SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:4
Y cuando apareciere el gran Príncipe de los pastores, vosotros recibiris la corona incorruptible de gloria.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Peter 5:4
Verse 4. When the chief Shepherd] That is, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose is the flock, and who provides the pasture, and from whom, if ye are legally called to the most awful work of preaching the Gospel, ye have received your commission; when he shall appear to judge the world in righteousness, ye who have fed his flock, who have taken the superintendency of it, not by constraint, nor for filthy lucre's sake, not as lords over the heritage, but with a ready mind, employing body, soul, spirit, time and talents, in endeavouring to pluck sinners as brands from eternal burnings, and build up the Church of Christ on its most holy faith; YE shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away, an eternal nearness and intimacy with the ineffably glorious God; so that ye who have turned many to righteousness shall shine, not merely as stars, but as suns in the kingdom of your Father! O ye heavenly-minded, diligent, self-denying pastors after God's own heart, whether ye be in the Church established by the state, or in those divisions widely separated from, or nearly connected with it, take courage; preach Jesus; press through all difficulties in the faith of your God; fear no evil while meditating nothing but good. Ye are stars in the right hand of Jesus, who walks among your golden candlesticks, and has lighted that lamp of life which ye are appointed to trim; fear not, your labour in the Lord cannot be in vain! Never, never can ye preach one sermon in the spirit of your office, which the God of all grace shall permit to be unfruitful; ye carry and sow the seed of the kingdom by the command and on the authority of your God; ye sow it, and the heavens shall drop down dew upon it. Ye may go forth weeping, though bearing this precious seed; but ye shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing your sheaves with you. Amen, even so, Lord Jesus!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear , etc.] This is the encouraging motive and argument to engage the elders and pastors of churches to discharge their office faithfully, cheerfully, and in an humble manner: by the chief Shepherd is meant Christ, who may well be called so, since he is God's fellow, and in all respects equal with him, and is the Shepherd and Bishop of the souls of men; all other bishops, pastors, and elders, are under him; they receive their commissions from him to feed his lambs and sheep; are made pastors and overseers by him; and have their gifts, qualifying them for such offices, from him; and have their several flocks assigned unto them by him; and from him have they all the food with which they feed them, and are accountable to him for them, and the discharge of their office; so that Christ is the chief Shepherd, in the dignity of his person, he being God over all, blessed for ever; in his qualifications for his office, having all power, grace, and wisdom in him, to protect his flock, supply their wants, guide and direct them; and in the nature and number of his flock, being rational creatures, the souls of men, even elect men; and though they are, when compared with others, but a little flock, yet, considered by themselves, are a great number; and especially the general assembly will be, in comparison of the little bodies and societies of saints under pastors and teachers, of Christ's setting over them, with respect to whom, principally, he is called the chief Shepherd: the allusion is to the principal shepherd, whose own the sheep were, or, however, had the principal charge of them; who used to have others under him, to do the several things relating to the flocks he directed, and were called little shepherds; so Aben Ezra says f94 , it was customary for the shepherd to have under him ynjq y[wr , little shepherds: the same perhaps with the hirelings, whose own the sheep are not, ( John 10:12) who are retained, or removed, according to their behaviour; these, in the Talmudic language, are called ylzrb f95 , or ylzrk ; though, according to Guido f96 , the word, pronounced in the latter way, signifies a chief shepherd, who takes care of men, and has other shepherds, servants under him; and such an one used to be called lwdgh h[wrh , the great, or chief shepherd; so Maimonides says, it was the custom of shepherds to have servants under them, to whom they committed the flocks to keep; so that when lwdgh h[wrh , the chief shepherd, delivered to other shepherds what was under his care, these came in his room; and if there was any loss, the second shepherd, who was under the chief shepherd, was obliged to make good the loss, and not the first shepherd, who was the chief shepherd; and to the same purpose says another of their commentators f98 ; it is the custom of lwdgh h[wrh , the chief shepherd, to deliver (the flock) to the little shepherd that is under him; wherefore the shepherd that is under him is obliged to make good any loss: now, such a shepherd is Christ; he has others under him, whom he employs in feeding his sheep, and who are accountable to him, and must give up their account when he appears: at present he is out of the bodily sight of men, being received up to heaven, where he will be retained till the time of the restitution of all things; and then he will appear a second time in great glory, in his own, and in his Father's, and in the glory of his holy angels: and when he thus appears, ye shall receive a crown of glory which fadeth not away ; in distinction from those crowns which were given to the conqueror, in the Olympic games; which were made of divers flowers, of the olive, wild olive, pine tree, and of parsley, and inserted in a branch of the wild olive tree and which quickly faded away; or in allusion to crowns made of amaranthus f100 , the plant everlasting, so called, from the nature of it, because it never fades: the eternal glory and happiness, which is here meant by a crown of glory, or a glorious crown, never fades away, but ever shines in its full lustre; and this faithful ministers shall receive at the hands of the chief Shepherd, as a gift of his, as a reward of grace; when they have finished their work, they will enter into the joy of their Lord, and shine as the stars for ever and ever; they shall reign with Christ, as kings, on a throne of glory, wearing a crown of glory, and enjoying a kingdom and glory to all eternity.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - The apostle Peter does not command, but exhorts. He does not claim power to rule over all pastors and churches. It was the peculiar honou of Peter and a few more, to be witnesses of Christ's sufferings; but it is the privilege of all true Christians to partake of the glory tha shall be revealed. These poor, dispersed, suffering Christians, wer the flock of God, redeemed to God by the great Shepherd, living in holy love and communion, according to the will of God. They are als dignified with the title of God's heritage or clergy; his peculiar lot chosen for his own people, to enjoy his special favour, and to do his special service. Christ is the chief Shepherd of the whole flock an heritage of God. And all faithful ministers will receive a crown of unfading glory, infinitely better and more honourable than all the authority, wealth, and pleasure of the world.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 φανερωθεντος 5319 5685 του 3588 αρχιποιμενος 750 κομιεισθε 2865 5695 τον 3588 αμαραντινον 262 της 3588 δοξης 1391 στεφανον 4735
Vincent's NT Word Studies
4. The chief Shepherd (arcipoimenov). Only here in New Testament. In harmony with ver. 2. "The last thing Peter could have dreamed of as possible would be its misapplication to himself or his so-called successors" (Cook). Compare Heb. xiii. 20, great Shepherd; and John x. 11, 14, good Shepherd. Also, Ezek. xxxiv. 15, 16, 23.
Ye shall receive. See on receiving, 1 Pet. i. 9.
Crown (stefanon). From stefw, to put round, encircle. It is the crown of victory in the games; of military valor; the marriage wreath, or the festal garland, woven of leaves or made of gold in imitation of leaves. Thus it is distinguished from the royal crown, which is diadhma, of which diadem is a transcript. In Paul, stefanov is always used of the conqueror's crown, not of the king's (1 Cor. ix. 24-26; 2 Tim. ii. 5). Though it is urged that Peter would not have employed a reference to the crown of the victors in the games, because of the abhorrence of the Palestinian Jews for heathen spectacles, yet the reference to the crown of leaves seems to be determined by the epithet unfading, as compared with garlands of earthly leaves. The crown of thorns woven for Jesus is called stefanov, with reference rather to its being twined than to its being a caricature of a kingly crown.
