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1 Peter 5

Peter joins humble leadership and steadfast faith under suffering with confidence in God’s care and the glory Christ will reveal.

Peter addresses elders among suffering Christians as a fellow elder and witness of Christ’s sufferings. He calls them to shepherd God’s flock through willing service and example, with Christ as the chief Shepherd. He then addresses younger believers and the whole community, urging humility, trust in God’s care, and watchfulness against the devil. A prayer for God to strengthen them leads into closing words about Silvanus, greetings from Babylon and Mark, and a blessing of peace.

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1Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed:
2shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily; not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
3not as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
4When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away.
5Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility and subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time,
7casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.
10But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you. So does Mark, my son.
14Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
1 Peter 5:10Peter’s closing prayer sets present suffering within God’s call to eternal glory and his work of strengthening believers.
1 Peter 5:8The lion image makes the danger urgent, preparing believers for Peter’s command to resist through steadfast faith.
1 Peter 5:7God’s care grounds the call to entrust worries to him, linking dependence on God with humility under his hand.
Where this chapter reaches

Psalm shares the call to place burdens on God, while Philippians also brings anxiety into prayer and trust in God’s care. James shares the saying about God resisting the proud and giving grace to the humble, and Ephesians shares the call to stand against the devil.

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Questions people ask about 1 Peter 5

What does casting all your worries on God mean in 1 Peter 5:7?

The phrase belongs to Peter’s call to humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand. Entrusting worries to God expresses dependence on his care and his timing. The passage holds this trust together with active watchfulness and resistance to the devil; it makes no promise that suffering will end at once.

Why is the devil compared to a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8?

The comparison presents the devil as a dangerous adversary seeking someone to devour. Peter uses it to call for sober attention and self-control. The next verse explains the response: withstand him through steadfast faith, remembering that other believers share the same sufferings. Peter does not identify a particular attack.

What does Babylon mean in 1 Peter 5:13?

Babylon is often understood as a symbolic name for Rome, though this verse does not settle the location. The phrase “She who is in Babylon” is often read as a greeting from a Christian congregation. The wording leaves the sender unnamed, while presenting those sending greetings as chosen together with Peter’s readers.

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1 Peter · 5 chapters
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).