1 Peter 2:16 (DBY)

Passage

as free, and not as having liberty as a cloak of malice, but as God's bondmen.

Nearby Context

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;

1 Peter 2:16 as free, and not as having liberty as a cloak of malice, but as God's bondmen.

1 Peter 2:17 Shew honour to all, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king.

1 Peter 2:18 Servants, [be] subject with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the ill-tempered.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "free", "having", "liberty", "cloak", "malice", "god's", and "bondmen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "free" and "having", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Because so is the will of God..." into verse 17's "Shew honour to all love the brotherhood...", so "free" and "having" 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 "free" and "having" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.