Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Peter 3:12

"For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil." — 1 Peter 3:12 (ASV)

For.—Or, Because. In the Psalm, there is no such connecting particle, but it is implied in the juxtaposition. The understanding that the Lord’s eyes are over you is a sufficient reason for self-restraint under provocation, especially, perhaps, when we see that by “the Lord” Saint Peter understands Jesus Christ. That this is the case is clear from his use of the same Psalm in 1 Peter 2:3. If Christ, the model of meekness under persecution (1 Peter 2:23), is watching, we not only need no passionate self-defense, but should be ashamed to use it. Was Saint Peter thinking how once, while he himself was cursing and swearing at those who accused him of being a Christian, he felt the eyes of the Lord turn upon him? The thought of His eyes being over us is chiefly that of guardianship.

Open unto their prayers.—Rather, are towards their prayer—that is, directed towards it. Here, as in 1 Peter 2:3, the Prayer Book version has influenced our translation.

Against them that do evil.—There is no difference in the Greek between this preposition and that just translated “over.” But the countenance of the Lord is over them that do evil things. He marks what they are doing. This is sufficient comfort when men injure us (1 Peter 2:23); sufficient warning not to injure in return. It is instructive now to turn and see the circumstances in which this lovely Psalm was composed. The moment was one of David’s greatest peril among an infuriated pagan population.

The danger and dread he was in are shown in Psalm 56. Yet nothing can be brighter and more serene than Psalm 34. He had obtained life and days; and it was all through confidence in God on the one hand, and inoffensive self-submission on the other. Had he used violence—“shown spirit,” as we say—like the “young lions,” he would have been worse off.

It seems to be for this reason that Saint Peter considered the Psalm so appropriate for his readers, who were misjudged and suspiciously watched (Psalms 56:5–6) by unbelievers, who only waited for the opportunity to shed their blood (Psalms 56:1–2).

But the striking change is that, whereas David’s trust in Jehovah was a trust simply in the Eternal Being without distinction of Persons, Saint Peter instructs the Hebrews of Asia to interpret that Psalm as an act of faith in Jesus. We will see the same thing in 1 Peter 3:15, as we saw it in 1 Peter 2:3. The force of the change will be felt by anyone who reads through that Psalm, substituting (as the Rheims version does) “our Lord” for “the Lord.”