1 Peter 2:12

1 Peter 2:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
• New International Version (NIV)Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
• New King James Version (NKJV)having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Context of 1 Peter 2:12

10In past times, you were not people who knew God. But now you are God's people. In past times, God did not forgive you. But now he has been very kind to you and he has forgiven you. 11My friends, remember that you are really strangers in this world. You do not belong here. So I am telling you not to do the bad things that your bodies may want to do. Those bad things fight against what is good for your soul. You are living among people who do not know God. So be very careful that you always live in a good way. Sometimes these people may wrongly say that you do bad things. But if you continue to live in a good way, they will see that you really do good things. As a result, on the day when God comes as judge, they will give honour to him. 13Obey all people who have authority in this world. Obey them, because you are servants of the Lord Jesus. First of all, obey the king, who rules everyone. 14Also obey the officers that serve the king. He has sent them to punish people who do bad things. And they praise people who do good things.

1 Peter 2:12 word by word

τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔχοντες καλήν, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καταλαλοῦσιν ὑμῶν ὡς κακοποιῶν, ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἐποπτεύοντες δοξάσωσιν τὸν θεὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Havingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• conversationἀναστροφήanastrophē · behaviourG391
• honestκαλόςkalos · goodG2570
• amongἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the Gentilesἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• ·ὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• they speak againstκαταλαλέωkatalaleō · to slanderG2635
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• evildoersκακοποιόςkakopoios · wrongdoingG2555
• they mayδοξάζωdoxazō · to glorifyG1392
• byἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• worksἔργονergon · workG2041
• which they shall beholdἐποπτεύωepopteuō · to observeG2029
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• the dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• of visitationἐπισκοπήepiskopē · oversightG1984

Cross-references for 1 Peter 2:12

• 1 Peter 3:2He will see that you obey God and that you do things that are completely good.
• Psalms 37:14Wicked people get out their swords, and they prepare to shoot their arrows. They try to make poor and helpless people fall down. They try to destroy people who do what is right.
• Psalms 50:23If anyone wants to praise me, they should say “thank you” to me as their offering. If anyone obeys my commands, I will show them my power to save people.’
• 2 Corinthians 1:12We can be proud of how we have lived in this world. We have been careful to be honest and good with everyone. And we have been like that with you even more. We are sure in our own minds that this is true. We have not tried to be clever in a human way. But we have lived in the way that God has helped us to live.
• Ephesians 2:3At one time, all of us lived like those people. We did whatever bad things our bodies wanted to do. If our thoughts made us want to do something, we did it. Because we were like that, God was angry with us. He should have punished us, just like everyone else.
• Ephesians 4:22They taught you to change the way that you live. You must put away the nature that you had before. That old nature deceived you. As a result, you wanted to do things that would destroy you.
• Philippians 1:27The most important thing is that you continue to live in a good way. Live in the way that the good news about Christ teaches. I want to know that you agree together about the good news. And that you work together to show others that the good news is true. Whether I come to visit you or not, I want to know that you all help one another like that.
• 1 Timothy 4:12You are still a young man, but everyone should respect you as the leader in the church. Show the believers how they should live. Be a good example to them in these ways: what you say, what you do, how you love people, how you trust God, and how you do only what is right.
• Hebrews 13:5In the way that you live, do not want lots of money. Be happy with the things that you have. Be happy, because God has said this: ‘I will never leave you; I will always be there with you.’
• James 3:13Do some of you think that you are wise? Do you think that you are clever? If so, show that you are wise by the way that you live. Be kind to other people. Do things that are good. That is what it means to be wise.
• 2 Peter 3:11Certainly, God will destroy everything in this way one day. So think about how you should live now. You should be the kind of people that God is happy about. You should show that you belong to God.
• Romans 12:17If someone has done bad things against you, do not do bad things back to them. Try to live in a good way so that people will respect you. They will see that you do good things.
• Romans 13:13We should live in a good way, because we live in the light of day. We should not go to wild parties. We must not be drunks. We must not have sex with anyone who is not our own wife or husband. We must not do wrong things with our bodies. We must not quarrel. We must not be jealous of other people.
• 2 Corinthians 8:21Our purpose is to do only what is right. We want the Lord to see that, and people must see it as well.
• 2 Corinthians 13:7Now we pray to God that you will not do any wrong things. We do not pray this to show that God has accepted us as good. We pray like that because we want you to do what is right. We want that, even if we ourselves seem to have failed.
• Philippians 4:8Now my friends, I want to say this to you. Fill your minds with thoughts about good things. Think about things that are true, clean, right and lovely. Always think about things which people know are very good.

Commentaries on 1 Peter 2:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Having your conversation honest - Living in such a manner among the Gentiles, in whose country ye sojourn, as becomes the Gospel which ye profess. That whereas they speak against you as evil doers - In all the heathen countries, in the first age of the Church, the Christians and the Jews were confounded together; and as the latter mere everywhere exceedingly troublesome and seditious, the Christians shared in their blame, and suffered no small measure of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Having your conversation honest - Your conduct. See the notes at Philemon 1:27. That is, lead upright and consistent lives. Compare the notes at Philemon 4:8. Among the Gentiles - The pagans by whom you are surrounded, and who will certainly observe your conduct. See the notes at 1 Thessalonians 4:12, “That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without.” Compare Romans 13:13. That, whereas they speak against you as evil doers - Margin, “wherein.”…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-12Verses 11-12 Even the best of men, the chosen generation, the people of God, need to be exhorted to keep from the worst sins. And fleshly lusts are most destructive to man's soul. It is a sore judgment to be given up to them. There is a day of visitation coming, wherein God may call to repentance by his word and his grace; then many will glorify God, and the holy lives of his people will have promoted the happy change.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12on the day He visits us: The Greek phrase behind this wording can also be translated “on the day of visitation.” In the Greek Old Testament, day of visitation refers to a time when God comes to act in judgment against his enemies (Isaiah 10:3; Jeremiah 6:15).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. conversation--"behavior"; "conduct." There are two things in which "strangers and pilgrims" ought to bear themselves well: (1) the conversation or conduct, as subjects (1Pe 2:13), servants (1Pe 2:18), wives (1Pe 3:1), husbands (1Pe 3:7), all persons under all circumstances (1Pe 2:8); (2) confession of the faith (1Pe 3:15, 16). Each of the two is derived from the will of God. Our conversation should correspond to our Saviour's condition; this is in…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Peter 2:12

• Commandments
• Example
• Glorifying God
• Holiness
• Honesty
• Influence
• Integrity
• Self-Denial
• Slander
• Speaking
• Works

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Bishop
• Chosen
• Cloke
• Disallow
• Fleshly
• Offer
• Sincere
• Spiritual

Commentaries on 1 Peter 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings