For what glory is it, if, when you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently? but if, when you do well, and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
For.
1 Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
1 Peter 4:14-16 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified…
Matthew 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
buffeted.
Matthew 26:67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
Mark 14:65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
1 Corinthians 4:11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
when.
1 Peter 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
this.
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…
Romans 12:1,2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service…
Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
acceptable.
1 Peter 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
Luke 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it,
This part of the verse highlights the distinction between suffering for wrongdoing and suffering for righteousness. The early Christians often faced persecution for their faith, as seen in Acts 5:41, where the apostles rejoiced for being counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. The concept of enduring suffering for doing good is a recurring theme in the New Testament, reflecting the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who suffered unjustly (1 Peter 3:18). This suffering is seen as a participation in Christ's own sufferings, as mentioned in Philippians 3:10.
this is commendable before God.
Enduring suffering for righteousness is portrayed as commendable or praiseworthy in the sight of God. This echoes the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:10-12, where Jesus blesses those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. The commendation from God suggests a divine approval and reward, as seen in James 1:12, which promises the crown of life to those who persevere under trial. This perspective encourages believers to maintain their faith and integrity, trusting that their endurance will be recognized and rewarded by God.
When discipline or hardship comes as the deserved consequence of sin, Scripture says there is no spiritual merit in merely putting up with it.
• Natural justice: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, he will reap” (Galatians 6:7). Enduring the harvest of our own wrongdoing is simply the working out of God’s moral order.
• Parental analogy: Just as children “obey your parents in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1) to avoid correction, believers are reminded that obedience spares them rightful discipline.
• Divine warning: “Judgments are prepared for scoffers, and beatings for the backs of fools” (Proverbs 19:29). Pain for sin is expected; accepting it without complaint does not earn extra favor.
• Apostolic example: Peter later says, “Let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer” (1 Peter 4:15). If suffering springs from evil acts, it is loss, not gain.
• Purpose of chastening: Hebrews 12:11 affirms, “No discipline seems enjoyable at the time... but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” God’s correction aims at repentance, not reward for stoic endurance.
Here Peter turns the spotlight on unjust pain borne by a righteous life, declaring that such patient endurance delights the Lord.
• Christ-centered pattern: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example” (1 Peter 2:21). Our Savior’s innocent suffering defines “doing good.”
• Beatitude echo: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you... rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). Heavenly commendation outweighs earthly loss.
• Apostolic joy: “They went on their way rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name” (Acts 5:41). The apostles counted unjust suffering as privilege, not punishment.
• Refining purpose: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope” (Romans 5:3-4). Trials for good purify faith.
• Future vindication: “Keep your conduct honorable... though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits” (1 Peter 2:12). God will publicly affirm His servants.
• Inevitable reality: “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Opposition is not failure; it is confirmation of faithful discipleship.
Peter contrasts deserved discipline with undeserved persecution. Enduring consequences for sin earns no spiritual credit; it is simply justice at work. Enduring suffering that comes precisely because we obey Christ, however, wins God’s approval, mirrors Jesus’ own path, sharpens our character, and stores up eternal reward. The believer therefore evaluates trials not by their pain level but by their purpose: pain from wrongdoing calls for repentance, while pain for righteousness calls for steadfast, joyful endurance, confident that the Father sees, remembers, and will honor every tear shed for His sake.
(20) For what glory is it.--A poetical and pagan-sounding word, not elsewhere found in the New Testament; in the Old Testament it corresponds to the word "fame," in Job 28:22. The sense may be said to be slightly humorous. "If you make a blunder" (such is the meaning of "fault" here--it might include such things as the breaking of dishes), "and receive a buffet for it" (or a box on the ear--a common punishment of slaves for trifling faults), "and bear it with fortitude" (the meekness of patience has no place in the word), "do you expect to be made the subject of an heroic or dithyrambic poem, to have your name resounded through the world and immortalised among posterity?" The "for" at the beginning of the clause explains why the writer added "suffering wrongfully" at the end of the last.When ye do well, and suffer for it.--It is a pity that the translators have limited St. Peter's meaning by the insertion of the last two words. It is unnecessary to understand the suffering to be directly provoked by the well-doing. It would have done just as well to say, "when ye do well, and yet are ill-treated." The "froward" master makes his servants suffer without thinking what he makes them suffer for.
This is acceptable with God.--Timidity about St. Peter's theology has caused a difference between the rendering of the same word in two consecutive verses. It should be translated "thankworthy" here as well as above, and must be taken in precisely the same sense. Observe that the Apostle does not continue, "this is glory," as we might have expected; a Christian is not supposed to care for such trash as fame. But a Christian may well care to win the thanks of God! And such endurance of griefs for God's sake is now distinctly said to be "thankworthy with God"--i.e., from God's point of view. See 2Thessalonians 1:6, where, as here, it is assumed that the moral law is identical for God and for us, and that His principles and impulses of action are the same as those which He has implanted in us. "He will thank a man for it," says Archbishop Leighton, not a divine to favour the doctrine of human merit, but too honest a scholar to shrink from the meaning of words. Many things are strictly duty, and yet we do not expect to find them done, and are proportionably grateful when we see that they are done. And shall we, for the sake of a doctrinal thesis like that, "that man can deserve nothing at the hand of God," deny to God the possibility of enjoying one of the happiest exercises of love, the sense of gratitude?
Verse 20. - For what glory is it? The word translated "glory" (κλέος), common in Greek poetry, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, first, "rumor, report;" then "fame, renown." If, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently; literally, if sinning and being buffeted. The word translated "buffeted" (κολαφιζόμενοι), used by St. Matthew and St. Mark in describing our Savior's sufferings, has a figurative meaning in 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 12:7. It is probably used literally here; blows were a common occurrence in the life of slaves. To be patient when suffering deserved punishment is often difficult, but it is no more than a simple duty; it would not be for the glory of religion. Christian slaves ought to do their duty to their masters, and not deserve punishment. But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently; literally, but if doing well, and suffering. The words "for it" are not in the Greek. This is acceptable with God. If we read "for" (τοῦτο γὰρ), with some of the best manuscripts, we must supply "there is glory" after the last clause. "It, doing well and suffering, ye take it patiently, there is glory (κλέος), for this is thank-worthy (χάρις) with God." Such conduct will bring honor to Christianity, for it is thankworthy even in the sight of God. When Christian men and women took cruel sufferings patiently and joyfully, as the apostles did (Acts 5:41; Acts 16:25), that was more than a mere recognized duty - that showed the power of Christian motives, that brought glory to Christianity, and was held to be thankworthy (such is God's gracious condescension) even in the sight of God. The word for "acceptable" here is that translated "thankworthy" in ver. 19, where see note.