Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously:
when he was.
Psalm 38:12-14 They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long…
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Matthew 27:39-44 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, …
threatened.
Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
Acts 9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
but.
1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Psalm 10:14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
Psalm 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
himself.
Genesis 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Psalm 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
Psalm 96:13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
He did not retaliate
Jesus' response to abuse was one of non-retaliation, embodying the teachings He gave in the Sermon on the Mount about turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). This restraint is a demonstration of His divine nature and fulfillment of prophecy, as Isaiah 53:7 describes the suffering servant as silent before His accusers. Jesus' example sets a standard for Christian conduct, emphasizing forgiveness and trust in God's justice over personal vengeance.
when He suffered
The suffering of Jesus was both physical and spiritual, encompassing the agony of crucifixion and the weight of bearing humanity's sins. This suffering was prophesied in passages like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, which describe the Messiah's afflictions. Historically, crucifixion was a Roman method of execution reserved for the most severe criminals, underscoring the extent of Jesus' humiliation and pain. His suffering is central to Christian theology, as it is through His wounds that believers find healing (1 Peter 2:24).
He made no threats
Despite the injustice and pain, Jesus refrained from threatening His persecutors. This restraint is a testament to His character and mission, aligning with His role as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). His silence in the face of suffering is a powerful example of meekness and submission to God's will, contrasting with the human tendency to seek retribution.
but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly
Jesus' trust in God the Father is evident here, as He committed His spirit into God's hands (Luke 23:46). This act of entrusting Himself to divine justice reflects His faith in God's righteous judgment and ultimate plan. It connects to the broader biblical theme of God's sovereignty and justice, as seen in passages like Deuteronomy 32:4 and Romans 12:19, which affirm that vengeance belongs to the Lord. Jesus' example encourages believers to rely on God's justice rather than taking matters into their own hands.
• Jesus faced relentless verbal assaults—mockery, false accusations, taunts on the cross (Matthew 26:67–68; Mark 15:29–32).
• None of this caught Him off guard; the prophets had foretold it (Isaiah 50:6; Psalm 22:7–8).
• He absorbed every insult without allowing it to alter His mission or diminish His love for those attacking Him (Luke 23:34).
• Though possessing all authority (Matthew 28:18), He chose restraint—fulfilling His own teaching, “Turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39).
• This refusal to strike back reveals true power under control, mirroring Romans 12:17, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil.”
• His example sets the pattern for believers: overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21; 1 Peter 3:9).
• The suffering was comprehensive—physical (the scourging, the nails) and spiritual (bearing our sins; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Isaiah 53:4–5 pictures the Messiah as the Man of Sorrows, pierced for our transgressions.
• Hebrews 5:8 notes that “He learned obedience from what He suffered,” underscoring purposeful pain, not random tragedy.
• No harsh words, no calls for angelic rescue (compare Matthew 26:53).
• Silence under injustice fulfilled prophecy: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter… He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
• This silence testifies that redemption, not revenge, motivated Him (John 3:17).
• Jesus placed His case in the Father’s hands, echoing Psalm 31:5, “Into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
• He rested in the certainty that the Father’s justice would prevail—ultimately displayed in the resurrection (Acts 2:24).
• Believers are called to do likewise: “Leave room for God’s wrath” (Romans 12:19) and “commit your souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19).
1 Peter 2:23 reveals Jesus’ perfect response to hostility: enduring verbal abuse without retaliation, suffering without threats, and entrusting Himself to the righteous Judge. His conduct fulfills prophecy, demonstrates divine restraint, and models how believers face injustice—by resting in God’s perfect justice and overcoming evil with steadfast, sacrificial love.
(23) Who, when he was reviled.--This "who" might be rendered by and yet He. Conscious though He was of being blameless (John 8:46), it did not make Him retaliate upon His accusers by counter-accusations, true though these might have been. The word here translated "revile" is the same which reappears in 1Peter 3:9 as "railing," and a sample of what it means is given in John 9:28. The servants would be particularly liable to be thus abused, and instances are not wanting in the comic poets where they lose their self-control under it, and openly rate their owners in return. The "suffering," on the other hand, implies actual bodily maltreatment, "buffeting" (1Peter 2:20) and the like, to which the slaves could not answer directly by striking in return, but would sometimes take their revenge by "threats" of what they would do--run away, or burn the house, or poison the food, or do little acts of spite. Instances of our Lord's silence or meekness under "reviling" may be seen in John 7:20; John 8:40; Matthew 12:24, as well as in the accounts of the Passion. There are no recorded instances, until the last day of His life, of His "suffering" in the sense here intended; but the tense of the verbs "reviled," "threatened," "committed," shows that the writer was not thinking exclusively of any one occasion, but of our Lord's constant habit, though naturally there would be uppermost in St. Peter's mind the hours while he stood warming himself at Caiaphas' fire, with the denial on his lips, and saw the Messiah blindfold and buffeted. He is also thinking of Isaiah 53:7. . . . Verse 23. - Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not (comp. Isaiah 53:7). The Lord again and again denounced the hypocrisy and unbelief of the Pharisees; he bade Caiaphas remember the coming judgment. But that was the language of prophetic warning, the sternness of love. He sets before them the impending punishment, that they may take heed in time and escape from the wrath to come. In the midst of his strongest invective against the sins and hollow unreality of Pharisaism there is an outburst of the deepest love, the tenderest concern (Matthew 23:27). But committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. The verb "committed" παρεδίδου) is without an object in the original. Most commentators supply "himself," or "his cause;" others, "his sufferings;" some, as Alford, "those who inflicted them." Perhaps the last explanation is the best: he left them to God, to God's mercy, if it might be; to his judgment, if it must be. There may be a reference to his prayer, "Father, forgive them." Compare by contrast the language of Jeremiah, speaking in the spirit of the Old Testament (Jeremiah 11:20 and Jeremiah 20:12). There is a curious reading, entirely without the authority of existing Greek manuscripts, represented by the Vulgate, Tradebat judicanti se injuste, as if the words were understood of the Lord's submitting himself "to one who judged unrighteously," that is, to Pilate.