1 Peter 2:18 (GNV)

Passage

Seruaunts, be subiect to your masters with all feare, not onely to the good and courteous, but also to the froward.

Nearby Context

1 Peter 2:16 As free, and not as hauing the libertie for a cloke of maliciousnesse, but as the seruauntes of God.

1 Peter 2:17 Honour all men: loue brotherly fellowship: feare God: honour the King.

1 Peter 2:18 Seruaunts, be subiect to your masters with all feare, not onely to the good and courteous, but also to the froward.

1 Peter 2:19 For this is thanke worthie, if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe, suffering wrongfully.

1 Peter 2:20 For what praise is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faultes, yee take it paciently? but and if when ye doe well, ye suffer wrong and take it paciently, this is acceptable to God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seruaunts", "subiect", "masters", "feare", "onely", "good", "courteous", and "froward". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seruaunts" and "subiect", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Honour all men loue brotherly fellowship feare..." into verse 19's "For this is thanke worthie if a...", so "seruaunts" and "subiect" 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 "seruaunts" and "subiect" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.