1 Peter 2:15

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
so	οὕτως houtōs	G3779	in this way (referring to what precedes or follows) · adverb
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
will	θέλημα thelēma	G2307	a determination (properly · noun — nominative singular neuter
God	θεοῦ theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
doing	ἀγαθοποιοῦντας agathopoiountas	G15	to be a well-doer (as a favor or a duty) · verb — present active participle, accusative plural masculine
silence	φιμοῦν phimoun	G5392	to muzzle · verb — present active infinitive
ignorance	ἀγνωσίαν· agnōsian	G56	ignorance (properly · noun — accusative singular feminine
foolish	ἀφρόνων aphronōn	G878	properly · adjective — genitive plural masculine
men	ἀνθρώπων anthrōpōn	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — genitive plural masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Titus 2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
1 Peter 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which th…
Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sa…
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
Proverbs 9:6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
Jeremiah 4:22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Peter 2:13–end

The general rule of a Christian conversation is this, it must be honest, which it cannot be if there be not a conscientious discharge of all relative duties. The apostle here particularly treats of these distinctly. I. The case of subjects. Christians were not only reputed innovators in religion, but disturbers of the state; it was highly necessary, therefore, that the apostle should settle the rules and measures of obedience to the civil magistrate, which he does here, where, 1. The duty required is submission, which comprises loyalty and reverence to their persons, obedience to their just laws and commands, and subjection to legal penalties. 2. The persons or objects to whom this submissio…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Peter 2:15

Ground of his directing them to submit themselves (Pe1 2:13). put to silence--literally, "to muzzle," "to stop the mouth." ignorance--spiritual not having "the knowledge of God," and therefore ignorant of the children of God, and misconstruing their acts; influenced by mere appearances, and ever ready to open their mouths, rather than their eyes and ears. Their ignorance should move the believer's pity, not his anger. They judge of things which they are incapable of judging through unbelief (compare Pe1 2:12). Maintain such a walk that they shall have no charge against you, except touching your faith; and so their minds shall be favorably disposed towards Christianity.

Adam Clarke on 1 Peter 2:15

For so is the will of God - God, as their supreme governor, shows them that it is his will that they should act uprightly and obediently at all times, and thus confound the ignorance of foolish men, who were ready enough to assert that their religion made them bad subjects. The word φιμουν, which we translate put to silence, signifies to muzzle, i.e., stop their mouths, leave them nothing to say; let them assert, but ever be unable to bring proof to support it.

John Gill on 1 Peter 2:15

For so is the will of God,.... Which refers not so much to what goes before; though it is a truth, that it is the will of God that men should be subject to magistrates, and that magistrates should encourage virtue, and discourage vice, reward the obedient, and punish delinquents; but to what follows: that with well doing; by doing good works, and those well; by living soberly, righteously, and godly; by having the conversation honest among the Gentiles, agreeably to the law of God, and as becomes the Gospel of Christ; particularly, by living according to the laws of civil society, so far as is consistent with, and not contrary to the commands of God; and by being subject to every civil magi…

The Church Fathers

"Because this is the will of God, that by doing good, etc." This is therefore the praise of the good, to which he says leaders sent by the king, while using the ignorance of unwise leaders, the good act well to their own perpetual praise.
— Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Peter said this because there were some subversive people who were saying that Christ had come to overthrow the state, teaching us that we should despise every earthly power. But when they see us submitting to them because it is God's will, then they are silenced, because they realize that they were wrongly trying to tear the kingdom of Christ in two.
— Andreas of Caesarea, CATENA

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Citizens · DUTIES OF — DUTIES OF
Example · 2:7,8; — 2:7,8;
Self-Denial · 13:13; — 13:13;

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Peter 2:15

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Peter 2:13–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Peter 2:15

Adam Clarke on 1 Peter 2:15

John Gill on 1 Peter 2:15

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Peter 2:15

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Peter 2:13–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Peter 2:15

Adam Clarke on 1 Peter 2:15

John Gill on 1 Peter 2:15

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on 1 Peter 2:13-16

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Peter 2:14