1:20
Even before God created the world, he had already appointed his Son, Christ, to save mankind. Finally, after many ages had passed, Christ came into the world as a human being. God sent him to be the perfect sacrifice and save people from their sins.
1:20a
He was known: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He was known is passive. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb, you could say:
⌊God⌋ knew ⌊Jesus⌋
God “knew” Jesus in the sense that he decided that Jesus would do a certain task. The expression does not mean that God selected Jesus from a group. Other ways to translate this include:
⌊God⌋ appointed/designated him
-or-
he was predestined/destined (Revised English Bible)
before the foundation of the world: The words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the foundation of the world refer to God’s creating the world and everything in it. In some languages it may be natural to translate the abstract noun foundation as a verb. For example:
before the world was created (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
before the world existed (God’s Word)
-or-
before ⌊God⌋ created/made the world
1:20b
but: There are two ways of understanding the relationship between 1:20a and 1:20b:
(1) The relationship is one of contrast. For example:
but (Revised Standard Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, Revised Standard Version)
(2) The relationship is one of continuation. For example:
and (Good News Translation)
(New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and the majority of English versions.
was revealed: The verb phrase was revealed is referring to Christ’s life and ministry on earth during Peter’s lifetime. Christ came from heaven to earth for everyone to see him. The verb is passive. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb, you may say:
⌊God⌋ revealed him
-or-
⌊God sent him to earth⌋ for all to see
-or-
he appeared
in the last times: The period of the last times began when Jesus Christ “was revealed” in Peter’s time (see note above), and they will end when the world comes to an end.
There is a textual issue here. The Greek manuscripts do not all say the same thing:
(1) Some Greek manuscripts speak of a period of time, literally “the ends of the times.” For example:
in this last period of time (Revised English Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Revised English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
(2) Some Greek manuscripts speak of a point of time, literally “the end of the times.” For example:
at the final point of time (New Jerusalem Bible)
(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow option (1) and the majority of English versions. You may be able to translate this phrase as:
in this final ⌊period of⌋ time
-or-
in these final times ⌊before the world ends⌋
for your sake: In this context, the phrase for your sake means “for your benefit.” God sent Jesus Christ into the world for the benefit of all who trust him. He planned to do good to them by saving them from sin and giving them eternal life. Here is another way to translate this phrase:
for your good (God’s Word)
In some languages it may be necessary to use a verb form. For example:
to help you
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