1 Peter 3:4

3:1-7 The wife must discharge her duty to her own husband, though he obey not the word. We daily see how narrowly evil men watch the ways and lives of professors of religion. Putting on of apparel is not forbidden, but vanity and costliness in ornament. Religious people should take care that all their behaviour answers to their profession. But how few know the right measure and bounds of those two necessaries of life, food and raiment! Unless poverty is our carver, and cuts us short, there is scarcely any one who does not desire something beyond what is good for us. Far more are beholden to the lowliness of their state, than the lowliness of their mind; and many will not be so bounded, but lavish their time and money upon trifles. The apostle directs Christian females to put on something not corruptible, that beautifies the soul, even the graces of God's Holy Spirit. A true Christian's chief care lies in right ordering his own spirit. This will do more to fix the affections, and excite the esteem of a husband, than studied ornaments or fashionable apparel, attended by a froward and quarrelsome temper. Christians ought to do their duty to one another, from a willing mind, and in obedience to the command of God. Wives should be subject to their husbands, not from dread and amazement, but from desire to do well, and please God. The husband's duty to the wife implies giving due respect unto her, and maintaining her authority, protecting her, and placing trust in her.

They are heirs together of all the blessings of this life and that which is to come, and should live peaceably one with another. Prayer sweetens their converse. And it is not enough that they pray with the family, but husband and wife together by themselves, and with their children. Those who are acquainted with prayer, find such unspeakable sweetness in it, that they will not be hindered therein. That you may pray much, live holily; and that you may live holily, be much in prayer.

But let it be the {a} hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is {b} in the sight of God of great price. (a) Who has his abiding place fastened in the heart: so that the hidden man is set against the outward adorning of the body. (b) Precious indeed and so taken of God.

1 Peter 3:4 . Ἀλλʼ ὁ κρυπτὸς , but the hidden ) The inner is opposed to the outward : but instead of the inner it is called the hidden ; by which a just desire of concealing itself is included in the idea.— ἄνθρωπος , man ) Ephesians 3:16 , note.— ἐν , in ) Understand ὤν , which is . This hidden man is not the ornament itself, but is adorned by the ornament: the ornament itself is that which is incorruptible, etc., whence those women are so adorned whose hidden man rejoices in such a spirit.— ἀφθάρτῳ , incorruptible ) Ephesians 6:24 , note. This is opposed to outward adorning, which is corrupted . Concerning gold , comp. ch. 1 Peter 1:18 . Meekness and quietness ought to be incorruptible . Moreover the corruption of this spirit is turbulent obstinacy (contumacy) and fear .— πραέος καὶ ἡσυχίου , of a meek and quiet spirit ) The meek is he who does not create disturbance; the quiet , who bears with tranquility the disturbances caused by others, whether superiors, inferiors, or equals: to the former the end of 1 Peter 3:5 has reference; to the latter, the end of 1 Peter 3:6 . Moreover the meek is shown by his affections; the quiet , in words, countenance, and mode of acting.— ὅ , which ) The incorruptible .— ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ , in the sight of God ) who looks to inward, and not outward things: whom the righteous strive to please.

The hidden man of the heart; the inward man, Romans 7:22 2 Corinthians 4:16 ; either the soul in opposition to the body, or the image of God, and graces of his Spirit in the soul, called elsewhere the new man, and opposed to natural corruption, or the old man, Ephesians 4:24 Colossians 3:9,10 . In that which is not corruptible: this relates to what follows, the ornament of a meek, & c., and is opposed to those external ornaments before mentioned, which are of a fading, perishing nature, whereas this is constant and durable: and therefore women who are more apt to be overmuch pleased with external dresses, and bodily ornaments, are exhorted rather to enrich and beautify their souls with Divine graces, than their bodies with gaudy clothes. Even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit: this notes the particular grace or graces (parts of the new man) in which the spiritual beauty and adorning of women’s souls consists; and either these two words, meek and quiet, are but indifferent expressions of the same grace; or, by meekness may be meant gentleness, easiness and sweetness of spirit, in opposition to moroseness, frowardness, pride, passion, &c.; and by quietness, a peaceable, still, modest temper, in opposition to pragmaticalness, talkativeness, clamorousness. These two usually go in conjunction together, and the latter is the effect of the former: see 1 Timothy 2:9-12 .

Which: either this refers to spirit, or to the whole sentence, the ornament of a meek, & c., but the sense is still the same. Is in the sight of God; who can best judge, (as looking to the inner man, which is not obvious to the eyes of others), and whose judgment is most to be valued: here God’s judgment is opposed to the judgment of vain women, who think to commend themselves to others by outward bravery, and of a vain world, which esteems such things. Of great price: the excellency of grace and spiritual ornaments is set in opposition to gold and costly apparel: q.d. If women will be fine that they may appear beautiful, let them choose the best ornaments, those of the mind and heart, a meek and quiet spirit, which are precious in the sight of God himself, rather than these external ones, which serve only to draw men’s eyes toward them.

1 Peter 3:4 . Yours be the secret man of the heart not the outward ornament . A better antithesis and a pretty paradox would be secured by supplying ἄνθρωπος with ὁ ἔξωθεν and taking κ . as predicate: your ornament be cf. οὕτως ἐκόσμουν ἑαυτάς ( 1 Peter 3:5 ). But the order in 1 Peter 3:3 is against this and a Greek reader would naturally think of the other sense of κ .= world universe and remember that man is a microcosm and “the universe the greatest and most perfect man ” (Philo, p. 471 M.).— ὁ κρυπτὸς τῆς καρδίας ἄνθρωπος , the hidden man that is the heart (or which belongs to the heart ) is the equivalent of the Pauline inner man ( Romans 7:22 ), i.e. , Mind as contrasted with the outward man, i.e. , flesh (Rom. l.e., cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16 ). St. Peter employs the terms used in the Sermon on the Mount; cf. St. Paul’s ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος and περιτομὴ καρδίας , Romans 2:29 .— ἐν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ clothed in the incorruptible thing (or ornament , sc. κόσμῳ ) contrasted with corruptible goldens; cf. Jam 2:2 , ἀνὴρ … ἐν ἐσθῆτι λαμπρᾷ .— τοῦ … πνεύματος , namely, the meek and quiet spirit . The adjectives are perhaps derived from the version of Isaiah 64:2 , known to Clement of Rome (Ep. i. xiii. 4), ἐπὶ τίνα ἐπιβλέψω ἀλλʼ ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν πρᾳὺν καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ τρέμοντά μου τὰ λόγια . Jesus professed Himself, πρᾳὺς καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ . For πνεύματος compare πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης , Romans 1:4 .

In Romans 2:29 , πν . is coupled with heart as contrasted with flesh and outwardness. ὅ which spirit or the posssesion of which reference.— πολυτελές suggests use of conception of Wisdom which is precious above rubies ( Proverbs 3:15 , etc.); cf. Jam 1:21 ; Jam 3:13 , ἐν πρᾳύτητι σοφίας and description of the wisdom from above, Jam 3:17 .

4. But—"Rather." The "outward adornment" of jewelry, &c., is forbidden, in so far as woman loves such things, not in so far as she uses them from a sense of propriety, and does not abuse them. Singularity mostly comes from pride and throws needless hindrances to religion in the way of others. Under costly attire there may be a humble mind. "Great is he who uses his earthenware as if it were plate; not less great is he who uses his silver as if it were earthenware" [Seneca in Alford]. hidden—inner man, which the Christian instinctively hides from public view. of the heart—consisting in the heart regenerated and adorned by the Spirit. This "inner man of the heart" is the subject of the verb "be," 1Pe 3:3, Greek: "Of whom let the inner man be," namely, the distinction or adornment. in that—consisting or standing in that as its element. not corruptible—not transitory, nor tainted with corruption, as all earthly adornments. meek and quiet—meek, not creating disturbances: quiet, bearing with tranquillity the disturbances caused by others. Meek in affections and feelings; quiet in words, countenance, and actions [Bengel]. in the sight of God—who looks to inward, not merely outward things. of great price—The results of redemption should correspond to its costly price (1Pe 1:19).

4 . the hidden man of the heart ] The phrase is identical in meaning with the “inward man” of Romans 7:22 , 2 Corinthians 4:16 , Ephesians 3:16 . The word for “man” is one which takes within its range women as well as men. The “hidden humanity of the heart” would be somewhat too abstract in its form, and “the hidden human ,” though the word has the sanction of one or two poets of mark, would sound too grotesque, but either would express the meaning of the word adequately. The “hidden man of the heart”—(the genitive expresses the fact that the life of the “hidden man” manifests itself in the sphere of the feelings and affections)—is the “new creature” ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 , Galatians 6:15 ), the “Christ formed in us” ( Galatians 4:19 ), on which St Paul loves to dwell. Men do not see it with the outward eye, but they can be made to recognise its presence. in that which is not corruptible ] The contrast rests on the same sense of the perishableness even of the gold and silver and gems which men looked on as most durable, that we have seen in chap. 1 Peter 1:18 . These pass away, but the true ornament of the hidden man has its being in the region of the imperishable. of a meek and quiet spirit ] The New Testament usage of the second adjective is confined to this passage and to 1 Timothy 2:2 .

So far as we can distinguish, where it is almost impossible to separate, “meekness,” the absence of self-assertion, of any morbid self-consciousness, may be thought of as the cause, and “quietness,” the calm tranquillity which is not only not an element of disturbance, but checks the action of such elements in others, as the effect. In their union the Apostle, speaking, we may hope, from his own experience, rightly finds a charm, a kosmos , compared with which gold and jewels are as nothing. of great price ] The Greek word is the same as that used of the “ very precious ointment” in Mark 14:3 and the “ costly array” of 1 Timothy 2:9 . The connexion of St Peter with St Mark’s Gospel (see Introduction ) gives a special interest to the first of these references. He had learnt the lesson that God’s estimate of value differs altogether from man’s, and is not to be measured by the standard which the world commonly applies.