Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme;
The words "submit yourselves" are the translation of a Greek military term meaning "to arrange in military fashion under the command of a leader." One could translate, "put yourselves in the attitude of submission to." The exhortation is not merely to obey ordinances, but to create and maintain that attitude of heart which will always lead one to obey them. "Ordinances of man" refers to human institutions, such as the laws of the land. Christians are to do this because of their testimony to the Lord Jesus (Wuest, I Peter 60-61).