Because of the constant activity of the Devil, the believers are exhorted to resist him. This does not mean that they should stand up and fight their persecutors, which would be contrary to 1.18, 19; 3.9, 10; 4.13, 14. Rather they should resist them by standing firm in their faith, that is, by not being led into apostasy despite all the persecutions against them. Faith here may mean either their trust and confidence in God and in Christ, or a body of doctrine or beliefs which Christians adhere to. Probably the former is meant; to Be firm in your faith then means that despite all the persecutions, they should not waver in their trust in God and in the conviction that he will in the end vindicate them, as the next verse shows.

In a number of languages the positive expression Be firm in your faith must be rendered as a negative, for example, “do not change in your faith” or “do not have less trust in Christ” or “do not let your trust in Christ become less.”

And resist him must clearly indicate that one is to resist the Devil, but this can sometimes be most effectively expressed as “do not give in to the Devil” or even “do not do as the Devil suggests.”

Because you know is literally knowing, which introduces a very difficult Greek construction. Perhaps it is best to understand this as additional information which is aimed at giving consolation to the readers. If this is so, then it is probably better to start a new sentence altogether, as in Knox “you know well enough that…,” or else indicate by other methods that this is additional information (for example, Phillips “and remember that…”; Barclay “and you must realize that”; Jerusalem Bible “and in the knowledge that…”).

Fellow believers in all the world translates “your brotherhood throughout the world.” “Brotherhood” is fellow Christians (compare 1.22; 2.17; 3.8). Some would interpret world (kosmos) to refer to that part of creation which is evil and therefore against God (compare John 8.23; 1 John 5.19; compare Barclay “So long as they are in the world, all members of that Christian brotherhood”). It is much better, however, to understand it here geographically, that is, throughout the whole world, or everywhere (compare Phillips “in other parts of the world”). It is possible that during that time, the Christians in Asia Minor were not the only ones suffering, but that suffering was a widespread phenomenon among Christians everywhere, and this fact is used to strengthen the Asian Christians in their suffering, and to remind them of their solidarity with all Christians all over the inhabited world.

Your fellow believers in all the world may be expressed as “those who like you are believers in Christ in all the world” or “… throughout all the world” or “… who live in countries all over the world.”

One source of difficulty is how to interpret the verb which the Good News Translation translates as are going through. The Greek word (epiteleō) is used only here in the whole New Testament, and so we have to look elsewhere for possible parallels. Among the possible meanings are: (1) “to pay a tax” (hence Knox “the brotherhood you belong to pays … the same tribute of suffering”); (2) “to fulfill a religious duty” (hence Revised Standard Version “the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood”); (3) “to carry through to the end,” “to accomplish,” and in the passive, “to experience,” “to put up with” (hence Good News Translation are going through; Barclay “must right to the very end experience”; New American Bible “is undergoing”). Perhaps this third meaning is the best choice; apart from the fact that it does justice to the verb, it also presents, from the translational point of view, the least problems.

Are going through the same kind of sufferings may be perhaps best expressed as “are experiencing the same kind of sufferings” or “are suffering in the same way as you are.”

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 .