Passage

1 Peter 3.6

Book: 1 Peter · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

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. 5. For after this manner aforetime the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:

6. as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose children ye now are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by any terror.

Ye husbands, in like manner, dwell with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker vessel, as being also joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not hindered. 8. Finally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded: (1 Peter 3:4-8, ASV)

WEB

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. 5. For this is how the holy women before, who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:

6. as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you now are, if you do well, and are not put in fear by any terror.

You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered. 8. Finally, be all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tender hearted, courteous, (1 Peter 3:4-8, WEB)

KJV

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. 5. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

6. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. ^{daughters: Gr. children}

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 8. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: ^{love as: or, loving to the} (1 Peter 3:4-8, KJV)

YLT

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, 5. for thus once also the holy women who did hope on God, were adorning themselves, being subject to their own husbands,

6. as Sarah was obedient to Abraham, calling him 'sir,' of whom ye did become daughters, doing good, and not fearing any terror.

The husbands, in like manner, dwelling with [them], according to knowledge, as to a weaker vessel, to the wife, imparting honour, as also being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered. 8. And finally, being all of one mind, having fellow-feeling, loving as brethren, compassionate, courteous, (1 Peter 3:4-8, YLT)

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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

As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose children ye now are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by any terror.

The example and the final clause pull in different directions, and both belong to the argument.

The Sarah reference points to Genesis 18:12, where Sarah, laughing at the promise of a son, refers to Abraham as her lord. It is not a scene of obedient submission; it is a scene of scepticism, and Peter draws from it only the form of address.

Whose children ye now are. Peter tells Gentile women that they are Sarah's daughters, which is the same transfer of Israel's identity he performs at 1:1 with Diaspora and at 2:9 with chosen race. Descent from Sarah is here a matter of conduct and faith rather than birth, the counterpart of Paul's argument at Galatians 3:29.

And are not put in fear by any terror. This is the clause that governs how the whole passage should be read, and it is the one most often dropped. Me phoboumenai medemian ptoesin most likely alludes to Proverbs 3:25. Peter's counsel is submission without intimidation. The wives are not being told to be afraid of their husbands, and a reading that produces frightened compliance has produced the opposite of what the sentence says.

Read with verse 7's joint-heirs, the passage describes voluntary conduct undertaken by an equal for a missionary purpose, not a status of fear. That distinction is load-bearing in any pastoral use. See Marriage.

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.

G5219 - hypakouo, hypakouo, Strong's G5219
G1096 - ginomai, ginomai, Strong's G1096
G2962 - kyrios, kyrios, Strong's G2962

Quoted in

Lexicon:

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.