Paragraph 1:22–25
1:22
Peter’s readers had accepted the good news about Jesus Christ that had been preached to them (1:12c). Believing this truth worked a change in them. It made them morally pure and caused them to love one another.
1:22a
Since you have purified your souls: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Since you have purified your souls is literally “Having purified your souls.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word Since to show that 1:22a is the grounds for Peter’s statement in 1:21. Another way to express this is with the words “Now that.” For example:
Now that you have purified yourselves… (New International Version (2011))
you have purified your souls: The phrase you have purified your souls means that Peter’s readers had made themselves morally and spiritually pure. They had turned away from their sins. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
You were cleansed from your sins (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you have made yourselves pure
your souls: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as your souls is the same as in 1:9. The word souls refers to the whole person or self. You could translate this phrase as “yourselves,” as many English versions do.
by obedience to the truth: The phrase obedience to the truth refers to when Peter’s readers first believed the truth about God and Christ and became Christians. When they did not know the truth, their desires led them to sin (1:14b). By accepting the truth and desiring to live according to it, they purified themselves. Another way to translate this phrase is:
obeying God’s true message
obedience: Peter used the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as obedience in 1:2c and 1:14a.
1:22b
so that you have a genuine love for your brothers: Peter’s readers had a genuine love for their fellow believers in Christ.
so that: There are two ways of understanding the Greek preposition that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that :
(1) It introduces a result. Peter’s readers were able to love other Christians because they had been purified. For example:
As a result you have a sincere love for each other. (God’s Word)
(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word)
(2) It introduces a purpose. Peter’s readers purified themselves in order to love other Christians. For example:
You have purified your souls…in order to show sincere mutual love. (NET Bible)
(New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), with the majority of English versions.
genuine: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as genuine is literally “unhypocritical.” Other words that can be used are:
true (New Century Version)
-or-
sincere (New International Version (2011))
-or-
honest
love for your brothers: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as love for your brothers means “love for all other Christians.” Peter was using the word brothers figuratively to represent fellow believers. So by it he meant the entire church, including both men and women. So you could translate this phrase as:
affection towards your fellow-Christians (Revised English Bible)
-or-
love for other believers (Good News Translation)
-or-
love for your Christian brothers and sisters (New Century Version)
-or-
mutual love (NET Bible)
love: It may be more natural in your language to translate love as a verb. For example:
sincerely love (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
truly love
-or-
honestly love
1:22c
love one another deeply: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as love is a command, and it is the main verb of this sentence (1:22–23).
love: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as love here is a different word than the one at 1:22b. You may use the same word in your translation for both, since the meanings are very similar. However, if it would be more natural in your language to use two different words, then you may do as Peter did in Greek.
deeply: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deeply can also be translated as:
warmly (God’s Word)
-or-
earnestly (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
fervently
from a pure heart: There is a textual issue here:
(1) Some Greek texts have from a pure heart. For example:
from a pure heart (English Standard Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version, NET Bible)
(2) Some Greek texts have from the heart. For example:
from the heart (New Revised Standard Version)
(God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), since that reading is found in several reliable ancient manuscripts.
pure: In this context, the word pure refers to something that has nothing else mixed in with it. Other ways to say this include:
from a sincere heart
-or-
with genuine affection
heart: In the minds of Peter’s readers, the heart was associated with thoughts and ideas as well as emotions and feelings. So the Greek word that many English versions translate as heart is an idiom that means much the same as “deeply.” If you choose to use a figure of speech, use an idiom or metaphor from your own language that refers to seeking someone else’s well-being.
Some English versions keep the heart figure. For example:
love each other deeply with all your heart (New Century Version)
-or-
love one another wholeheartedly with all your strength (Revised English Bible)
In some languages it may be necessary to remove the heart figure. For example:
love each other deeply and earnestly
General Comment on 1:22a–c
In some languages it may be natural to reorder the parts of 1:22. For example:
22c
⌊You should⌋ love each other deeply and earnestly. After all, 22b you have true affection for each other because 22a you purified yourselves ⌊from your sin(s)⌋ when you accepted the true ⌊teaching concerning Christ⌋.
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