3:3a

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Your beauty should not come from outward adornment is a command to wives. Peter did not want them to spend an excessive amount of money in order to try to make themselves beautiful by decorating their bodies. Different ways to say this include:

Let your beauty not be external (NET Bible)
-or-
Do not adorn yourselves outwardly (New Revised Standard Version)

outward adornment: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as outward adornment refers to all of the ways people try to make their bodies beautiful. It includes everything that is physical, not just the outer layer of clothes. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

outward aids (Good News Translation)

3:3b

such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes: This verse part gives three examples of ways in which women in Peter’s time tried to make themselves beautiful.

braided hair: Peter was thinking of the elaborate way Greek and Roman ladies used to do their hair. If in your area women normally braid their hair, you will need to choose an expression that refers to elaborate or fancy braiding. Some other ways to translate braided hair include:

fancy hairstyles (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the way you fix your hair (Good News Translation)

gold jewelry: The word gold refers to a very valuable metal that is strong and beautiful. See how you translated this word in 1:7.

fine clothes: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word fine. Peter was forbidding women from trying to make themselves look beautiful by wearing expensive or immodest clothes. Other ways to translate fine clothes are:

beautiful clothes (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
expensive clothes (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 3:3

In some languages it may be natural to combine 3:3a and 3:3b by following one of these models:

It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. (New Century Version)
-or-
Don’t depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look beautiful. (Contemporary English Version)

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