1 Peter 2:14 (DRB)

Passage

Or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good.

Nearby Context

1 Peter 2:12 Having your conversation good among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by the good works which they shall behold in you, glorify God in the day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:13 Be ye subject therefore to every human creature for God's sake: whether it be to the king as excelling,

1 Peter 2:14 Or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good.

1 Peter 2:15 For so is the will of God, that by doing well you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

1 Peter 2:16 As free and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "governors", "sent", "punishment", "evildoers", "praise", and "good". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "governors" and "sent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Be ye subject therefore to every human..." into verse 15's "For so is the will of God...", so "governors" and "sent" 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 "governors" and "sent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.