What motivated the “gentle and quiet spirit” of these women of old was their confidence in God’s promises. The wives Peter is currently addressing had been “born again to a living hope” so as to look forward to an “inheritance” (1 Peter 1:3–4), and so had the same gift and perspective as these women of old had (see Hebrews 11:13–14 in relation to Sarah). So they ought to be consistent and follow the example of their sisters of ages past and adorn themselves with the same attitude.
5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,