Paragraph 4:17–19

4:17a

Peter considered the persecution of the Christians to be the beginning of the final judgment. The purpose of the judgment is to purify God’s people. The fact that God judges and disciplines his own people is also taught in the Old Testament. See Malachi chapter 3, Ezekiel chapter 9, and Jeremiah 25:29.

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces a reason why Christians should praise God if they suffer for being a Christian (4:16b). That reason is stated in 4:17a: The time of judgment will soon begin with the family of God. Translate this conjunction in a way that is natural for your language.

it is time for judgment to begin: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as time in this context means the “right season.” In Peter’s time, God’s chosen time for judging people had begun.

for judgment to begin: In some languages it may be necessary to translate judgment as a verb. If you then need to supply a subject, you should supply “God.” For example:

for ⌊God⌋ to begin judging people
-or-
God will soon begin to judge people

with the family of God: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the family of God is literally “the house of God.” Peter was saying that God would start by judging Christians. After that he would judge others. In some languages it may be natural to translate it as:

God’s chosen people
-or-
his own people (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
those who follow God/him

4:17b

and if it begins with us: The conjunction if does not express possibility or doubt in this context. Peter was saying that the judgment was in fact beginning with Christians. So it may be necessary to translate this as:

and since it is beginning with us…

4:17c

what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?: This is a rhetorical question. Peter was saying that the judgment of nonbelievers will be much more severe than the judgment of believers.

There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

…what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
…what will happen to those people who do not obey the Good News of God? (New Century Version)

• As an emphatic statement. For example:

Those people who do not obey the gospel of God will come to a bad end.
-or-
…imagine how terrible it will be for those who refuse to obey his message. (Contemporary English Version)

Use whichever form is most natural for a strong statement in your language.

gospel of God: The phrase gospel of God refers to the “good news” of God, that is, God’s good news about Jesus Christ. See how you translated “Gospel” in 1:12c.

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