1 Peter 5:3 (KJV)

What does 1 Peter 5:3 mean?

1 Peter 5:3 tells those caring for a group of believers not to treat the people as subjects to control. Instead, their conduct is to give the group a pattern to follow. The verse contrasts two ways of acting toward people entrusted to their care.

Peter addresses the elders, the recognized leaders among the believers. After telling them to care for the flock in verse 2, he uses the picture of sheep and their keeper to describe their relationship. “God’s heritage” refers to the people in their care.

The Greek behind 1 Peter 5:3

• “lords over” — κατακυριεύω (katakyrieuō): The Greek carries the sense of exercising control over others. Here, the word gives force to the picture of leaders treating the people under their care as subjects.
• “heritage” — κλῆρος (klēros): This word can mean a portion assigned to someone. In this verse, the plural form points to the groups of people entrusted to the elders’ care.
• “ensamples” — τύπος (typos): The word can mean a pattern or model. Peter uses it for a way of living that others can see and follow.

Why 1 Peter 5:3 matters

• The people under the elders’ care are not their personal property. The KJV calls them “God’s heritage,” placing them in relation to God rather than presenting them as possessions of the elders.
• The passage sets the elders’ care within a larger relationship. In verse 4, Peter calls Christ the “chief Shepherd,” placing the elders under his authority.