Paragraph 5:8–11

Peter reminded his readers that Satan was their enemy and they needed to remain alert and steadfast. God would remain faithful to them and would bring them through their suffering to heaven.

5:8a

Be sober-minded and alert: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Be sober-minded and alert consists of two separate commands: “Be sober-minded, be alert.” Consider if it is natural to keep them separate or combine them in some way. Here is another way to translate them separately:

Be alert and of sober mind (New International Version)

Be sober-minded: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Be sober-minded is a command to keep sober or think clearly. See how you translated this word in 1:13b and 4:7b. It can also be translated as:

Keep your mind clear (God’s Word)
-or-
Be on your guard (Contemporary English Version)

Be…alert: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Be…alert is a command to keep awake. This is a figure of speech. Peter wanted his readers to be awake spiritually, ready for anything that might happen. He wanted them to remain aware that Satan might attack them. Other English versions say:

watch out (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
stay awake (Contemporary English Version)

5:8b–c

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour: The Berean Standard Bible in these verse parts is a mixture of a metaphor and a simile. In some languages it may be natural to translate it as either a metaphor or a simile (not a mixture). For example:

Your enemy the devil is a roaring lion that prowls around looking for something to eat.
-or-
Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion that prowls around looking for something to eat.

5:8b

Your adversary the devil: The phrases Your adversary and the devil both refer to Satan, the chief of all the demons.

Your adversary: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Your adversary can be translated as:

the one who opposes you
-or-
the one who hates you

the devil: The phrase the devil here refers to the chief of all the devils or demons. In some languages it may be natural to make this clear by using the name:

Satan

prowls around: Someone who prowls around goes here and there as an animal does when it is looking for food. Some other ways to translate this phrase include:

goes around (New Century Version)
-or-
sneaking around (Contemporary English Version)

like a roaring lion: This is a simile. Peter compared Satan to a lion. If there is no word for lion in your language, substitute the name of any fierce animal of prey such as:

leopard
-or-
hyena

roaring: This is the very loud noise that a lion makes. Another way to translate this is:

growling loudly

5:8c

seeking someone to devour: This phrase is part of the metaphor. Just as lions look around for animals to eat, Satan is also looking for opportunities to destroy people. He wants to do this by causing them to stop trusting in Christ.

someone: Lions look for animals to eat, but the devil does not want to destroy an animal. He wants to destroy a person. You may need to change this to a general word that could cover both people and animals. For example:

prey

devour: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as devour means “eat up completely.” This is a metaphor referring to destroying someone for one’s own benefit. Satan wants to destroy believers. Some other ways to translate this are:

consume
-or-
destroy

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