1 Peter 5:6
What does 1 Peter 5:6 mean?
A plain-English look at 1 Peter 5:6 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What 1 Peter 5:6 means
Humility is not merely social courtesy; it is a deliberate bowing under God’s mighty hand. To humble ourselves is to accept His sovereignty, including His timing. Exaltation—vindication, relief, honor—belongs to Him to grant, and He will do so “in due time.” This steady hope keeps us from scrambling for recognition or control. The phrase “mighty hand of God” recalls His powerful acts of deliverance. Thus, amid trials, believers entrust themselves to the God who saves. The pathway to being lifted up is first to go low, confident that the One who rules history will, at the right moment, act for the good of His people.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
KJV
King James Version · 1611Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949For this cause make yourselves low under the strong hand of God, so that when the time comes you may be lifted up;
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862be humbled, then, under the powerful hand of God, that you He may exalt in good time,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Be you humbled therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in the time of visitation:
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand ofGod, that he may exalt you in [the due] time;
Context
Flowing from the call to humility (verse 5), this verse directs that humility Godward. Verse 7 will show what this looks like practically—casting all anxieties on Him because He cares. Together they form a posture of dependent trust, essential in suffering. Immediately afterward, verses 8–9 will remind readers that such trust coexists with sober alertness, since there is an active adversary to resist.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Exodus 32:11
And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
- Psalms 89:13
Thou hast a mighty arm; Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
- Micah 6:8
He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?
- 2 Chronicles 33:23
And he humbled not himself before Jehovah, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more.
- Jeremiah 13:18
Say thou unto the king and to the queen-mother, Humble yourselves, sit down; for your headtires are come down, even the crown of your glory.
- Romans 5:6
For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly.
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