The first part of this verse reflects Isaiah 53.7 and is rooted in the story of the passion of Jesus Christ (for example, for the insults, compare Mark 14.65; 15.17-20, 29-32; for Jesus’ silence, compare Mark 14.61; 15.5; Luke 23.9, 11, 36, 37; John 19.1-5).
Insulted translates a Greek verb which refers to all kinds of verbal activity which causes injury to someone.
The first part of verse 23 may be rendered as “when people said bad words about him, he did not reply with bad words about them” or “when people said mean things to him, he did not answer with mean words directed at them.”
Threaten translates a Greek verb (apeileō) which includes the idea of giving threats in order to stop someone from doing something. It may be important to indicate those who are specifically involved in causing the suffering and those who may be the goal of the possible threatening, for example, “when people caused him to suffer, he did not threaten them with suffering.”
Placed his hopes may allude to Isaiah 53.6, 12, where the same verb is used. The Greek here has literally “entrusted” with no object, and the possible objects are (1) his accusers, (2) himself (New American Bible, Barclay, Knox “gave himself to us”), (3) his cause, that is, his vindication (New English Bible, Phillips, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Some other translations do not supply an object, but simply translate the verb as “trusted” (Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible “put his trust in”). If one takes (2) to be the preferred interpretation, then this clause may be a reference to Jesus’ cry on the cross (Luke 23.46).
If one assumes that the statement placed his hopes in God is a reference to his entrusting himself to God, one may render the expression figuratively as “he put himself in the hands of God” or “he gave himself to God.”
God, the righteous Judge is literally “the one who judges rightly.” Since “the one” clearly refers to God, the Good News Translation has made this explicit. As judge, God is righteous, that is, his judgments and verdicts are always right and fair (compare Barclay “whose verdict is just”). God, the righteous Judge may be rendered as “God who judges righteously” or “God, who judges just according as people have really done.”
There is a curious textual variant in this verse, which is adopted in the Vulgate and in Knox, namely, that Christ gave himself up to the one who “judges unjustly” (compare Knox “gave himself up into the hands of injustice”). This would mean that “the one” refers not to God, but to Pilate. Most translations, however, do not make use of this variant, simply because the textual evidence points to “justly” as the preferred text,
Perhaps a word should be said about the tenses of the verbs in this verse. The tense of “revile” in “he did not revile in return” (Revised Standard Version) is imperfect, stressing either a habitual practice, or else that the action was repeated several times. Likewise, the tense of he did not threaten and he placed his hopes is imperfect. “Judges,” however, in “who judges rightly,” is in the present tense, and includes the idea that God always judges rightly; he is therefore the righteous Judge not only in the past but also in the present.
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .