1:8a
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him: The Christians to whom Peter wrote this letter had not seen Jesus when he was on earth. However, they loved him. It may be helpful to make this a separate sentence. Other ways to translate it are:
You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. (New Century Version)
-or-
You love ⌊Jesus Christ⌋ although you have not seen him.
Him: Him refers to Jesus Christ. In some languages it may be more natural to repeat his name here. For example:
You have not seen ⌊Jesus Christ⌋
In this letter, Peter does not use the name “Jesus” without “Christ.” He also does not use only “Christ” until 1:11, where he refers to Christ before he became a human being. Therefore, if you make his name explicit here, it is best to say “Jesus Christ.”
love: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as love means that a person values and reveres Jesus Christ (and God) with gratitude and affection. He is devoted and loyal to Christ. Use a natural expression or idiom for this word.
1:8b
and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him: This verse part is similar in meaning to 1:8a. The believers were trusting Jesus Christ without being able to see him. It may be helpful to make this a separate sentence. Other ways to translate it are:
You do not see him now, but still you believe in him.
-or-
You believe in Jesus Christ, even though you do not see him now.
believe in Him: To believe in Jesus means to “entrust oneself” to Jesus, that is, “to place oneself in the complete care” of Jesus. Some other ways to translate this are:
rely/depend on
-or-
trust in
-or-
trust in and commit to
-or-
have confidence in
Your language may use an idiom for this meaning.
General Comment on 1:8a–b
The statements in 1:8a and 1:8b are similar. In some languages it may be helpful to translate each statement in a parallel way. For example:
You have never seen Jesus Christ, yet you love him.
You do not see him now, yet you believe in him.
In some languages it may be more natural to put the two negative and the two positive statements in 1:8a–b together. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:
You have never seen Jesus, and you don’t see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him… (Contemporary English Version)
1:8c
and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces what happens as a result of 1:8a–b. The NET Bible says:
and so…
rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy: In Greek, this part of the verse is literally, “you rejoice with joy inexpressible and glorious.” This phrase emphasizes the great joy that the believers feel. They are so joyful that they are not able to describe it. Use a natural way to express this emphasis in your language. Here are some ways to say this:
you are wonderfully happy, more than you can express
-or-
no words can tell how glad and happy you are (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words (God’s Word)
inexpressible: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translate as inexpressible occurs only here in the New Testament. Peter meant that the joy was so great and wonderful that no one could describe it adequately in words. Other ways to say this include:
indescribable (NET Bible)
-or-
cannot be described (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
which words cannot express (Good News Translation)
glorious: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glorious is literally “having been glorified/exalted.” This is a passive verbal form. The joy was a special kind of joy that came from their faith in Jesus. If you have an expression that describes joy that comes from something wonderful or magnificent, you may be able to use it here. Other ways to say this are:
full of glory (New Century Version)
-or-
exalted (Revised Standard Version)
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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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