Verse 13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man] In every settled state, and under every form of political government, where the laws are not in opposition to the laws of God, it may be very soundly and rationally said: "Genuine Christians have nothing to do with the laws but to obey them." Society and civilsecurity are in a most dangerousstate when the people take it into their heads that they have a right to remodel and change the laws. See the whole of this subject fully handled in the notes on Rom. xiii. 1, &c., to which I beg every reader, who may wish to know the political sentiments of this work, to have recourse.
The words pash anqrwpinh ktisei literally signify, not every ordinance of man, but every human creature; yet ktizein signifies sometimes to arrange, order, as well as to create, and therefore our translation may do: but as the apostle is evidently speaking here of magistracy, or legislative authority, and as the appointment of magistrates was termed a creating of them, it is better to understand the words thus, All the constituted authorities. So, Decem tribunos plebis per pontificem creaverunt; Cor. Nep. "They created ten tribunes of the plebeians, by the high priest." Carthagine quotannis annui bini reges creabantur; Caesar. "They created two kings every year at Carthage." Consules creantur Caesar et Servilius; Sallust. "Caesar and Servilius are created consuls." Creare ducem gerendo bello. "To create a general to conduct the war." The meaning of St. Peter appears to be this: the Jews thought it unlawful to obey any ruler that was not of their own stock; the apostle tells them they should obey the civilmagistrate, let him be of what stock he may, whether a Jew or a Gentile, and let him exercise the government in whatsoever form. This is the general proposition: and then he instances emperors and their deputies; and, far from its being unlawful for them to obey a heathenmagistrate, they were to do it for the Lord's sake, dia ton kurion, on account of the Lord, whose will it was, and who commanded it.
Ver. 13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man , etc.] Or, to every human creation, or creature; not to all the sons of men, as the Syriac version renders it; or to all the individuals of mankind; for there are some that are in such stations and circumstances, that they are not to be submitted to, but to be ruled over, and governed: so kings are not to submit to their subjects, nor are parents to be subject to their children, nor husbands to their wives
, nor masters to their servants, which would be preposterous; but submission is limited and restrained to persons in such a place and situation: the human creature, or creation, here designs the Gentiles, who are elsewhere called the creature, the whole creation, every creature, and every creature under heaven, ( Romans 8:19-22Mark 16:15Colossians 1:23) and particularly Heathenmagistrates, styled creation, or creature: not as men, for all men, as such, are creatures; but as magistrates, being created, constituted, and appointed such, and installed into, and invested with such an office: and human; not only because they were men, and were taken out from among men that bore the office of magistrates, and governed over men, and were for the good and advantage of mankind, but because they were created and placed in such a station by men; though government itself is of God, is a divine institution, yet this and that particular form of government is of man; and especially the forms of government among the Gentiles were human; and are here so called, in distinction from the form of government among the Jews, which was a theocracy, and was divine; wherefore the Jews, and so these converted ones, scrupled yielding obedience to Heathenmagistrates; on which account they were spoken against, as evildoers; hence the apostle, in the first place, and as a principal part of their honest conversation among the Gentiles, exhorts them to submission to civilmagistrates, though they were creatures of men; and to everyone of them, though a Gentile, an unbeliever, and a wicked man: and this he urges, for the Lord's sake ; for the sake of ChristJesus the Lord, because of his command, who ordered to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and in imitation of him, who paid tribute to whom tribute was due; and for the sake of his honour and glory, who was ill thought and spoken of by the Gentiles, because of the disregard of the convertedJews to their magistrates; and which served to prejudice them against Christ and his Gospel: the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, read, for God's sake; because civilgovernment is of God; magistracy is of divine appointment; the powers that he are ordained of God, though this or the other form is of man's prescription: it is the command of God that magistrates should be obeyed; and it makes for his glory, as well as for the good of men, when they are submitted to in things that do not contradict the revealed will of God; for otherwise, not man, but God, is to be obeyed: whether it be to the king ; to Caesar, the Romanemperor; and the then reigning one seems to be Nero, who, though a wicked man, was to be submitted to in things civil and lawful; and it holds good of any other king that has the supremegovernment of a nation: the Syriac version reads it in the plural number, to kings; and though the name of king was odious to the Romans, from the times of Tarquin, nor did they call their chiefgovernor, or governors, by this name, yet other nations did; (see John 19:15) and subjection was to be yielded to him, as supreme; for the sake, and in consideration of his being in so high and exalted a station, having the supremepower and government of the people in his hands. The Syriac version renders it, because of their power; and the Arabic version, because of his power; and the Ethiopic version, because all things are his; the Romanemperors were absolute monarchs; (see Romans 13:1).
Verses 13-17 - A Christian conversation must be honest; which it cannot be, if ther is not a just and careful discharge of all relative duties: the apostl here treats of these distinctly. Regard to those duties is the will of God, consequently, the Christian's duty, and the way to silence the base slanders of ignorant and foolish men. Christians must endeavour in all relations, to behave aright, that they do not make their libert a cloak or covering for any wickedness, or for the neglect of duty; but they must remember that they are servants of God.
