Bible Commentaries
1 Peter 5

Verses 1-14

V 1-4 Pastoral Duties —’The ancients’, p?esß?te???, officials of the local church, who govern the flock of Christ, Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; instruct the faithful, 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:9; and administer the sacraments, James 5:14. In Acts 20:28 those previously addressed as p?esß?te???, are here called ?p?s??p??, ’bishops’; and in the Pastoral Epistles the qualifications outlined for one class are equally those for the other, cf.1 Tim 3; Titus 1:5-7; accordingly the two terms may be regarded as convertible in the NT. St Peter says: ’I beseech, who am myself also an ancient’, s?µp?esß?te???, i.e. one belonging to your rank, ’and a witness of the sufferings of Christ’; this is probably stressed, because of the admonitions to the faithful that preceded, to suffer for, and with Christ; ’as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed’; this statement may recall the fact that St Peter witnessed Christ’s transfiguration, Matthew 17:1-9; 2 Peter 1:16-18.2. ’Feed the flock of God which is among you’; he is inviting them to share locally the office entrusted to himself by the risen Christ over the entire flock of God, John 21:15-17. He demands three conditions for doing this: (1) it must not be shared reluctantly; (2) nor used avariciously; (3) nor exercised domineeringly. Such traits would disedify, whereas they must be patterns of virtue, and that sincerely, ’from the heart’.

4. Their model, ’the prince of pastors’, a title used only here, and most likely suggested by ’I am the good shepherd’, John 10:14. By feeding their flock they ’shall receive a never failing crown of glory’. The crown here symbolizes their eternal reward for merit.

5-11 General Christian Duties —’Ye young men’: some understand here the junior officials of the church, others the general class of young men. ’And be ye all closely associated with one another in humility’, i.e. practise it as fostering union. The quotation is from Proverbs 3:34.6. Humble yourself and God will exalt you, James 4:10.7. A quotation from Psalms 54:23.8. Vigilance is necessary in order to escape the snares of the devil, 9, whose attacks are to be combated with the principles of faith. But there is another adversary to Christians, an ally of the devil, namely, the world, ready to afflict the brethren.

10. God’s grace should give them assurance, and the reward of eternal glory should spur them on to suffer a little in order to be made perfect.

12-14 Conclusion —Silvanus, who in all probability is the same as Silas, St Paul’s companion on his second missionary journey, Acts 15:22, Acts 15:32, Acts 15:40; and the Silvanus of 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:19; may have been both the bearer and the secretary of this letter, cf. § 949c. ’That this’, i.e. the Christian faith, ’is the true grace of God’. 13. ’In Babylon’, i.e. Rome, so-called in Apoc 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10; also in Orac. Sybil. 5, 159 f.; 4 Esdr. 3:1; Apoc. Baruch, vis. ii, 1. My son, Mark’: he is the son of Mary, to whose house St Peter went after his release from prison, Acts 12:12; who was with St Paul in Rome during his captivity, Colossians 4:10; who had been his companion with Barnabas, when they preached the Gospel in Cyprus, Acts 13:5; who wrote the second Gospel, Eusebius, HE 3, 29, 15; ’my son’ is a term of affection for his disciple. Perhaps St Peter baptized him. 14 ’Salute one another with the kiss of charity’, a sign of Christian brotherhood.