1 Peter 3:11

In oldest manuscripts, Greek, "Moreover (besides his words, in acts), let him."

eschew--"turn from."

ensue--pursue as a thing hard to attain, and that flees from one in this troublesome world.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

11 Let him seek peace It is not enough to embrace it when offered to us, but it ought to be followed when it seems to flee from us. It also often happens, that when we seek it as much as we can, others will not grant it to us. On account of these difficulties and hindrances, he bids us to seek and pursue it.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(11) Let him eschew evil.—Literally swerve out of the way from evil. The two former clauses dealt with the domain of word; these two with the domain of action. It suits St. Peter’s intention better to take the verse, not as an exhortation to virtue in general, but as an instruction how to behave under provocation and in danger. The “good” which the man is to do is what is kind, not merely what is virtuous; and so, by contrast, the “evil” to be eschewed probably means chiefly what is malicious.

Seek peace, and ensue it.—“As much as in you lieth,” says St. Paul, “live peaceably with all men.” It is to be a matter of diligent search; and if it seems to flee away it is to be “ensued”—i.e., pursued. The active practical measures here prescribed confirm the surmise that “blessing” in 1Pe_3:8 covered more ground than benedictory prayers.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. let him seek peace, and ensue it] Better, perhaps, pursue or follow after, as in 1Ti_6:11. The verb “ensue” has ceased almost, if not altogether, to be used transitively. It implies, both in itself, and by its position in the verse as a climax, the strongest form of seeking.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let him eschew evil,.... Avoid all kinds of evil, hate it, abstain from the appearance of it, and have no fellowship with it; and particularly should avoid rendering evil for evil, or taking revenge on persons for doing him ill:

and do good; everything that is good, all good works, according to the will of God, in the exercise of faith, from a principle of love, and with a view to the glory of God; and without trusting to them, and depending upon them for life and salvation; and particularly do good for evil; do good to all men, acts of kindness and beneficence, even to enemies, and especially to them that are of the household of faith. The Jewish interpreters (w) on the psalm from whence these words are taken observe, that in the first of these clauses are contained all the negative precepts, whose number with them is three hundred, sixty, and five; and in the latter of them, all the affirmative precepts, which amount to two hundred and forty eight:

let him seek peace and ensue it: "or pursue it"; let him seek after it, in the world, and with all men, as much as possible, yea, with his very enemies; and live a peaceable and quiet life, in the kingdom, city, town, and neighbourhood where he is; and particularly in the church of God, and with the saints; which he should seek with all diligence and eagerness, and pursue with all rigour to the utmost of his power; and endeavour to cultivate all he can, and follow the things which make for it. The note of one of the Jewish commentators (x) on this passage is, "seek peace", in thine own place; "and pursue it", in another place,

(w) Aben Ezra & Kimchi in Psal. xxxiv. 14. (x) Jarchi.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

Ver. 11. Seek peace and ensue it] A contentious man never lacks woe. Ut habeas quietum tempus, perde aliquid, was a proverb at Carthage, as Austin relates it; Et concedamus de iure ut careamus lite. For a quiet life let a man part with his right sometimes.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let him eschew evil - Let him avoid all evil. Compare Job 1:1.

And do good - In any and every way; by endeavoring to promote the happiness of all. Compare the notes at Gal 6:10.

Let him seek peace, and ensue it - Follow it; that is, practice it. See the Mat 5:9 note; Rom 12:18 note. The meaning is, that a peaceful spirit will contribute to length of days:

A peaceful spirit - a calm, serene, and equal temper of mind - is favorable to health, avoiding those corroding and distracting passions which do so much to wear out the physical energies of the frame; and,

(2)Such a spirit will preserve us from those contentions and strifes to which so many owe their death. Let anyone reflect on the numbers that are killed in duels, in battles, and in brawls, and he will have no difficulty in seeing how a peace fill spirit will contribute to length of days.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him not only in general avoid all sin, and exercise himself in all well-doing, (as the prophet’s meaning, cited in the margin, seems to be), but particularly, let him avoid all sin against his neighbour, not recompensing evil to him, and doing him all the good he can, and overcoming evil with good; and to this the apostle accommodates the prophet’s words.

Let him seek peace; not only with God and his own conscience, but with his neighbours, which is here especially meant.

And ensue it: either seeking and ensuing signify the same thing, viz. an earnest desire of peace, and use of all lawful means to obtain it; or, ensuing it may signify the difficulty of obtaining it; when we seek it, it may seem to fly from us, men may not let us have peace when we would have peace, Psa 120:7, and therefore we must follow it, Heb 12:14.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Let him eschew evil, and do good; literally, let him turn away from evil. Let him seek peace, and ensue it. Let him seek it as a hidden treasure, and pursue it as if it might escape from him.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let him seek - To live peaceably with all men. And pursue it - Even when it seems to flee from him.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

11. ἐκκλινάτω. The word is used in a bad sense, “turning aside,” “gone out of the way,” in Rom 3:12 quoting from Psa 14:3 and so often in the LXX., but in Rom 16:17 it is used of “keeping out of the way of” and so also in Proverbs.

διωξάτω. It may need prolonged effort to overtake peace.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11.] moreover (the δέ brings up a new particular, belonging to a different sphere of conduct) let him turn away from (in act, that is: see reff.) evil, and do good: let him seek peace, and pursue it (because it is not always to be found, and when not immediately found, may require diligent pursuit: cf. ref. Heb. and St. Paul’s εἰ δυνατόν, τὸ ἐξ ὑμῶν κ.τ.λ. Rom 12:18. The ‘glossa interlinearis’ is good: “inquirat pacem ut rem absconditam, et persequatur eam ut rem fugitivam”).

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Eschew [εκκλινατω] . The old word eschew is from the Norman eschever, to shun or avoid. It reappears in the German scheuen, to be startled or afraid, and in the English shy, and to shy (as a horse). The Greek word here occurs only twice elsewhere (Rom 3:12; Rom 16:17), where Rev. renders turn aside and turn away. It is compounded of ejk, out of, and klinw, to cause to bend or slope; so that the picture in the word is of one bending aside from his course at the approach of evil. Rev., turn away from.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.