Section 4:7–11

Good managers of God’s gifts

In this section, Peter said that the end of the world is near, and therefore Christians should be self-controlled and prayerful. They should love each other, be hospitable, and use their special abilities to help each other. In this way they would bring glory to God.

Some other headings for this section include:

Use God’s Gifts Wisely (New Century Version)
-or-
Your attitude in these last days

Paragraph 4:7–11

4:7a

The end of all things is near: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The end of all things is near means this whole physical universe will soon come to an end. It will not disappear, but God will transform and renew it. Other ways of translating this include:

The time is near when all things will end (New Century Version)
-or-
Everything will soon come to an end (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the culmination of all things is near (NET Bible)

end of all things: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as end refers to a goal or culmination rather than a complete finish. The end Peter is talking of is the goal towards which God is working. This will lead to the transformation of our physical world and our physical life into a new world and a spiritual life. The end of all things thus means the coming of better things rather than nothingness. Some other ways to translate this are:

The culmination of all things (NET Bible)
-or-
The accomplishing of the goal of all things (CJB)

4:7b

Therefore: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Therefore introduces Peter’s words of teaching based on what he had just written in 4:7a. Other ways you might be able to say this include:

So (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Because ⌊of this⌋

See how you translated this word in 1:13a and 2:1a.

be clear-minded and sober: The Greek words translated as clear-minded and sober are similar in meaning. It may be possible to combine them in some way. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

keep your minds calm and sober (New Jerusalem Bible)

clear-minded: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as clear-minded means sane, serious, keeping one’s head. Other translations say:

be serious (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
earnest (New Living Translation (2004))

sober: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sober means being well balanced, well disciplined, keeping one’s eyes on the goal. This second word occurs also in 1:13b. Other translations have:

alert (Good News Translation)
-or-
discipline yourselves (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
sensible (Contemporary English Version)

so that you can pray: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that you can pray is literally “for prayers,” that is, for the sake of your prayers to God. It means “in order to be able to pray” or “so that you can concentrate on praying to God.” Here is another way to translate this phrase:

so you will be able to pray (New Century Version)

General Comment on 4:7b

In some languages it may be helpful to reverse the order of the phrases. For example:

to help you pray you must lead self-controlled and sober lives (Revised English Bible)

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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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