1 Peter 2:13 (DBY)

Passage

Be in subjection [therefore] to every human institution for the Lord's sake; whether to [the] king as supreme,

Nearby Context

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I exhort [you], as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

1 Peter 2:12 having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that [as to that] in which they speak against you as evildoers, they may through [your] good works, [themselves] witnessing [them], glorify God in [the] day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:13 Be in subjection [therefore] to every human institution for the Lord's sake; whether to [the] king as supreme,

1 Peter 2:14 or to rulers as sent by him, for vengeance on evildoers, and praise to them that do well.

1 Peter 2:15 Because so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye put to silence the ignorance of senseless men;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "subjection", "therefore", "human", "institution", "lord's", "sake", "whether", and "king". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "subjection" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "having your conversation honest among the Gentiles..." into verse 14's "or to rulers as sent by him...", so "subjection" and "therefore" 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 "subjection" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.