A Special Charge to Elders
5:1 Peter now turns to address the local church leaders, the elders among you. The term elders can indicate those senior in age (as in v. 5) or as here, senior in experience. In the nature of the case, of course, the latter meaning will often include the former. Hints of the function of elders can be gleaned from verses 2–3. Their duties include leading and pastoring church members, taking financial responsibility, and living exemplary lives that match up to Christian teaching. With many of the first believers coming from a background of Judaism, it would be natural for the early churches to be organized on the well-established model found in the Diaspora, Jewish settlements scattered abroad. This was the Sanhedrin, a council of elders under a president, who together looked after the corporate life of the Jewish community. Later in Asia Minor, the area to which 1 Peter is addressed, a clearer hierarchical structure has been established, according to the letters of Ignatius (martyred ca. A.D. 107), but the present letter does not suggest a rigid ecclesiastical system.
Peter makes his appeal to the church leaders as a fellow elder, one of them in some respects, although as an apostle (1:1) he is able to speak with special authority. Referring to himself as a fellow elder expresses a certain humility, although he does go on to refer to the privilege he has of being a firsthand witness of Christ’s sufferings (Acts 10:39). But Peter’s use of the term fellow elder is probably intended to convey that he too considers himself to be a pastor; thus he can speak from experience and with a sympathetic understanding of their responsibilities.
While a witness of Christ’s sufferings will include the sense of being an eyewitness of what went on, the term witness also means “one who testifies.” Peter qualifies on both counts.
Furthermore, he can claim to be one who also will share in the glory to be revealed. The reference may be to the second coming of Christ at which his glory, glimpsed during his earthly life at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:2; 2 Pet. 1:18), will be made manifest to believing eyes. Or Peter may have in mind the glory that believers themselves will together enjoy when they finally go to be with the Lord. Either way, the shortness of the time-factor is evident from the Greek, which literally means “about to be revealed.” The sufferings that Christ went through ended in glory. So will it be for faithful believers (4:13–14).
5:2 Not surprisingly, after his unforgettable interview with the risen Lord on the shore (John 21:15–17), Peter again employs pastoral language. The church leaders are to be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care (lit. “to shepherd God’s flock among you”). The symbol of shepherd/sheep appeared in 2:25, where it corresponds to Christ/Christians, echoing the frequent OT picture of God as the Shepherd of his people (Ps. 23:1; 80:1; Isa. 40:11; Zech. 9:16). But the image is also applied in the NT to Christian leaders/other believers (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11). The transfer is natural enough, for Christian leaders are acting on behalf of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus himself (5:4), and they are to pattern their ministry after his.
A shepherd is responsible for the total well-being of the flock committed by an employer into his charge. He must see to it that the sheep are fed, watered, and protected at all times, and that, as necessary, they are led from place to place to find fresh pasture. The task can involve not simply the personal inconvenience of putting the sheep before his own comfort, but hardship and danger, even at the risk to his own life (John 10:11). The appropriateness of the metaphor is apparent in the harsh and wild rural economy of Bible days, even if the city-dweller of today may have to make a special effort to appreciate its application to a modern situation.
The flock of church members is described as God’s. The flock belongs to him: it is his property. Elders in their shepherding are to keep that fact always in mind, for they are engaged in fulfilling a divine trust, and in due course they will be answerable to God for what they do—or fail to do—with it.
The elders do not own the sheep, but are serving as overseers, exercising oversight in the church fellowship. But they are not to carry out this responsibility with any unworthy motives. It must be voluntary service (not because you must) and willingly and eagerly given, for such is the true nature of Christian love. Neither must there be any idea of doing for getting, no notion of serving only for what they can squeeze out of it: not greedy for money (1 Tim. 3:8; Titus 1:7). The inclusion of such a warning suggests that it was not unnecessary. Probably since being known as a committed believer meant almost certain ostracism from employment and social life in the general pagan community, the opportunities for grasping money entrusted to Christians in a position of authority might become all too tempting.
5:3 Neither must elders display any misplaced attitude of overbearing superiority by lording it over those entrusted to them. On the contrary, the life of each elder must be a shining example to the rest of the fellowship, for if that example is to reflect Christ (as it should), then the note sounded will rather be one of humility. They are not to be high-handed or autocratic. The Greek for those entrusted to you is literally “the lots.” One implication of the choice of such a term could be that the care of a group of believers in the Christian community was allocated to each elder—though it must be added that there is no evidence from other sources that this sort of organization existed.
More profoundly, the Greek word for “lot” is applied in the OT to God’s choice of Israel: it is as if God assigned Israel to himself as his special responsibility (Deut. 9:29). Now in the Christian dispensation, God is handing on a similar charge to elders called to look after the people of the new covenant inaugurated by Jesus Christ. It follows that each elder’s attitude toward the members of the church allocated to the elder for oversight must reflect the divine attitude—and show God’s love, forbearance, forgiveness, sympathetic understanding, not to mention God’s tireless service at all times. It is a tall order for any elder. No wonder Peter has made a special point of it all in these few words.
5:4 The elders’ reward will not be in terms of this world but in a form appropriate to the life to come. At the opening of the books at the last judgment, the faithful elder will be abundantly recompensed. The elder will receive reward far beyond the value of any earthly remuneration, which, however great, would be liable to moth and rust and thieves (Matt. 6:19), and which would be useless in a spiritual sphere.
The reference to the occasion when the Chief Shepherd appears is a reminder that elders are not acting independently. They are answerable to the One who has delegated the work to them. But the reward for faithful service will surpass our imagining. At the second coming, when all Christians are summoned before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), the elders who have been true to their commission will receive the crown of glory. That can never be subject to the ravages of time, for it belongs to another world-order, and it can never, like earthly things, fade away (1:4). What form a crown of glory will take is not explained, and indeed it could not be. Earthly words are totally inadequate to describe spiritual realities of the next life. The grammar of the expression crown of glory allows for interpretations that include a crown which is in some way composed of glory (4:14), a glorious crown (one that will never lose its dazzling brightness), or a crown symbolizing a share in the divine glory (2 Pet. 1:4). There may even be a hint, if a royal crown is in mind, of greater responsibilities in the world to come (Matt. 19:28; 25:21; cf. 1 Pet. 2:9). Whatever the nature of that crown, it is clearly intended as a symbol of triumph and represents a sharing in the victory of Jesus Christ over all suffering and over death itself (5:1).
5:5a Young men are to be submissive to those who are older. The nouns young men and older can, of course, refer to relative age. But in the context of a charge to elders as church officials, it seems more likely that here the term young men (lit. “younger men”) means those more recently appointed to the office of elder. They are warned not to let their new position go to their heads, but to be prepared to bow to the experience and guidance of those who are older, senior in experience.
Additional Notes
5:1–3 Qualifications for a Jewish sanhedrin (governing council) are echoed in these verses. According to rabbinic writings, members of a sanhedrin must be God-fearing (cf. 1 Pet. 5:1), not greedy for money (5:2), and humble and modest (5:3). They were termed elders (5:1), overseers (5:2), shepherds of the flock (5:2), guides (5:3, examples). See Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, p. 282.
5:1 Elders are frequently mentioned; e.g., in Jewish communities: Exod. 3:16; Lev. 9:1; Num. 11:24; 1 Sam. 4:3; Ezek. 8:1; Matt. 26:47; Acts 4:5); and in Christian fellowships: Acts 15:2; 1 Tim. 4:14; Titus 1:5. The term is also applied to certain heavenly beings (e.g., Rev. 4:4; 5:8; 7:11; 11:16).
Appeal is the Greek verb parakalein, to exhort.
Fellow elder: This verse, together with 1:1, offer the only direct clues to the identity of the author of 1 Peter.
Witness (martys): not necessarily an eyewitness (as it is in Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15), but one who gives testimony (as in Matt. 26:65; Acts 7:58; 2 Cor. 13:1). In the latter sense, martys eventually came to be used in the early church to mean “martyr,” one who held firm to testimony to Jesus even at the cost of life (Rev. 2:13).
Christ’s sufferings is lit. “the sufferings of the Christ” and could be another reference to the messianic woes, the period of suffering prior to the return of Christ (Messiah). The word witness in this case would carry the meaning of “one who testifies.” See Additional Note on 4:13.
5:2 Be shepherds: Peter, a fisherman, has been recommissioned as a shepherd (John 21:15–17).
Serving as overseers (episkopountes): (Not in some important MSS: it may be a later exegetical expansion based on 2:25). The corresponding noun episkopos, overseer, later gave us the title “bishop.” A near parallel is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, where the mebaqqer, or overseer, “shall love them [the members of the Qumran community] as a father loves his children, and shall carry them in all their distress like a shepherd his sheep” (CD 13.7).
Not because you must (mē anankastōs): Not by way of compulsion; the Greek word is rare, and in the NT only here. The direct opposite of hekousiōs, voluntarily, because you are willing: Christian service of every kind must be freely given out of love and not wrung unwillingly from reluctant hands.
Not greedy for money (mē aischrokerdōs): Not from eagerness for sordid gain. The corresponding adjective occurs in 1 Tim. 3:8 and Titus 1:7, both in a similar context of a character-sketch of a worthy Christian office-bearer. At least some church leaders were supported financially from the early days (Matt. 10:10; 1 Cor. 9:12; 1 Tim. 5:17–18).
Eager to serve translates one Greek word prothymōs, zealously. Emotion is implied because in ministering to God’s people they are in truth serving God himself.
5:3 Lording it: The Greek verb katakyrieunein includes a derivative of kyrios, lord, plus the prefix kata, down upon, the two together implying an overbearing and oppressive attitude.
Those entrusted to you renders one Greek word klērōn, lots, allocations; its earlier sense of “dice” occurs in Matt. 27:35. In secular Greek klēros meant an estate. Peter may have in mind Deut. 9:29 LXX, in which the people of Israel are called God’s klēros, since that verse includes the phrase “the mighty hand of God,” which Peter goes on to use in v. 6.
5:4 The Chief Shepherd is described in Heb. 13:20 as the “great Shepherd of the sheep.” In the OT, the promised Messiah is termed the shepherd of God’s people (like David, Ezek. 34:23). The messianic prophecy of Mic. 5:4 speaks of the ruler of Israel coming from Bethlehem to shepherd God’s flock. In Matt. 26:31, Jesus applies to himself the reference in Zech. 13:7 to the shepherd being struck down and the sheep scattered, a prophecy understood by the Qumran community as referring to some eschatological figure (CD 19.5–9).
The book of Enoch speaks of Israel in the days of the exodus as sheep escaping from the wolves of Egypt (1 Enoch 89:10), and goes on in similar terms to describe the wanderings in the wilderness: “The sheep escaped from that water [the Red Sea that overwhelmed the wolves of Egypt pursuing Israel], and went forth into the wilderness, where there was no water and no grass … and I saw the Lord of the sheep pasturing them and giving them water and grass … His appearance was great and terrible and majestic” (1 Enoch 89:28–30).
You will receive: Komizein (occurring again in 1:9) is a verb regularly used in the NT for the bestowing of the ultimate recompense of reward or punishment at the last judgment (2 Cor. 5:10; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:25; Heb. 10:36; 2 Pet. 2:13).
Crown (stephanos, derived from stephein, to encircle): The word can mean a wreath, garland, or chaplet awarded as the winner’s prize, or an honor for distinguished public service, or a golden royal crown. A laurel wreath can soon wither, public acclaim can be short-lived, and a royal crown lost. But the crown of glory, in whatever form that may take, is unfading, eternal in quality. There could also be a link with the joy of the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7), for a crown was also worn by Jewish bridegrooms. Also in the Greek world crowns denoted the joy that comes at weddings, and they were common objects in pagan religions (TDNT, vol. 7, pp. 616–24). For both Jew and Greek, the dominant idea was of the recognition of victorious achievement, with its associated themes of honoring and joyful celebration, rather than any reference to a symbol of the autocratic rule of a king.
That will never fade away (amarantinos): unfading, unlike the garlands of flowers and leaves awarded at the Greek games—which were in any case competitive, a thought alien to the message of 1 Peter.
A parallel notion is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls: “All who walk in the ways of the spirit of truth [receive] eternal blessings and everlasting joy in the life everlasting, and a crown of glory and a robe of honor amid light perpetual” (1QS 4.7).
5:5a Young men is lit. younger men (neōteroi). The comparative can refer to age, rank, or a recent appointment, “young in the job.”
The Great Virtue of Humility
5:5b In his earlier exhortation to slaves (2:18), Peter slipped almost imperceptibly into addressing all his readers (if not in 2:21, then certainly by 2:25). So here, the apostle moves on from speaking to elders in particular to church members in general, all of you.
All believers are to clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. They are to put on, as though it were a garment, the Christlike character of humble service. By his choice of metaphor, Peter is no doubt reflecting on the scene in the Upper Room, when Jesus took up the menial task of washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:4). The Greek verb Peter uses for clothe yourselves is a vivid one, for it is derived from a series of words implying clothing that is tightly wrapped, or rolled up, or knotted. The picture is of donning a slave’s apron, tied on tightly so as to leave the body free for action. “Do not use humility as the usual loose-fitting garment, so readily put on or taken off according to whim, but as a close-fitting overall intended for work and wear.” Humility is a matter not of downcast eyes, or of the mentality of a Uriah Heep (“I’m only an ’umble clerk, Mr. Copperfield”), but of active selfless service toward one another.
Once again, Peter quotes a supporting word from the OT (Prov. 3:34 LXX), “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble,” a point frequently made in the OT and memorably expressed in the Magnificat (Luke 1:51–53). God, as the Greek implies, sends his armed forces against those who consider themselves far superior to others and treat the common herd with contempt. The implication is that the proud are those who ridicule and despise Christian believers (2:12; 3:16; 4:4–5). Such people are oblivious of the fact that by their attitude they are foolishly pitting their puny selves against the overwhelming might of God. By contrast, the divine favor of special blessing is bestowed upon believers who seek to follow the example of their Master in his selfless lowliness (Matt. 11:29).
5:6 While the previous verse spoke of the expression of humility toward those who share the common faith, Peter now goes more deeply. The foundation of Christian humility is a dependent attitude toward God and his ability to rescue. That involves turning one’s attention away from self and away from circumstances, however pressing and however painful. The believer’s attitude must be one of taking it for granted that God’s hand remains in control of events. In the OT, the expression the mighty hand of God almost always refers to divine deliverance. His power to deliver can still be relied upon, says Peter, provided there is trust on the believer’s part. A drowning man must submit to the one who comes to his aid. If he struggles in his own strength to try to save himself—in effect in the pride of self-sufficiency—he is likely to defeat the best efforts of his would-be rescuer, who in the end may even have to disable him before getting him to safety.
Trust in divine deliverance will be rewarded in due time, not necessarily with the immediacy that one often craves in distress, but at the divinely right moment, as God sees the whole situation. Certainly at the end of days (1:5; 2:12), the believer’s trust will be justified and the persecutor’s stance exposed as one of opposition to almighty God himself.
5:7 However trying the circumstances, therefore, believers are to look to God alone: Cast all your anxiety on him. Far from being an attitude of resignation, humility for the Christian has this very practical aspect. In response to humble trust, God is not only able to deliver his own, but is at all times ready and willing to do so: he cares for you. Without drawing attention to the fact, Peter is again quoting from the OT—this time from Psalm 55:22 LXX. Believers can safely leave all anxieties with their heavenly Father (Matt. 6:25–34). He will care about their cares. For their part, believers are to be care-free. It is one of the distinctive treasures which Christianity has inherited from Judaism that God is known to be concerned with the personal care of his people. Other religions at best see God as aloof, as one who, while good and perfect, keeps his distance from human beings.
Additional Notes
5:5b All of you was omitted from the earlier NIV edition.
Clothe yourselves with humility: The Greek verb enkomboomai is rare and occurs in the NT only here. It is formed from kombos, a knot; cf. the noun enkombōma, a garment tied over other clothing, especially the apron worn by slaves (LSJ).
“When a man thinks much of the glory of heaven and little of his own glory, both the glory of heaven and his own glory are magnified. If, however, a man thinks little of the glory of heaven and much of his own glory, the glory of heaven remains unimpaired but his own glory wanes” (Midrash Rabbah 4.20 on Num. 4:16).
“God opposes …”: The quotation, from Prov. 3:34 LXX, is also used in the same Greek form in James 4:6, with both writers replacing “Lord” with “God” to avoid suggesting to Christian readers that Jesus is meant.
Opposes (antitassein): A military term, used of an army drawn up ready for battle.
Proud (hyperēphos): One who seeks to show himself above others, haughty, disdainful.
5:6 Humble yourselves: “Ever be more and more lowly in spirit, since the expectancy of man is to become the food of worms” (Aboth 4.4). The downcast pessimism of the rabbis contrasts with the opening Beatitude which bids the believer to look up: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). See Edersheim, Life and Times, vol. 1, p. 531.
Under God’s mighty hand: A frequent OT metaphor for divine deliverance (Exod. 3:19; 6:1; Deut. 7:8; 9:26; Neh. 1:10; Ps. 136:12; Jer. 32:21; Dan. 9:15).
That he may lift you up uses the same Greek verb as in Christ’s declaration, “He who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). The Greek word suggests the bestowal of honor, position, fortune.
In due time (en kairō): Used also in 1:5, although there with the adjective “last” to make the eschatological note explicit.
5:7 Cast is a participle in the Greek, not a separate imperative (as taken by NIV and many modern translations). The injunction therefore is closely connected with the theme of humility in v. 6. The Greek verb is an aorist participle, signifying a definite act of handing over the burden of anxiety. The only other NT occurrence of epiriptein is in Luke 19:35, where the disciples cast their clothes upon the animal, so letting it carry the garments.
Anxieties: The Greek implies being pulled in several different directions at once, a vivid impression of what worry means. A version of the text is found in Hermas: “Cast your cares upon the Lord, and he will set them straight” (Shepherd of Hermas, Visions 4.2.5).
Orders for Active Service
5:8 The exhortations to humility in verses 5b–7 are not to be taken as recommending an attitude of passive resignation, or even of stoic indifference, to painful events. Neither does the emphasis on the reality of God’s care mean that Christians are to be careless—not least about spiritual perils. While the sufferings that afflict believers in the present life may come to them through the agency of other human beings, whom they can see and hear, God’s people must at all times remember that behind the seen is the unseen. As part of Christ’s army, they are all the time caught up in a spiritual war (Eph. 6:12).
The standing orders for Christians in this conflict include the need to be self-controlled and alert. As in 1 Thessalonians 5:6–8, where the same Greek terms are used, the notions of wakefulness and sobriety imply the need to avoid the opposite states of sleep and drunkenness. Drunkenness expresses the clouding of the senses, and so a lack of apprehending spiritual realities. Peter’s exhortation to self-control (also in 1:13; 4:7) is always a positive one, with a view to action. Similarly, believers are to be alert, to be on the watch like keen sentinels, aware that the foe may attack at any time and from any quarter.
Unseen he may be, but the spiritual fact is that their enemy the devil is forever seeking a way to infiltrate and take advantage of any weakness among God’s army of believers. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, a simile chosen because of the brute’s nature as a cruel and ferocious beast of prey. Believers facing distress and persecution are not to be frightened into apostasy by the fierce threats of their enemies. Only if sheep forsake the fold are they at the mercy of a prowling lion. This is not to suggest that if believers do suffer physical or material hurt, or even death, because they are Christians, they must be in some way to blame, being in sin or lacking in personal faith. Their spiritual safety is what is all-important, and provided they are loyal to God, this is beyond the reach of their enemies (1:5). Peter is addressing his readers’ immediate situation and warning that the devil is constantly engaged in looking for someone in God’s army to devour, any he can ruin and destroy spiritually.
5:9 What are believers to do about the attacks of the devil? They are to resist him, to stand fearlessly up to him. Christians are not to fear the devil, but neither are they to underestimate him. Yet they are not to rely upon their own strength, for of themselves they are no match for the devil’s capacity and skill. The devil is conquered only in Jesus Christ. So the resistance Peter urges is a standing firm in the faith, immovable in their steadfast reliance on the Lord and his victory. They can encourage themselves in the knowledge of two facts: (1) it is entirely possible for Christians to resist the devil—it is never a hopeless situation; and (2) they are not isolated and on their own in their struggles. Their Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world are also caught up in the conflict as fellow-members of the same spiritual army. They too are even now undergoing the same kind of sufferings, not necessarily the particular persecutions facing Peter’s readers, but suffering nonetheless because they live the Christian life in a hostile, ungodly environment.
5:10 Any suffering seems interminable at the time. But it does have an end, in both senses of that word. In terms of time, it will not go on forever: suffering will be only for a little while. That is not to be taken as an assurance that their suffering will be brief, which would probably be contradicted by the experience of at least some of Peter’s readers, but it is temporary. Paul expresses a parallel thought: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). And suffering also has an end in the sense of purpose, as Peter has been at pains many times to stress (1:7; 2:12, 15, 19; 3:9, 14, 16; 4:13–16). God is using every experience, especially perhaps the more unpleasant ones, to further his loving purpose in the lives of his people and to enable them to grow in grace and in their knowledge of him (2 Pet. 3:18).
God is the God of all grace, the source of all sufficiency for every demand made upon his own (2 Cor. 12:9). The goal he has in view for his people is for them to share in his eternal glory in Christ. That is the reason for his call. The experiences of this life are limited. What lies ahead in the purposes of God for believers is eternal: their coming salvation in all its fullness (1:5).
The clear object God keeps in view through all that believers face in this world should be a matter for great encouragement when days are dark and threatening. God himself is purposing to restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. Is Peter thinking of the old days, remembering how his fishing nets continually needed reinforcement and repair? The Greek he employs is reminiscent of what he used to have to do in his fishing business. The situation, spiritually speaking, is similar for all believers. After the wear and tear of daily living for God in a hostile environment, they need to be renewed, restored, fully re-equipped. Personal divine action will attend to this very need. Believers will be made strong, firm and steadfast—the virtual synonyms pile up as Peter strives to make the point for those who are perhaps feeling all too conscious of their present weakness and helplessness. Strength comes through growth and development, no less in the spiritual and moral field than in the physical. Experiences of whatever sort, faced in the right way and with God’s help, will enable each and every Christian to grow ever stronger in and closer to the Lord.
5:11 Having lifted his readers thoughts upward and onward, beyond present difficulties and trials to the glory that lies in the future, Peter crowns his exhortation with a doxology in praise of what will ensure that it all comes to pass: the divine power, rule, and sovereignty—for all these aspects are included in the Greek term—and closes with a resounding Amen! “It is so!”
Additional Notes
5:8 Be self-controlled (lit. “be sober”): This is the third time Peter’s readers have been so exhorted (1:13; 4:7), on each occasion in an eschatological context.
Both enemy (Matt. 5:25) and devil (false accuser, Rev. 12:10) are, strictly speaking, forensic terms meaning adversary (i.e., against God and his people).
According to the NT, the devil is allowed temporary dominion over the present world (Job 1:12; Luke 4:6; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 5:19), with his power becoming increasingly evident as the end-time approaches (Matt. 24:4–25; 2 Thess. 2:3–12; 2 Tim. 3:1–8; Rev. 20:7–8).
Like a roaring lion: The simile is also found in Ps. 91:13, but when the devil quotes this passage to Jesus during the wilderness temptations, the reference in the psalm to the overthrow of the lion is carefully omitted. In the natural world, different types of lions use different hunting methods. While one seeks to paralyze its prey by a terrifying noise, another stalks its victim silently. The devil is a master of arts. The comparison of the enemy of souls to a lion is suggested by Ps. 7:2; 10:9; 22:13. The simile refers to spiritual death, apostasy. See Horsley, New Documents, vol. 3, pp. 50–51. In Judaism, persecutors are often likened to lions: Jer. 4:7; Ezek. 19:6; 1QH 5.5; 4Q169 on Nah. 2:11–12.
Devour (katapiein): lit. “to swallow down.”
5:9 Resist here means to withstand, not to fight against, for that is beyond the ability of human beings faced by a spiritual foe like the devil. Only in Christ is there victory (Luke 10:17).
Standing firm translates one Greek word, stereoi, solid, firm; the corresponding verb occurs in Acts 16:5, “the churches were strengthened in the faith.” See Eph. 6:10–18.
Brothers (adelphotēs, brotherhood, but including both men and women [as in 2:17]): Peter’s choice of the collective term emphasizes the common bond of experience shared by all Christian believers, even those unknown to the readers.
Throughout the world is lit. the curious phrase “in the world.” This could be a Latinism, a stock expression contrasting “in town” (i.e., in the metropolis, Rome; cf. Rom. 1:8), pointing to Rome as the place of writing for 1 Peter. See Robinson, Redating the New Testament, p. 160.
5:10 Grace (“what God gives”) is frequently mentioned in this letter, for everything depends upon it (1:2, 10, 13; 2:20; 3:7; 4:10; 5:5, 10, 12).
Who called you: The call of God recurs as a theme at regular intervals: 1:15; 2:9, 21; 3:9; 5:10.
Restore (katartizein): This word ranges in meaning from mend, furnish completely, complete, to set right (as a bone). The word is used in Mark 1:19 of James and John mending their nets in preparation for further service.
Make you strong (stērizein): to fix, set fast, establish firmly (cf. “steroids,” body-building substances). It is the word used by Jesus when warning Peter about his coming denial: “When you are restored, give strength to your brothers” (Luke 22:32, REB).
Firm (sthenooun, in the NT only here): to fill with strength.
Steadfast (themeliooun): To lay the foundation of, settle firmly (Eph. 3:17; Col. 1:23).
5:11 Power (kratos, “strength” in 4:11): often used in NT doxologies of the incomparable mighty power of God (1 Tim. 6:16; Jude 25; Rev. 1:6; 5:13).
