Section 1:3–12
Peter praised God for the great hope that he has given us
In this section, Peter praised God for the new life that his readers had received because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He also praised God for the good things that God has made ready for his people in heaven (1:3–5). These blessings from God cause believers to rejoice, even in times of trouble. They have joy because they know that God is saving their souls (1:6–9). In the final paragraph, Peter reminded his readers of how the Old Testament prophets had earlier prophesied about this salvation. They had foretold that Christ would suffer in order to save people (1:10–12).
Some other headings for this section are:
The hope of eternal life (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Faith in Christ brings you joy (NET Bible)
-or-
A real reason for hope (Contemporary English Version)
Paragraph 1:3–5
1:3a
Blessed be: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Blessed be means “praised” in such contexts. It was common for the Jews to use a phrase like this as a formal way to affirm that God is worthy to be praised. It indicates that people should praise God by telling others how wonderful and excellent he is. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:
Let us give thanks to… (Good News Translation)
-or-
All honor to… (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Praise… (God’s Word)
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: There are two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ :
(1) It means that God is both the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For example, TLB says:
God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
(Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible, New International Version, Revised English Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation)
(2) It means that God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
(New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as the majority of English versions do.
1:3b
By His great mercy: The phrase By His great mercy here means “because of God’s great mercy.” God’s great mercy is the reason why God provided a new birth (1:3b). The God’s Word says:
God has given us a new birth because of his great mercy.
The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as His great mercy refers here to the generous compassion that God has for people. He showed great mercy to those who believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. Although they had sinned, he did not punish them but forgave them.
Some other ways to express His great mercy are:
because he is so merciful
-or-
because ⌊God⌋ is very compassionate
He has given us new birth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has given us new birth is literally “having caused us to be born again.” This is a figure of speech. It expresses the great change that God made in the lives of Peter and his readers when they believed in Jesus. God made them like new people, and they began a new type of life with him. They had a new hope and a new inheritance in heaven (1:3–4).
us: In this letter, the terms us and “we” always include Peter’s readers.
new birth: The phrase new birth does not mean that the believers had been born again as babies. Refer to John 1:12–13, 3:3. Other ways to translate this are:
he has caused us to be born again (New Century Version)
-or-
he has given us new life (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he has made our lives new
-or-
he has changed our lives as if we were born again
If you use birth or “born” in your translation, you will want to make sure that it does not sound as if Peter said that God had given them children.
1:3c, 4a
into a living hope…and into an inheritance: In Greek, 1:3c and 1:4a both begin with the word that is often translated as into (Berean Standard Bible) or “for.” Many scholars believe that both times, this word introduces a benefit (result) of the new birth that God had given the believers. The Berean Standard Bible indicates this by supplying the connector and, which is not in the Greek text. In 1:3c, the benefit of the new birth is hope, and in 1:4a the benefit is an inheritance. Some other ways to translate this are:
with the result that we have a living hope…and an inheritance
-or-
As a result we have a living hope…and an inheritance
1:3c
The benefits (blessings) of the new birth are in focus in this context.
a living hope: There are two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a living hope :
(1) It refers to a hope that would certainly be fulfilled. People could have confidence that they would not be disappointed in that hope. The Easy English Bible translation says:
as we live, we are sure that we will receive good things from God
(2) It refers to “a hope that continues.” People keep hoping year after year without stopping. The Contemporary English Version says:
a hope that lives on (Contemporary English Version)
Most English versions are ambiguous, and both ideas are true. However, if you must choose between these interpretations, it is recommended that you choose interpretation (1).
hope: In the New Testament, a hope is the confident expectation that something good will happen. In some languages it may be necessary to translate it with a verb phrase. For example:
we have assurance/certainty
-or-
we confidently expect
In some languages it is necessary to translate hope as an action. In some of those languages, it is also necessary to specify what is hoped for. If that is true in your language, you may want to specify that the believers hoped for the inheritance. For example, the Revised English Bible says:
hope, the hope of an inheritance (Revised English Bible)
1:3d
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: The phrase through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead indicates that Jesus’ resurrection is the means by which God gave Peter and his readers a new birth into a living hope and an inheritance. For example, the Good News Translation says:
by raising Jesus Christ from death (Good News Translation)
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: This context implies that God caused Jesus Christ to live again after his death. In some languages, it may be necessary to make that explicit. For example:
⌊God gave us this new birth/life⌋ by causing Jesus to live again after his death
resurrection: The term resurrection refers to someone’s body becoming alive again after his death. It does not refer only to his soul or spirit becoming alive again. Some other ways to translate this word are:
rising ⌊from the dead⌋
-or-
being raised to life
-or-
⌊God⌋ caused to live again
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