Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Peter 1:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse cites the scriptural command to be holy because God is holy.
Read It With
- 1 Peter 1:13–21
Read 1 Peter 1:16 with 1:13–21. This verse cites the scriptural command to be holy because God is holy. The complete unit establishes this movement: Because grace is coming in Jesus Christ, the community should think clearly, refuse former desires, imitate God's holiness, live reverently before the impartial Father, and remember redemption through Christ's precious blood and resurrection.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The paragraph makes holy conduct a response to grace and redemption, not a way to earn chosen status or intensify social separation. Within that movement, this verse cites the scriptural command to be holy because God is holy.
Read 1 Peter 1:13–21 together
Why these verses belong together: The 'wherefore' moves from clear-minded hope through holiness, impartial judgment, reverent sojourning, ransom, Christ's manifestation, resurrection, faith, and hope.
Verse 13. 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Verse 14. 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
Verse 15. 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Verse 16. 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Verse 17. 17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
Verse 18. 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
Verse 19. 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Verse 20. 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Verse 21. 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Follow the Context
- Prepare the mind, stay sober, and set hope fully on grace at Jesus's revelation.
- As obedient children, refuse former ignorant desires and become holy in all conduct because God is holy.
- Call on the impartial Father and live the time of sojourning in reverent fear.
- Remember ransom from futile inherited conduct by Christ's precious blood.
- Christ was foreknown before the world's foundation and manifested for the readers.
- Through Christ they trust the God who raised and glorified him, so faith and hope rest in God.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“Be ye holy; for I am holy”
In plain language: The Christian exhortation directly depends on Israel's Scripture and must not be severed from that debt.
Cites the scriptural command to be holy because God is holy. God's holiness calls for set-apart moral likeness grounded in God's prior calling.
Why it matters: The wording carries interpretive or ethical risk that requires the full unit and its stated limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The citation does not authorize ethnic purity, Christian nationalism, sexual shaming, isolation from neighbors, or contempt for Jewish law.
What Remains True
God's holiness calls for set-apart moral likeness grounded in God's prior calling.
How It Can Shape Life
- Let holiness produce truthful love and justice rather than purity performance.
Teach It Back
Explain 1 Peter 1:16's contribution to 1 Peter 1:13–21: Cites the scriptural command to be holy because God is holy. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 1 Peter 1:13–21 — Set Hope on Grace and Live Holy in Reverent SojourningSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Several Levitical formulations stand behind the concise citation; the exact nearest source is less important than the repeated scriptural command.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Peter 1:13–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Pet.txt, 1:13–21
Open the 1 Peter Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — 1 Peter with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level Greek, syntax, older-English wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Peter PDF, 1:13–21 translation with attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 Peter PDF ↗