1 Peter 3:17 (DBY)

Passage

For [it is] better, if the will of God should will it, to suffer [as] well-doers than [as] evildoers;

Nearby Context

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify [the] Lord the Christ in your hearts, and [be] always prepared to [give] an answer [to] every one that asks you to give an account of the hope that [is] in you, but with meekness and fear;

1 Peter 3:16 having a good conscience, that [as to that] in which they speak against you as evildoers, they may be ashamed who calumniate your good conversation in Christ.

1 Peter 3:17 For [it is] better, if the will of God should will it, to suffer [as] well-doers than [as] evildoers;

1 Peter 3:18 for Christ indeed has once suffered for sins, [the] just for [the] unjust, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in flesh, but made alive in [the] Spirit,

1 Peter 3:19 in which also going he preached to the spirits [which are] in prison,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "better", "should", "suffer", "well-doers", "than", and "evildoers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "will of God" and "better", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "having a good conscience that as to..." into verse 18's "for Christ indeed has once suffered for...", so "will of God" and "better" 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 "will of God" and "better" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.