Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Peter 2:15

"For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:" — 1 Peter 2:15 (ASV)

Peter is speaking of ordinary situations and not of persecutions (cf. Acts 4:18ff.; 5:18ff.) when he speaks of governors as commending the good. Later in this letter, he deals with the more difficult situation of governmental persecution of those who do good (3:14, 17; 4:1, 12–19). No government that consistently rewards evil and punishes good can long survive, because evil is ultimately selfdestructive. It is God’s will for Christians by their submission to the state authorities to “silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” The word “foolish” (GK 933) is a common biblical adjective for an obstinate sinner.