The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 136

respect for their husbands, nnu that out of joint-heirs of the grace of life, that is, ot the l10iy fear of God, which St. Peter incul- God's gracious gift of everlasting lire. That cates upon wiyes ('l"er. 2). The Christian your prayers be not hindered; or, nccording wife might often experience cruel treatment to another rending, be 11ot cut ojf. If husban,I from an unbelieving husband, but she was and wife live together without mutual rever- nnt to liYe inn flutter of excited terror; sho ence and affection, there can be no sympathy w·os to be calm nnd quiet, trusting in God. in united prayer; the promise made by As to the construction, the nccusative may Chri~t in Matt. xviii. 19 ccmnot be realized. be cognate, ns the Authorized Version takes Nor can either pray acceptably if they live it; or the nccnsnti,·e of the object, as in at variance ; jealousies and bickarings are Prov. iii. 25. The last view is, perhaps, the opposed to the spirit of prayer ; they hinder most suitable: "And nre not afraid of any the free flow of prayer, and ruar its c,µ-nest- surirlcn terror-." ness aud devotion. Yer. 'i.-Likewis9,yehusbands. As wins Ver. 8.-Finally. St. Peter is bringing nre c·xl1cded to be in rnbiection to their own to a close the exhortations to submission, husbands, so hu,bauds also must do their which depend on the imperative in eh. ii. clut, to their wives. The construction 13. He turns from particular classes and (p,,i·ticipial, as in nr. l) seems, like,er. l, to relations to the whole Christian community, look back to eh. ii. 13. The relation, in- and describes what they ought to be in five deed, is no longer directly one of subjection, Greek words, the first three of which are nnd marriage is an ordinance of God; but found nowhere else in the Greek Scriptures. Christian husbands must submit themselves Be ye ell of one mind, having compassion to the dutiCll arising ont of the marriage one of another; literally, sympathizing; tie; nnd marriage involves a civil contract, feeling with others, rejoicing with them though to us Christians it is a holy estate that do rejoice, 8Jld weeping with them instituted of God, and a parable of the tha,t weep. Love as brethren. An adjec- m,stical uuion tha.t is betwixt Christ and tive ( ,p,;,..ci.lie;,..,t'°') in the Greek;' the corre- his Church. St. Peter, we observe, does not sponding substantive occurs in eh. i. 22. consider the case of a ChriBtian husband Be pitiful, This word (•i/11,r;,..ci-yxvos) has with an uubelieving wife; probably that undergone a remarkable change of meaning. would be very uncommon. Dwell with them In Hippocrates, quoted by Huther, it is according to knowledge, giving honour unto used literally of one whose viscera aro the wife, as unto the weaker vessel; literally, healthy; it is also somet"imes used figura- living together with the feminine as with the tively, as equivalent to •lncci.pli,os, civlip,ios; weaher vessel. Tl.iis connection seems best "goodhearted" with the heathen would sni ted to the balance of the sentence, and mean "brave;" with Christian writers abo to the sense. The apostle bids the "tender," "pitiful." Be courteous. This hu,l,and., first, to gi,e due consideration to represents a reading ( ,p,;,..&,ppov,s) which has his partner on the grounJ of her compara- very little support. The true readiDg is tiYe weal..-iiess; and, secondly, to give her -ra:rr<1v&,Ppov«, humble-minded, due honour as being an heir, like himself, Ver. 9.-Not rendering evil for evil, or of the grace of life. The disparity of the railing for railing. St. Peter, like St. Paul sexes was the cause of the degradation of (Rom. xii. 17; 1 These. v, 15), repeats his woman among the heathen ; Christianity Master's teaching in the sermon on the makes it the ground of tender con~ideration. mount (Matt. v. 39). He forbids revenge Christian love should abound in knowledge in word, as well e.s in deed. But contrari- (Phil. i. 9); it should throw its softening wise blessing. The w01·d "blessing" is not 1ight upon all tl,e relations of life. llfan the substantive, but the participle (eb~o- 8Jld woman are alike vessds-rnssels made -yoiivns), and thus corresponds with tho by God for his service (('omp. Isa. lxiv. 8; participle "rendering" (comp. Matt. v. 44, Jer. xviii 6, etc.; also 1 These. iv. 4, 5); the "Dies~ them that curse you"). Knowing woman is the weakET, and must, for tLat that ye are thereunto called; rather, as in very reason, be treated with gentleness. the Revised Version, for lwrtunto were ye For "according to knowledge," comp. 2 called. The word "knowing" ie omitted l'et. i. 5. CLristians wust be thoughtful; in the best manuscripts (comp. eh. ii. 21). they must consider what becomeij them in Some commentator• ta,ke these words with all ·tl,e rnlations of life; oot act carelessly the preceding: "Ye were called to blesa and at random .. And as being heirs together others, that so ye may inherit a blessing." of the graoe of life; rather, rendering honour But, on the whole, it seems better to con- as to 17,oBe who are also fellow-heirs, or, ac- nect them with the following clnuse: Thot cording to another well-supported reading, ye should inherit a bleeBing, Christians rendering honour ( to them) as being also bless olhtors, not in order thnt they should jeUow-heirs ('with them). The sense is not inherit a blessing, but because it is God's materially affected: husband and wife are will and their Jutv; a.ud tllat duty follows olf. m. 1-22.J 'l'HE FIRS'!' EPIS'l'LE GENERAL OF PETER. 131