1 Peter 5:3 (ASV)

Passage

neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.

Nearby Context

1 Peter 5:1 The elders among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

1 Peter 5:2 Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to [the will of] God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

1 Peter 5:3 neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.

1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "neither", "lording", "over", "charge", "allotted", "making", "yourselves", and "ensamples". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "neither" and "lording", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Tend the flock of God which is..." into verse 4's "And when the chief Shepherd shall be...", so "neither" and "lording" belong inside that flow. In 1 Peter context, the local focus is hope in suffering, holy conduct, submission, and grace.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "neither" and "lording" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.