Passage

1 Peter 3.1-2

Book: 1 Peter · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

1. In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives; 2. beholding your chaste behavior coupled with fear.

Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; 4. but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (1 Peter 3:1-4, ASV)

WEB

1. In the same way, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; so that, even if any don’t obey the Word, they may be won by the behavior of their wives without a word; 2. seeing your pure behavior in fear.

Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; 4. but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God very precious. (1 Peter 3:1-4, WEB)

KJV

1. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2. While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4. But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (1 Peter 3:1-4, KJV)

YLT

1. In like manner, the wives, be ye subject to your own husbands, that even if certain are disobedient to the word, through the conversation of the wives, without the word, they may be won, 2. having beheld your pure behaviour in fear,

whose adorning, let it not be that which is outward, of plaiting of hair, and of putting around of things of gold, or of putting on of garments, 4. but, the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible thing of the meek and quiet spirit, which is, before God, of great price, (1 Peter 3:1-4, YLT)

See this page's graph and discover linked topics

Setting

Speaker: Peter, writing through Silvanus (5:12)
Audience: scattered believers across five Roman provinces of Asia Minor, described as sojourners and exiles and facing social hostility rather than state persecution
Location: written from "Babylon" (5:13), most likely a designation for Rome
Time period: c. AD 62 to 64, before the Neronian persecution

Theological reading

In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behaviour of their wives.

The passage is regularly read as a general statement about marriage. Its actual scope is narrower and its purpose is missionary.

The situation is a divided household. The stated case is a wife whose husband obeys not the word, that is, a believing woman married to an unbelieving man. In Peter's world religion followed the head of the household, so a wife who converted independently had done something socially transgressive, and her position was precarious. The instruction is addressed to that exposure.

In like manner ties this to what precedes, which is 2:21-25 on Christ's conduct under unjust treatment, and to the household instructions before that. The submission Peter counsels is patterned on Christ's, and Christ's was neither an admission of inferiority nor an acceptance that the treatment was just.

Without the word. The husband is to be won by conduct rather than by argument, which in context is not a general rule against a wife speaking but a recognition that in that household the verbal route was closed and the behavioural one was not.

Verse 7 is the counterweight and is regularly omitted when this passage is cited: husbands are to dwell with their wives according to knowledge, giving honour, as joint-heirs of the grace of life, with the sanction that their prayers be not hindered. Joint-heirs is a statement of equal standing before God. See Marriage and Women in Ministry.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

G3056 - logos, logos, Strong's G3056

Quoted in

Concepts:

Lexicon:

G2030 - epoptes, via 1 Peter 3.2
G5219 - hypakouo, via 1 Peter 3.1

Passages:

1 Peter 1.15-16

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.