1 Peter 5:5

Be subject (opotaghte). Second aorist passive imperative of upotassw. Unto the elder (presbuteroi). Dative case. Here the antithesis between younger and elder shows that the word refers to age, not to office as in Hebrews 5:1 . See a like change in meaning in 1 Timothy 5:1 1 Timothy 5:17 . All (pante). All ages, sexes, classes. Gird yourselves with humility (thn tapeinoprosunhn egkombwsasqe). First aorist middle imperative of egkomboomai, late and rare verb (in Apollodorus, fourth cent. B.C.), here only in N.T., from en and kombo (knot, like the knot of a girdle). Egkombwma was the white scarf or apron of slaves. It is quite probable that Peter here is thinking of what Jesus did ( John 13:4 ) when he girded himself with a towel and taught the disciples, Peter in particular ( John 13:9 ), the lesson of humility ( John 13:15 ). Peter had at last learned the lesson ( John 21:15-19 ). The proud (uperhpanoi). Dative plural of uperhpano ( James 4:6 ; Romans 1:30 ) after antitassetai (present middle indicative of antitassw as in James 4:6 (quoted there as here from Proverbs 3:34 ).