1 Peter 5:2-3

Bible Text

[2] Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly; [3] neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.

Babylon, mentioned later in the chapter, is commonly understood as a symbolic name for Rome, the imperial center from which Peter wrote. Its association with exile and opposition to God’s people reinforces Peter’s call for church elders to shepherd willingly and humbly amid a hostile world.

Places in this passage

1 Peter 5:2-3 mentions Babylon.