίσις , 1 Peter 2:13 ); it is not a creation of human law. Human law, indeed, surrounds it with its sanctions, regarding it as a civil contract; but it was instituted of God in the time of man's innocency; it is an image of the mystical union between Christ and his Church. It is a school of holy love, a discipline of sweet self-denials for the loved one's... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Peter 3:1-7

I. SUBJECTION OF WIVES TO THEIR HUSBANDS . 1. Duty stated. "In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands." The space which is here given to wives, especially in comparison with what is given to husbands, points to the great influence of women in the early Christian Church. The injunction to wives comes under the being subject to every ordinance of man ( 1 Peter 2:13 ). Christianity was to be advanced by the subjection of Christians to magistrates placed... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Peter 3:1-22

The subject of this section is the necessity for a life becoming the Christian name; this is applied to Christian citizens and to Christian servants, and, here, to Christian wives. The reason for the conspicuous place here assigned to wives is obvious. The writer is addressing Churches in pagan countries, many of whose members were wives of heathen husbands. What were these to do? were they to continue in that relationship, or did their Christianity sever the marriage bond? That question... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Peter 3:1

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands - On the duty here enjoined, see the 1 Corinthians 11:3-9 notes, and Ephesians 5:22 note.That, if any obey not the word - The word of God; the gospel. That is, if any wives have husbands who are not true Christians. This would be likely to occur when the gospel was first preached, as it does now, by the fact that wives might be converted, though their husbands were not. It cannot be inferred from this, that after they themselves had... read more

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