1 Peter 3:3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes,

◄ 1 Peter 3:3 ►

New International Version
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.

New Living Translation
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.

English Standard Version
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—

Berean Standard Bible
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes,

Berean Literal Bible
whose adorning let not be the external, of braiding of hair and putting around of gold, or putting on of garments,

King James Bible
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

New King James Version
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—

New American Standard Bible
Your adornment must not be merely the external—braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or putting on apparel;

NASB 1995
Your adornment must not be merely external— braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

NASB 1977
And let not your adornment be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

Legacy Standard Bible
Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on garments;

Amplified Bible
Your adornment must not be merely external—with interweaving and elaborate knotting of the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or [being superficially preoccupied with] dressing in expensive clothes;

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t let your beauty consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes.

American Standard Version
Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel;

Contemporary English Version
Don't depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look beautiful.

English Revised Version
Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Wives must not let their beauty be something external. Beauty doesn't come from hairstyles, gold jewelry, or clothes.

Good News Translation
You should not use outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you fix your hair, or the jewelry you put on, or the dresses you wear.

International Standard Version
Your beauty should not be an external one, consisting of braided hair or the wearing of gold ornaments and dresses.

Majority Standard Bible
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes,

NET Bible
Let your beauty not be external--the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes--

New Heart English Bible
Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing;

Webster's Bible Translation
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on apparel;

Weymouth New Testament
Your adornment ought not to be a merely outward thing--one of plaiting the hair, putting on jewelry, or wearing beautiful dresses.

World English Bible
Let your beauty come not from the outward adorning of braiding your hair, and of wearing gold ornaments or of putting on fine clothing,

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
whose adorning—let it not be that which is outward, of braiding of hair, and of putting around of things of gold, or of putting on of garments,

Berean Literal Bible
whose adorning let not be the external, of braiding of hair and putting around of gold, or putting on of garments,

Young's Literal Translation
whose adorning -- let it not be that which is outward, of plaiting of hair, and of putting around of things of gold, or of putting on of garments,

Smith's Literal Translation
Whose outside let it not be of the interweaving of hairs, and of putting round of gold, or of putting on of garments, the arrangement;

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whose adorning let it not be the outward plaiting of the hair, or the wearing of gold, or the putting on of apparel:

Catholic Public Domain Version
For you, there should be no unnecessary adornment of the hair, or surrounding with gold, or the wearing of ornate clothing.

New American Bible
Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes,

New Revised Standard Version
Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing;

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And do not adorn yourselves with outward adornments such as plaiting your hair, or the wearing of ornaments of gold, or costly apparel:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do not be adorned with outward ornaments of your hair braids or of gold jewelry or fine clothing,

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
Let not your adorning be that which is outward, which consists in plaiting the hair, and wearing gold, and putting on apparel:

Godbey New Testament
whose beauty, let it not be the external beauty of braiding the hairs, and wearing golds, or putting on of outer garments;

Haweis New Testament
Whose adorning let it not be that exterior one of braided locks, and golden trimmings, and dresses put on with nicety;

Mace New Testament
let their ornament consist, not in what is external, in curling the hair, in appendages of gold, or finery of dress;

Weymouth New Testament
Your adornment ought not to be a merely outward thing--one of plaiting the hair, putting on jewelry, or wearing beautiful dresses.

Worrell New Testament
whose adorning, let it not be the outward one of braiding of hair and of wearing of golden ornaments, or of putting on apparel;

Worsley New Testament
Whose adorning, let it not be that without, of plaiting the hair, and putting on of gold, or wearing fine clothes;

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Wives and Husbands
…2when they see your pure and reverent demeanor. 3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, 4but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

1 Timothy 2:9-10
Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, / but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Isaiah 3:16-24
The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles— / the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare.” / In that day the Lord will take away their finery: their anklets and headbands and crescents; ...

Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

James 2:1-4
My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism. / Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. / If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,” ...

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; / you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. / For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. / The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Luke 12:22-23
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. / For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

1 Corinthians 7:31
and those who use the things of this world, as if not dependent on them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. / For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. / So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Psalm 45:11
and the king will desire your beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.

Treasury of Scripture

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

adorning let.

1 Timothy 2:9,10
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; …

Titus 2:3
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

that.

Genesis 24:22,47,53
And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; …

Exodus 3:22
But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

Exodus 32:2
And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

Jump to Previous

Adorning Adornment Apparel Beautiful Beauty Clothing Dresses Dressing Fair Fine Gold Hair Jewelry Jewels Merely Ornaments Ought Outward Plaiting Putting Wearing

Jump to Next

Adorning Adornment Apparel Beautiful Beauty Clothing Dresses Dressing Fair Fine Gold Hair Jewelry Jewels Merely Ornaments Ought Outward Plaiting Putting Wearing

1 Peter 3

1. He teaches the duty of wives and husbands to each other;
8. exhorting all men to unity and love;
14. and to suffer persecution.
19. He declares also the benefits of Christ toward the old world.

Berean Study Bible

Your beauty
The Greek word for "beauty" here is "κόσμος" (kosmos), which often refers to order or arrangement. In this context, it suggests an emphasis on the inner order and character rather than external appearances. The Apostle Peter is encouraging believers to focus on the inner qualities that reflect God's order and design, which are of eternal value.

should not come from
This phrase indicates a directive or instruction. The Greek verb "ἔστω" (estō) implies a continuous state of being. Peter is not merely suggesting but commanding that the source of a woman's beauty should not be external. This reflects a broader biblical principle that true beauty is found in one's character and godliness.

outward adornment
The term "adornment" comes from the Greek "κόσμος" (kosmos), similar to the word for "beauty," emphasizing the external arrangement or decoration. Historically, in the Greco-Roman world, much emphasis was placed on physical appearance and status symbols. Peter's instruction challenges cultural norms by redirecting focus from the external to the internal.

such as braided hair
Braided hair was a common fashion in the ancient world, often associated with wealth and social status. The Greek word "πλέγμα" (plegma) refers to elaborate hairstyles. Peter is not condemning hairstyles per se but is cautioning against allowing such external features to define one's worth or identity.

or gold jewelry
Gold jewelry, "χρυσίων" (chrysion) in Greek, was a symbol of wealth and status. In the biblical context, gold often represents material wealth and the temptation to rely on earthly treasures. Peter's admonition is a call to prioritize spiritual riches over material ones, echoing Jesus' teachings in the Gospels.

or fine clothes
The phrase "fine clothes" translates from "ἱματίων" (himatiōn), referring to garments that signify luxury or high status. In the historical context, clothing was a significant indicator of one's social position. Peter's message is counter-cultural, urging believers to find their identity and value in Christ rather than in societal status or appearance.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) Whose adorning let it not be . . . .--The passage shows that the Asiatic Christians were not all of the poorer classes. Many of the wealthy Jewesses had joined them. The wealth of the Ephesian Christians about this time may be gathered from 1Timothy 2:9, and of the Laodiceans from Revelation 3:17. Two things are to be noted about the advice here given. (1) It is not intended directly as a corrective of vanity. St. Peter is not bidding them beware of love of dress, although (as Bengel points out) the three words of "plaiting," "wearing" (literally, putting round oneself), and "putting on," are intended to convey the notion of elaborate processes in which time is wasted. But the main thought is, How are the husbands to be attracted? Not, says St. Peter, by any external prettiness of adornment, but by inward graces. (2) The Apostle is not forbidding the use of gold, &c. Leighton (himself something of a precisian) says, "All regard of comeliness and ornament in apparel is not unlawful, nor doth the Apostle's expression here, rightly considered, fasten that upon the adorning he here speaks of. He doth no more universally condemn the use of gold for ornament than he doth any other comely raiment, which here he means by that general word of putting on of apparel, for his 'not' is comparative; not this adorning, but the ornament of a meek spirit, that rather, and as much more comely and precious; as that known expression (Hosea 6:6), 'I will have mercy, and not sacrifice?" At the same time he is, of course, speaking of these things with studied contempt: and we may be sure he would have spoken with abhorrence of any adorning which partook of the nature of lying. Even in one of Xenophon's works there is a charming passage where an Athenian gentleman expostulates with his wife on the folly of hoping to attract him by wearing high-heeled shoes and painting her face with rouge and white.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair. A common Hebraism, like our Lord's injunction in John 6:27, "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which cndureth unto everlasting life." St. Peter does not forbid the moderate use of ornaments, but asserts their utter worthlessness compared with Christian graces. The ladies of the time seem often to have had their hair dressed in a very fantastic and extravagant manner. And of wearing of gold; rather, golden ornaments. Or of putting on of apparel. This verse shows that, although the mass of believers at this time belonged to the poorer classes, yet there must have been a proportion of persons of rank and wealth among the Christians of Asia Minor (comp. 1 Timothy 2:9; Revelation 3:17).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

[Your beauty]
ὧν (hōn)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Genitive Feminine Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

{should} not
οὐχ (ouch)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

come
ἔστω (estō)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

[from]
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

outward
ἔξωθεν (exōthen)
Adverb
Strong's 1855: (a) from outside, from without, (b) outside, both as adj. and prep; with article: the outside. From exo; external(-ly).

adornment
κόσμος (kosmos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2889: Probably from the base of komizo; orderly arrangement, i.e. Decoration; by implication, the world (morally).

[such as] braided
ἐμπλοκῆς (emplokēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1708: A plaiting, braiding. From empleko; elaborate braiding of the hair.

hair
τριχῶν (trichōn)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural
Strong's 2359: Hair (of the head or of animals). Genitive case trichos, etc. of uncertain derivation; hair.

or
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

gold [jewelry]
χρυσίων (chrysiōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 5553: A piece of gold, golden ornament. Diminutive of chrusos; a golden article, i.e. Gold plating, ornament, or coin.

or
ἢ (ē)
Conjunction
Strong's 2228: Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than.

fine clothes,
ἱματίων (himatiōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 2440: A long flowing outer garment, tunic. Neuter of a presumed derivative of ennumi; a dress.

Links

1 Peter 3:3 NIV
1 Peter 3:3 NLT
1 Peter 3:3 ESV
1 Peter 3:3 NASB
1 Peter 3:3 KJV

1 Peter 3:3 BibleApps.com
1 Peter 3:3 Biblia Paralela
1 Peter 3:3 Chinese Bible
1 Peter 3:3 French Bible
1 Peter 3:3 Catholic Bible

NT Letters: 1 Peter 3:3 Let your beauty be not just (1 Pet. 1P iP i Pet)