Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Peter 2:13

"Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord`s sake: whether to the king, as supreme;" — 1 Peter 2:13 (ASV)

“Submit yourselves” (GK 5718; cf. 2:13, 18; 3:1) is the key theme of this section of the letter. The word in general means to “subject oneself.” Here it means acquiescence in the divinely willed order of society. The phrase “every authority instituted among men” is perhaps better translated as “every human creature.” Peter’s thought is that of Christians who do not seek their own interests but rather assume a voluntary submission of themselves to others. The reason for this submission is expressed in the phrase “because of the Lord.” “The Lord” here means Christ in his divine lordship order as manifest in his creative activity (cf. Jn 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2).

Peter then mentions the rulers of the time. The “king” (GK 995) is the title used in the East for the emperor who had the “supreme authority” among people. The “governors” (GK 2450) are the legates, procurators, or proconsuls charged with carrying out the imperial will of punishing the disobedient and rewarding the good.