5:2a
This is the beginning of Peter’s appeal to the elders. In some languages it may be necessary to introduce it with a phrase such as:
This is my appeal…
Be shepherds of God’s flock: This is a metaphor. In the lands of the Bible, shepherds cared for and protected sheep. Church leaders were to care for the members of the church as a shepherd took care of his sheep.
In some languages, a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. Some other ways to translate it are:
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care (Contemporary English Version)
• Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the way that they are similar. For example:
Care for God’s people as a shepherd watches over his flock ⌊of sheep⌋
• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
Watch over God’s people who are under your care
God’s flock: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as God’s flock means “the flock that belongs to God.” God is the owner of the flock. A flock is a group of sheep. This is a metaphor for a church or congregation. In some languages it may be more natural and understandable to make the meaning clear. For example:
flock ⌊of sheep⌋
-or-
God’s people
that is among you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that is among you in this context means “that is your responsibility.” God had given each spiritual leader the responsibility of taking care of other Christians. Other ways to translate this include:
entrusted to you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
for whom you are responsible (New Century Version)
-or-
that is under your care (New International Version)
Try to translate using an expression that can be used both of a shepherd looking after his sheep and of a spiritual leader looking after Christians.
5:2b
watching over them not out of compulsion: In some languages it may be natural to translate this as one simple command. Be careful, however, to make it clear that Peter was not forbidding people to serve as overseers. He was forbidding them to serve with the wrong motives. For example:
do not serve as overseers because you are forced/obliged to
watching over them: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as watching over is another term describing the work of church leaders and is similar in meaning to “shepherd.”
There is a textual problem here:
(1) Some Greek manuscripts contain the word translated as watching over. For example:
exercising oversight (New American Standard Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, New American Standard Bible)
(2) Some Greek manuscripts do not contain the word translated as watching over. For example:
do it… (Revised English Bible)
(Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), since the majority of modern versions include this word.
not out of compulsion: In Peter’s day, church members sometimes chose their own overseers and sometimes the apostles appointed them. People did not just volunteer to be overseers. So Peter was telling the people who were chosen not to serve out of a sense of obligation, as if they had no choice. Some other ways to translate this phrase include, negatively and positively:
Don’t do this because you have to (God’s Word)
-or-
do it voluntarily (CEB)
5:2c
but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but introduces a contrast to the words “not because you must” in the previous verse part. Express this contrast in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
Instead (NIRV)
because it is God’s will: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because it is God’s will is literally “willingly according to God.” Peter is telling the elders to serve willingly because this is what God wants them to do. For example:
Watch over it willingly…because you are eager to serve God (New Living Translation (2004))
Other ways of translating these words include:
Do it willingly in order to please God (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
because you are willing, as God wants you to be (New International Version)
it is God’s will: There is a textual problem with the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as it is God’s will, which is literally “willingly according to God”:
(1) Some Greek texts have the words “according to God.” For example:
willingly, as God would have you (English Standard Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible)
(2) Some Greek texts do not have the words “according to God.”
(Revised Standard Version, King James Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004))
It is recommended that you follow option (1), with the majority of English versions.
Other ways of translating these words include:
because you are willing, as God wants you to be (New International Version)
-or-
because you want…. That is how God wants it (New Century Version)
General Comment on 5:2b–c
In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of these verse parts and put the positive command first. For example:
2c Do it willingly in order to please God, 2b and not simply because you think you must. (Contemporary English Version)
5:2d
out of greed: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates with the phrase out of greed is an adverb that combines the words for “shame” and “gain.” It describes a motivation that is shameful: wanting to make as much money as possible. Peter was not forbidding church leaders to receive wages. He was saying that they should not become leaders for the sake of the money they could receive. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
not for what you will get out of it (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
not for shameful gain (English Standard Version)
out of eagerness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible has translated with the phrase out of eagerness is literally “eagerly.” If your language would not naturally use an abstract noun such as eagerness, you could translate this as “eagerly,” as several English versions do (English Standard Version, NET Bible, New King James Version, New Revised Standard Version). It may also be helpful in your language to say what Peter wants the elders to do out of eagerness. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
eager to serve (New International Version)
-or-
happy to serve (New Century Version)
General Comment on 5:2d
In some languages it may be natural to translate this with the positive idea first:
be eager to serve, and not greedy for money
-or-
Let it be something you want to do, instead of something you do merely to make money (Contemporary English Version)
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