2:12a–b
The clause “certain men came from James” (in 2:12a) describes what happened after Peter had been eating with the Gentiles (2:12b). In some languages, it will be more natural to change the order of these two clauses. For example:
b He ate with people who were not Jewish a until some men James had sent ?from Jerusalem? arrived. (God’s Word)
-or-
b Peter used to eat with the Gentiles, a ?but then? some men from James arrived.
2:12a
For: Verse 2:12 explains why Paul rebuked Peter. The Greek introduces this explanation with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.
Some other ways to introduce this explanation are:
?I rebuked him? because
-or-
?I did this? because
-or-
Here’s what was happening:
Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. For example:
Before certain men came from James (New International Version)
In some languages, it may not necessary to use a conjunction here either.
before certain men came from James: There are two ways to interpret the way that these certain men were connected to James :
(1) They were sent from/by James. (James was the leader of the church at Jerusalem.) And they came with a message from James. For example:
Before some men who had been sent by James arrived there (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version)
(2) They came from the church in Jerusalem where James was the leader. But they came with their own message, not a message from James. According to this interpretation, these Jewish believers are the same men mentioned in Acts 15:24. This verse in Acts tells us that these men were not sent by the leaders in Jerusalem, although they had come from the church there. For example:
some Jewish friends of James came (New Living Translation (1996))
Many English versions are ambiguous, and so it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), with the majority of English versions that express a specific interpretation.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
until some men James had sent ?from Jerusalem? arrived (God’s Word)
-or-
when some Jews arrived whom James had sent
As mentioned above, it may be more natural to put this clause after 2:12b. See an example above and in the Display.
certain men: The phrase certain men refers to some Jewish believers.
2:12b
he used to eat with the Gentiles: This clause indicates that, in the past, Peter had regularly eaten with the Gentiles, but then he stopped.
Jews were not allowed to eat with non-Jews, because they thought that they became unclean by doing so. When Peter, a Jew, ate with the Gentiles, it showed that he accepted them and had close fellowship with them. This was how Peter behaved when he first arrived in Antioch.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
Peter had been eating with the Gentile believers (Good News Translation)
-or-
at first, he always/regularly ate with Gentile Christians
the Gentiles: Here, the phrase the Gentiles refers to the Christians in Antioch who were not Jews and did not follow the Jewish laws.
Another way to translate this clause is:
Gentile believers
2:12c
But when they arrived: There is a contrast between Peter eating with the Gentile believers and Peter separating himself from them. Many English versions introduce this contrast with the word But.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
But after these men arrived (Good News Translation)
-or-
After they came ?to Antioch?
2:12d
he began to draw back and separate himself: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as draw back also means “withdraw” or “retreat.” This verb and the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as separate himself are very similar in meaning. These verbs imply that Peter stopped eating with the Gentiles.
The forms of both Greek verbs also imply that Peter gradually began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentile believers at meals. He did not do it all at once.
Some ways to translate this clause are:
• Find synonyms to translate these two verbs. For example:
he gradually withdrew and began to keep himself away ?from the Gentile believers?
• Translate one verb as “stopped eating.” For example:
he gradually avoided/stopped eating ?with the Gentile believers? and began to not associate with them
-or-
little by little Peter started retreating ?from the non-Jewish believers? and no longer ate with them
• Translate both verbs as one. For example:
he gradually distanced himself from believers who were not Jews
-or-
soon stopped eating with Gentiles (Contemporary English Version)
2:12e
for fear of those in the circumcision group: There are at least two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the circumcision group :
(1) It is a specific term referring to the group of Jews who insisted that a man must be circumcised in order for God to accept him. For example:
He was afraid of those who insisted that circumcision was necessary. (God’s Word)
(2) It is a general term for all Jews. (All Jewish men were circumcised.) For some unspecified reason, Peter was afraid of, or concerned about, these people. For example:
Peter was afraid of the Jews (Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In Galatians, Paul showed that is it not necessary for a man to be circumcised in order to be saved, and interpretation (1) is consistent with that.
Furthermore, this circumcision party could have been:
(a) a group of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem whom the men from James told Peter about.
(b) Jewish militants who were not Christians and were persecuting Jewish Christians. It is possible that the men from James told Peter about these men.
(c) the men from James themselves
In your translation, you should not specify which group it was.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
He was afraid of those who insisted that circumcision was necessary. (God’s Word)
-or-
he was afraid of those who were in favor of circumcising them (Good News Translation)
-or-
He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. (New Living Translation (2004))
Peter was perhaps afraid that this group would not approve of him eating with Gentile believers. He was perhaps afraid of what they would think or say about him. He was not afraid that they would physically harm him. If this party was (b) above, he may have even feared that his actions could cause Jewish militants to persecute Jewish believers.
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