Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
sanctify--hallow; honor as holy, enshrining Him in your hearts. So in the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9. God's holiness is thus glorified in our hearts as the dwelling-place of His Spirit.
the Lord God--The oldest manuscripts read "Christ." Translate, "Sanctify Christ as Lord."
and--Greek, "but," or "moreover." Besides this inward sanctification of God in the heart, be also ready always to give, etc.
answer--an apologetic answer defending your faith.
to every man that asketh you--The last words limit the universality of the "always"; not to a roller, but to everyone among the heathen who inquires honestly.
a reason--a reasonable account. This refutes Rome's dogma, "I believe it, because the Church believes it." Credulity is believing without evidence; faith is believing on evidence. There is no repose for reason itself but in faith. This verse does not impose an obligation to bring forward a learned proof and logical defense of revelation. But as believers deny themselves, crucify the world, and brave persecution, they must be buoyed up by some strong "hope"; men of the world, having no such hope themselves, are moved by curiosity to ask the secret of this hope; the believer must be ready to give an experimental account "how this hope arose in him, what it contains, and on what it rests" [STEIGER].
with--The oldest manuscripts read, "but with." Be ready, but with "meekness." Not pertly and arrogantly.
meekness-- (1 Peter 3:4). The most effective way; not self-sufficient impetuosity.
fear--due respect towards man, and reverence towards God, remembering His cause does not need man's hot temper to uphold it.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Song of Solomon 5:10
Colossians 4:6
Hebrews 10:23
1 Peter 1:3
1 Peter 2:12
1 Peter 3:6
1 Peter 3:14
1 Peter 5:6
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