1 Peter 2:18 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

1 Peter 2:19 For this [is] acceptable, if one, for conscience sake towards God, endure griefs, suffering unjustly.

1 Peter 2:20 For what glory [is it], if sinning and being buffeted ye shall bear [it]? but if, doing good and suffering, ye shall bear [it], this is acceptable with God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "servants", "subject", "fear", "masters", "only", "good", "gentle", and "ill-tempered". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "servants" and "subject", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Shew honour to all love the brotherhood..." into verse 19's "For this is acceptable if one for...", so "servants" and "subject" 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 "servants" and "subject" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.