This verse starts with the Greek connective de (“but” or “and”), marking the contrast between the promise in this verse and the present state of the believers in verse 9; as such it is better translated But. In the rendering of the adversative conjunction But, it is important to avoid the implication that the believers to whom this letter is directed are to be treated in a manner different from their fellow believers in all the world. It may therefore be necessary to drop the adversative conjunction in some languages and begin verse 10 with the clause after you have suffered for a little while.
After you have suffered for a little while is actually in the middle of the verse, but most translations move it to the beginning for a more natural rendering and in order to mark the relationship between this verse and the previous one. Once again, the Christians are assured that their suffering is only temporary and their vindication is near at hand (compare 1.6).
A literal rendering of for a little while may accentuate too much the brevity of the suffering of the Christians, for it might suggest that the suffering was merely incidental to other aspects of life. A more satisfactory rendering of the first clause of verse 10 may therefore be “after you have suffered, and it will not be for long.” In this way one may suggest not only the temporary nature of the suffering but the fact that deliverance is near at hand.
Grace here may be the same as in 4.10, in which case the God of all grace means “the God whose gifts are sufficient for every need and for every situation.” It is possible, however, to take grace here theologically in terms of God’s undeserved love, in which case the God of all grace would mean “the God who loves us completely.” It is significant to note that most translations keep the literal rendering without any attempt at restructuring. The God of all grace may be rendered as “the God who in all things is good” or “… kind” or “the God who loves us so much” or “the God who shows his love for us without holding back.”
For to share his eternal glory (literally “to his eternal glory”), see notes on 4.13 and 5.1, where “glory” belongs to Christ and not to God but virtually means the same thing. Eternal marks the contrast between their suffering, which is only temporary, and their vindication, which will last for all time. Who calls you to share his eternal glory may be rendered as “who has called you in order that you could share his eternal glory” or “… his greatness which will last forever” or “… his greatness which will never cease.”
In union with Christ (literally “in Christ”) may be taken with calls (compare Barclay “who through Christ called you”), in which case the meaning is “who called you to belong to Jesus Christ,” or with glory, in which case it defines more precisely what is involved in the Christian’s sharing of God’s glory. Taken in this latter sense, the Good News Translation rendering fits very well; it is significant to note that “in Christ” is a favorite expression of the apostle Paul, with the same mystical connotation.
The phrase in union with Christ may be difficult to combine with his eternal glory. Actually in union with Christ indicates the means by which God’s eternal glory is shared. It may therefore be necessary to translate the phrase in union with Christ as a separate clause, “this is possible because of our being united with Christ” or “this happens because we are one with Christ.”
What follows are four actions of God on behalf of the believers on the day of their vindication. The verbs are related in meaning and mark in a very significant way God’s care for his people. Perfect is literally “restore,” denoting the idea of putting something in order, making something complete (compare Jerusalem Bible “will see that all is well again”; Phillips “will make you whole”); it is a very fitting promise for Christians whose bodies are broken down because of persecution and whose wills are ever put to the test. A literal rendering of will himself perfect you may be misunderstood as a reference to complete sanctification in the sense of “make you perfect.” The focus here is upon restoration, not upon sanctification. An equivalent in some instances may be “will do for you all that is necessary” or “will fix everything up for you again.”
Give you firmness is literally “establish,” and it denotes the action of God in keeping them firm and steady in their faith (compare Knox “give you steadiness”). Give you firmness may be expressed negatively in some languages as “will cause you not to change in your faith” or “will cause you not to trust less.”
Give you strength (Greek sthenoun) occurs only here in the whole New Testament; it denotes the idea of God giving them strength to bear all their sufferings without wavering in their faith. A literal rendering of give you … strength might mean merely “to cause you to be physically strong.” The emphasis here, however, is on psychological strength, and therefore it may be more appropriate in some languages to render give you … strength as “cause your heart to be strong” or “to cause your thoughts to be strong.”
Give you a sure foundation is literally “establish you firmly,” indicating God’s act of making sure that they will be firmly rooted in a strong foundation of trust and confidence in him. Some manuscripts omit this fourth verb, but the evidence is clearly on the side of including it; at any rate, its exclusion does not affect the overall intent and meaning of the verse as a whole.
The area of meaning of the expression give you … a sure foundation is essentially similar to the phrase give you firmness, although give you … a sure foundation may be rendered in terms of “cause you to always endure” or “cause you not to be moved in your trust in Christ.” It is rare that one can actually retain the figurative expression foundation.
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .