Translation commentary on 1 Peter 2:1

This verse begins with “therefore” (Good News Translation then), thus connecting the passage closely with what precedes.

Rid yourselves (compare Revised Standard Version “put away”) translates a metaphorical expression which in the New Testament is connected with various images, such as that of wiping away dirt (James 1.21; 1 Peter 3.21), and of taking off old clothes and putting on new ones (Rom 13.12; Col 3.5; Eph 4.22; etc.). In every case, the expression is used as an appeal to stop doing something which is considered evil. To capture this meaning, many translations employ various metaphorical expressions (for example, New American Bible “strip away”; Knox “put aside”), or else, like Good News Translation, translate the expression in a non-metaphorical manner (for example, New English Bible “away with all malice…”; Jerusalem Bible “Be sure … you are never spiteful…”).

It is possible to take Rid yourselves not as imperative, but as indicative, translating the aorist participle as “having put off” (Kelly). Almost all translations, however, prefer the imperative form.

One of the difficulties involved in a literal rendering of Rid yourselves is the implication that the evil is in some measure external to the individual, but sin obviously is not something that one can simply brush away or wash off. It may therefore be necessary to restructure the expression Rid yourselves, then, of all evil as “quit, therefore, doing any kind of sin.” Since the first expression of verse 1 is a general one followed by specific instances of various kinds of sin, such a generic translation as “stop sinning in any and all ways” may be a very satisfactory introductory expression.

What follows is a list of vices to be avoided. Such lists are quite common in the New Testament (for example, Rom 1.29, 30; 2 Cor 12.20; Eph 4.31; Col 3.8; 1 Tim 1.9, 10), and were used by the early church as part of teaching new converts, a practice which was common among both Jews and Greeks. In 1 Peter, the list concentrates on evil practices which are incompatible with Christian love as mentioned in 1.22.

The word translated evil also occurs in Matthew 6.34 (Good News Bible troubles); Romans 1.29 (Good News Bible wickedness); and 1 Corinthians 14.20 (Good News Bible evil). Here, there are three possible ways of understanding it: (1) as a general term for all the specific vices mentioned after it, which is the position taken by the Good News Translation (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “make an end to everything that isn’t right”); (2) as one vice in addition to the others. This is supported by the Greek text in that “all” (Greek panta) is used both before evil and the next vice in the list (literally “all wickedness and all deceit”), and many modern translations seem to understand it in this way (for example, Jerusalem Bible “never spiteful, or deceitful,” etc.; Phillips “all evil and deceit, all pretence,” etc.; also Barclay, Moffatt, Knox, New International Version). (3) A third possibility is to understand evil as a comprehensive term which together with the second vice in the list is made more specific by those vices enumerated after it (for example, New American Bible “everything vicious, everything deceitful; pretenses…”).

Lying is literally “deceit” or “treachery,” but refers specifically to deceitful speech. Since lying is such a universal pattern of behavior, there is no difficulty involved in finding at least one, if not several, ways of talking about verbal deception. In some languages, however, this may be expressed quite metaphorically, for example, “to speak only with the mouth” or “to use the mouth to cover the heart” or “to talk too much” (with the implication that those who talk too much are bound to say something which is not true) or “to speak with two tongues.”

Hypocrisy primarily means doing something in order to impress others, although the person doing it may not believe in what he is doing (compare Revised Standard Version “insincerity”; New English Bible “pretense”; Barclay “two-faced behavior”). In some instances hypocrisy is rendered as “to wear a mask” or “to cover up one’s faults” or “to pretend goodness.”

Jealousy should not be taken in the popular romantic sense, but in the sense of envy, the feeling of resentment or hatred over someone who has something which the other does not have (compare Barclay “envious behavior”; Knox “grudges”). It may be necessary in some instances to spell out the meaning of jealousy by a phrase, for example, “to hate someone because the person has something one wants,” but normally there are a number of metaphorical expressions which may be employed, for example, “to feel pain in the heart because of others’ prosperity” or “to desire another’s happiness” or “to have a bitter stomach because of another’s good fortune.”

Insulting language translates a Greek word which can be literally rendered “evil speech,” and primarily describes the act of speaking about others in order to belittle or defame them (compare New American Bible “disparaging remark of any kind”; Jerusalem Bible “critical of each other”; Barclay “slanderous gossip”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “all kinds of gossip”). Insulting language may by expressed metaphorically as “to shoot people with words” or “to harm others by whispering” or “to spoil someone’s honor with evil words.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 3:11

As verse 10 talks of verbal activity, this verse talks of action. Turn away from includes the idea of avoiding, not yielding to, ceasing (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “stop doing bad”). Evil is the same word used in verse 10, but this time referring more to action rather than to words. For do good, see the similar concept in 2.12 and 2.15.

A literal rendering of turn away from evil could give the impression that one is trying to escape from evil circumstances or trouble. One can translate turn away from evil as simply “stop doing what is bad” or “refrain from sinning” or “no longer sin.”

The contrast between evil and good must be more carefully marked in some languages, for example, “rather than doing evil, he must do good” or “he must stop doing what is bad and must then do what is good.”

He must strive for peace with all his heart is literally “let him seek peace and pursue it.” “Seek” and “pursue” give the idea of diligent and persistent effort, not only to have something but to continue having it; the Good News Translation has captured this intensity by its translation (compare Barclay “the object of all his endeavor and his search”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “seek peace with all his might”). Peace is a word with many meanings in the New Testament; here it could either be right relationship with people (for example, Barclay “right relationships with his fellowmen”) or messianic salvation, that is, right relationship with God. Both possibilities fit this particular context very well.

In view of the fact that this context indicates a number of interpersonal relations, one may translate he must strive for peace as “he must try very hard to live at peace with others” or “… to live without fighting with others” or “… to live quietly with others.” If one wishes to introduce God as related to the experience of peace, then one may translate “he must try with all his heart to be at peace with God.” One of the difficulties involved in such a rendering is the fact that the act of reconciliation begins with God, and man is the goal of God’s activity.

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 5:2 – 5:3

The church leaders are first of all exhorted to be shepherds of the flock (literally “tend the flock”). Tending, or taking care of the flock, is of course the responsibility of the shepherd, which explains the Good News Translation rendering. The image of sheep and shepherd, referring to Christians and to Christ respectively, already appears in 2.25. Elsewhere in the New Testament, this image frequently appears referring to church members and church leaders (John 2.15-27; Acts 20.28; Eph 4.11). The Old Testament itself contains many references to God as shepherd and to his people as the flock (Psa 23; Isa 40.11; Jer 23.1-4; etc.). The shepherd has general supervision over his flock; he protects them, leads them to good pasturelands, takes care of them in every way, and provides them with adequate food and shelter. It is these functions of the shepherd which make it naturally easy to use the image metaphorically for church leaders.

It may be important in a number of languages to fill out the figurative expression in the first part of verse 2, namely, to be shepherds of the flock that God gave you, for example, “to take care of the group of believers that God has given to you even as a shepherd takes care of a group of sheep” or “… as a person would take care of a group of sheep.”

The flock that God gave you is literally “the flock of God among you.” The flock belongs to God; they are entrusted to the shepherd, who in the performance of his duties works under Christ, the Chief Shepherd (verse 4). This meaning is made clear in the Good News Translation and many other translations (for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “the herd which God has entrusted to you”; New English Bible “the flock of God whose shepherds you are”; Barclay “the flock of God which is in your charge”).

The flock that God gave you reflects two important relationships; first, that the flock belongs to God, and secondly, that the care of this flock has been entrusted to certain elders. It would be possible to express both of these relationships by a translation such as “the group of believers who belong to God and who have been given to you to take care of” or “… which God has given to you to take care of.”

What follows is a set of three antitheses (“not … but”), describing more fully the role of the shepherd and his attitude toward the flock.

The first of these antitheses is that they are to take care of the flock not unwillingly, but willingly. Take care is literally “oversee”; it is from this Greek word (episkopountas) from which the word for “bishop” (episkopos) is derived, although there is nothing in the letter to allow us to suppose that episcopacy was already an established office at that time. To oversee the flock is to take care of it, watch over it, and to accept responsibility over its welfare and protection (compare New American Bible “watch over it”; Phillips “accept the responsibility of looking after them”; Barclay “exercise your oversight over them”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “take care of them”). There is some doubt whether “oversee” is part of the original text, since many important manuscripts do not have it. If it is not original, its addition may be an expansion of “tend” at the beginning of the verse. The third edition of the UBS Greek text includes it but encloses it in brackets, to indicate a certain degree of uncertainty that it belongs to the original text.

To take care of may be rendered in a number of different ways, for example, “to see to their needs,” “to help in whatever way is necessary,” or “to provide what they require.” It may be important to use a rather highly generic expression so as to make the statement doubly applicable both to sheep as well as to people. It would be wrong, for example, to use some expression which might be only applicable to sheep, for example, “to provide pasture for.”

In a number of languages willingly is expressed most satisfactorily in terms of the related emotion of being glad or happy about something, for example, “to be happy in taking care of the flock” or “… the believers.”

The word for unwillingly is used nowhere else in the whole New Testament; it denotes the idea of doing something by force, necessity, or compulsion. Perhaps some church leaders were appointed to their tasks, and they would then discharge their responsibilities as a matter of duty and not because they really wanted to. Also included may be the idea that often the duties of these elders would be overly excessive and demanding, with the result that they would perform these duties grudgingly and reluctantly. Whatever the compulsion may have been, these elders are advised not to make it their motivation for doing their job; rather, they should perform their responsibilities willingly, that is, “gladly” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Jerusalem Bible) and voluntarily (compare New English Bible “of your own free will”).

As God wants you to (literally “according to God”) is not found in some very important manuscripts, but is included in the UBS Greek text for the simple reason that it is hard to explain why it was added if it was not part of the original text. As God wants you to may be expressed as a completely independent sentence, for example, “This is what God wants you to do.”

And not unwillingly simply emphasizes the manner in which the elders are to take care of the believers. The phrase and not unwillingly may be expanded into a complete clause, for example, “you should not be unhappy about doing this work” or “you should not do this work as someone who is forced to do it.”

The second antithesis is not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve. The Greek does not contain an explicit verb, and many translations understand the verb to be “oversee”; the Good News Translation, however, makes this into a separate sentence, and supplies the verb Do your work. Not for mere pay translates a word which can be literally rendered as “not for shameful gain” (Revised Standard Version) or “not with greediness for material gain.” The reference is clearly money, and the danger is not so much in enriching oneself through his office (as in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), but in accepting a job purely for monetary considerations (compare Jerusalem Bible “not for sordid money”; Barclay “not for the mean motive of what you can get out of it”). Church leaders of that day probably already received a salary for their work (compare 1 Cor 9.7-14; 1 Tim 5.17, 18; Matt 10.10). From a real desire to serve translates a word which means “eagerly” (Revised Standard Version), that is, with zeal and enthusiasm for one’s work (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “out of enthusiasm for the cause of Christ”; Phillips “because you are really concerned for their well-being”; Barclay “men eager for the task”).

Do your work must refer to the responsibility of taking care of the believers; it should not be a reference to any kind of secular employment. Accordingly, Do your work, not for mere pay may be rendered as “do not take care of the believers just in order to be paid” or “do not take care of the believers merely for the sake of a salary” or “… for the sake of the money which you will receive.”

But from a real desire to serve may be rendered as “but because you really want to help them” or “… want to provide for them.”

The last antithesis is “not as domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (Revised Standard Version). “Domineering over” translates a Greek word which means “lording it over,” “showing one’s authority over,” “rule.” The same verb is used in Mark 10.42, where Jesus is quoted as saying “You know that the men who are considered rulers of the people have power over them, and their leaders rule over them.” Then Jesus continues, “This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, he must be the servant of all.” This saying of Jesus may have been part of Christian catechetical teaching, and seems to serve as a perfect background for Peter’s advice to church leaders. The idea is that while they have the authority over their charge, yet they should not use such authority as the basis of their relationship with them (compare New English Bible “Never be a dictator over…”; Phillips “you should aim not at being ‘little tin Gods’ ”).

In translating Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, it is obviously important to employ an expression which will suggest being overbearing, and as such, having wrong motivations. Sometimes Do not try to rule over may be rendered as “do not be constantly shouting orders to,” but frequently one can use a figurative expression, for example, “do not act like little kings in dealing with” or “do not act like a strong-armed chief in dealing with.”

Those in your charge translates the plural of the Greek word klerōs. Klerōs refers to an object used in drawing lots and, by extension, what is obtained as a result of drawing lots, hence a share or a portion. When used of persons, as in the present case, it refers to those who are assigned to certain people for supervision, care, and oversight, hence Good News Translation those who have been put in your care (compare Jerusalem Bible “any group that is put in your charge”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “those who are entrusted to you”). The picture given here is that each church elder is assigned a certain group or parish for which he is responsible.

The passive expression those who have been put in your care may be made active by introducing God as the agent, for example, “those whom God has put in your care” or “those whom God has given to you to take care of.”

Instead of lording it over those in his charge, the elders are exhorted to be examples to the flock, referring clearly to their way of life, primarily in their actions. The idea is that they should live in such a way as to be worthy of emulation by others. Be examples to the flock may require some semantic expansion, for example, “behave in such a way that the believers may imitate you” or “… will want to imitate you.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 1:3

The expression Let us give thanks (literally “blessed be”) was a characteristic feature of Jewish prayers. This was usually followed by the name of God, to whom the thanksgiving is addressed, and the reasons for the thanksgiving. While the Jewish formula has been followed, it has been enriched by a new feature, namely, that the God to whom thanksgiving is addressed is now known as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. To put it another way, God has made himself known primarily through Jesus Christ, and the Christian cannot think of God apart from his Son. Here, God’s relationship to Jesus Christ is designated by the terms God and Father: God is both the God of Jesus Christ, and also the Father of Jesus Christ. As the one who was equal with God but who became a human being, Jesus could acknowledge God as his God; as the one who lived his life in closest harmony and relationship with God, Jesus could also address God as his Father. Jesus’ relationship to the Christian, on the other hand, is designated by the term Lord. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX), the word “Lord” (Greek kurios) was used to translate the divine name (Yahweh). The fact that Christians can now address Jesus with the title Lord indicates that they can give to Jesus the same loyalty which they would normally give to God himself. The pronoun our underscores the close relationship between the Christian and his Lord; it should be understood here in the inclusive sense, to include Peter and all his readers.

The so-called hortatory construction in Let us give thanks must not be expressed as a type of “request for permission,” which might be suggested in a literal understanding of Let. In a number of languages an equivalent of Let us give thanks is “we should give thanks” or “we must thank.”

In some languages the coordinate construction God and Father produces certain difficulties, since it may suggest two different persons rather than one. Therefore, one must sometimes use the expression “God who is the Father.”

It seems so natural in English to speak of our Lord, but in a number of languages such a possessive relationship is not possible. The equivalent phrase may be “the Lord whom we serve” or “the one who rules us.”

In some languages Lord in combination with Jesus Christ is no more than a dignified title. If one must use merely a title, it is important that it reflect usage which is applicable to deity; it should not be merely equivalent to “sir.”

In this type of context the name Jesus Christ should be understood as a proper name and not as a reference to Messiahship, such as some persons have employed in rendering Jesus Christ as “Jesus the Messiah” or “Jesus the promised Savior.”

What follows gives the reason for giving thanks to God. But 1 Peter introduces all this by the expression Because of his great mercy. Mercy here is not simply “pity,” but “compassion”, love which is both undeserved by the recipient and which is given expecting nothing in return. In other words, what God does for people is not due to the fact that they deserve to be loved or that they can repay God for his love; it is due to God’s kindness, his care, his compassionate love.

Because of his great mercy may be rendered as a clause of cause, for example, “because God was so good to us” or “because he was so merciful to us.” In this type of context a term for “good to” should suggest kindness.

Peter asserts that because of God’s great compassionate love, he gave us new life (literally “gave us new birth”). The expression itself was not unknown during the first century. It was used to describe any decisive change or stage in nature and in history; it is even possible that the term was common among the many mystery religions during the first century which also talked about new life, or about regeneration. The metaphor of new birth was naturally adopted by the Christians to describe their new life in union with Christ; it described a decisive change, a radical transformation which can only come through God’s action. Paul’s concept of “new creation” (Gal 6.15) and John’s concept of “being born again” (John 3.3) are but different ways of expressing the same idea: a new life which arises out of a relationship with the giver of life.

It may be possible to preserve the figure of speech in “gave us new birth” by rendering “caused us to be born anew” or “… again,” but since the “new birth” is really a way of speaking about “new life,” many translators find it more meaningful to translate “he caused us to live in a new way.” It is rare that one can translate literally “gave us new life,” since in so many languages one cannot “give life” but can only “cause people to live.” Sometimes the concept of “giving” may be expressed as “he caused us to live anew as a gift from him.”

What is the relation of this new life to what follows, namely, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the living hope, and the “inheritance” in verse 4? The Greek text itself is ambiguous; literally, it reads, “Who, according to his great mercy, has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (compare Revised Standard Version). Due to the ambiguity of the Greek text, various interpretations are possible, which are reflected in many modern translations. These interpretations may be summarized as follows:
1. Good News Translation:
a. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ground for the new life which God gives to us.
b. The ground of living hope is either new life or the resurrection of Jesus Christ, or both. (This in the Good News Translation is ambiguous).
c. Looking forward to possessing the inheritance (rich blessings) is a result of the possession of a living hope.
2. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch:
“He (God) has raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and has therefore given us a new beginning. Now we are full of hope; because he is holding a property for us in readiness in heaven…”
a. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ground for the new beginning (as in Good News Translation).
b. Living hope arises out of this new beginning.
c. The “inheritance” is the reason for hope.
3. Phillips:
“we men have been born again into a life full of hope, through Christ’s rising again from the dead! You can now hope for a perfect inheritance beyond the reach of change and decay….”
a. The resurrection of Christ is the ground for the new life.
b. Hope is the content of the new life.
c. The goal of this hope is the perfect inheritance.
4. Jerusalem Bible:
“Who … has given us a new birth as his sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we may have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance….”
a. New birth is a result of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
b. A sure hope and the promise of an inheritance are results of the new birth.
5. New American Bible:
“he … gave us new birth; a birth unto hope which draws its life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; a birth to an imperishable inheritance, … a birth to a salvation.”
a. The new birth is the result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ground for the new birth.)
b. The new birth is characterized by hope, by possession of the “inheritance,” and by “salvation.”
6. Barclay:
“Who … made our lives begin all over again, and who through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead gave us a living hope, and the certainty that one day we will enter into that … life which he promised to you….”
a. New life is a result of God’s mercy.
b. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ground for both living hope and the certainty of possessing the “inheritance.”

Whatever interpretation we want to reflect in our translation, we have to make sure that the relationships between the various parts of these verses are made clear.

The phrase living hope is a way of describing hope which is characterized by firmness, by certainty, by an expectancy which is surely grounded in God himself and in his promises, a hope which is able to survive the various trials which Christians, especially Peter’s readers, experience. Other ways of expressing the same idea are “full of hope” (Phillips); “sure hope” (Jerusalem Bible).

As can be readily noted from the preceding series of alternative interpretations, the means of expressing the relationships between the resurrection, the living hope, and the inheritance is very great indeed. If one follows Good News Translation rendering, one may render he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death as “he caused us to have new life by causing Jesus Christ to rise from death” or “… causing Jesus Christ to live again.” The relationship of means expressed by by may require some restructuring in certain languages, for example, “he caused Jesus Christ to live again and this caused us to have new life.” It is then possible to render the last clause of verse 3, namely, This fills us with a living hope, as “what God did fills us with living hope.” In this way “what God did” would refer both to the raising of Christ Jesus from death and the new life which one has as a result of the resurrection. It would be difficult to insist that only one of these events is the cause of a living hope.

It is also clear that the living hope or “sure hope” not only has its basis in what God has done, but has its goal in “the inheritance.” The hope may then be related to the “inheritance” by translating “and as a result of this, we look forward to possessing the inheritance” or “the sure hope that we will possess the inheritance.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 2:12

A positive counterpart is now presented, that is, the Christian life should be characterized by good conduct. Good conduct, however, is not for the benefit of the Christian, but for the non-Christian: it is through the good conduct of believers that unbelievers may be led to praise God. The similarity of this verse with Jesus’ saying in Matthew 5.16 is quite obvious; it is possible that the writer knew of the saying, as reflected in Christian catechetical literature, and made use of it.

Your conduct among the heathen should be so good translates a participial clause (literally “having good conduct among the Gentiles”), the participle being interpreted as an imperative by most translations (for example, Jerusalem Bible “always behave honorably”; New American Bible “conduct yourselves blamelessly”; Moffatt “conduct yourselves properly”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Your conduct … must be faultless”). For conduct, see note on 1.15 and 1.17. As it is used there, conduct here likewise refers, not to religious activity, but to behavior (compare Knox “life”).

Your conduct among the heathen may be rendered as “the way you live among the non-believers” or “… among those who do not believe in God.”

Good (kalos), used twice in this verse, has ethical connotations and can be rendered “morally good.” Behavior that is kalos is behavior which is in accordance with God’s will, a behavior about which non-believers cannot find anything to criticize. Other ways of rendering this adjective are “blameless” (New American Bible); “beyond reproach” (Knox); “faultless” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); “good and right” (Phillips); “proper” (Moffatt); “lovely” (Barclay). Furthermore, the word contains both inward and outward elements. Behavior that is kalos is not only good, but also its goodness is apparent and visible to others (compare New English Bible where this two-fold element is made explicit, “Let all your behavior be such as even pagans can recognize as good”).

The heathen translates “Gentiles,” a word frequently used for non-Jews, but in this context has the meaning of non-Christians (compare New English Bible “pagans”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “non-believers”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “those who don’t know God”). The Jews divided people between Jews and Gentiles. Since the church is now the new people of God, a new way of classifying people is now introduced: Christians and non-Christians. The purpose of good conduct among the heathen is now set forth: it is through good conduct that the heathen are led to praise God.

They accuse you of being evildoers is literally “they speak against you as doing evil.” “Speak against you” may be interpreted legally, referring to the accusations against Christians before a court of law, but more probably in a non-legal way, referring the malicious talk and gossip of non-believers about Christians (compare Phillips “slander you”; Barclay “spread their malicious stories”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “speak all kinds of evil”). “Doing evil” refers to the various accusations made against Christians, such as disturbing the peace, inciting people to rebellion against the government, incest, cannibalism, etc. Some interpret it legally (for example, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible “criminals”; Knox “malefactors”; others in a more general way, for example, Revised Standard Version “wrongdoers”; Barclay “bad men”; Moffatt “bad characters”).

When they accuse you of being evildoers must be rendered as direct discourse in a number of languages, for example, “when they accuse you, saying, ‘These people are evildoers’ ” or “… ‘These believers in Christ are evildoers,’ ” or “when they say to one another, ‘These believers in Christ do things that are bad.’ ”

When translates a Greek prepositional phrase (literally “in which”). Some take the expression as conditional, for example, Phillips “although”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “even though.” Others take this as referring to specific cases in which Christians were accused, for example, Kelly “in cases where.” Still others take it in a temporal sense, that is, “whenever” or “when” (Good News Translation, also Barclay). Still others take it as a description of an actual fact in the present (for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “they who speak all kinds of evil about you”; Jerusalem Bible “now … denounce you as criminals”; New English Bible “whereas they malign you as criminals now”). This last alternative is attractive in that it makes the distinction between the actual conditions now and that of the future, that is, the Day of God’s coming.

But then how should they will have to recognize your good deeds be interpreted? In other words, when does this recognition happen? (1) This recognition may occur during the day of visitation, as immediately preceding the non-believers’ changed attitude toward God. (2) Most interpreters, however, take this recognition as simultaneous with the act of speaking evil, rather than with the act of praising God. This second alternative goes well with the first three interpretations of when (see above), and many translations follow it. Recognize translates a Greek present participle (epopteuontes, from epopteuō), which denotes not merely seeing and observing, but also thinking about and making up one’s mind about something, after thoughtful reflection.

Good deeds is literally “good works.” For good, see above. “Works” refers to what people do, hence deeds, accomplishments, actions. Some translations restructure the expression to accent the quality of goodness in their behavior, for example, New English Bible “you live good lives”; Phillips “how well you conduct yourselves”; Barclay “the lovely way you live.”

They will have to recognize your good deeds may be rendered as “they will have to admit that what you have done is good” or “… that you live good lives” or “… how you have conducted yourselves is good.”

In expressing the necessity implied in the phrase they will have to recognize, it is important to avoid the implication that someone is going to force them to admit something. It is the very nature of the believers’ lives which prompts and requires such a recognition.

The Day of his coming is literally “the day of visitation,” with God as the implicit subject. This may be interpreted either as referring to the final day, that is, the day of judgment, or else to any time that the heathen come to believe in the truth of the gospel, that is, the day of their conversion. The eschatological tone of the letter favors the former interpretation, and the Good News Translation signals this by capitalizing Day. Another problem is whether to interpret the expression negatively or positively. In the Bible, God’s coming is sometimes interpreted negatively, that is, he comes to judge and punish (for example, Isa 10.3; Jer 6.15; 10.15; Exo 32.34; Job 29.4; etc.), and some translations take this meaning here (for example, Barclay “the day God comes to judge”; Jerusalem Bible “day of reckoning”). On the other hand, God can also come in mercy, to bring blessings and to save (for example, Exo 3.16; Gen 1.24; Job 10.12; Luke 19.44), and some other translations take this positive meaning here (for example, Knox “when his time comes to have mercy on them”). This latter interpretation fits the context better, since the heathen will praise God on that Day.

And so may be rendered as “and as the result of this” or “and because they have recognized this.”

Praise God may simply be rendered as “say that what God has done is good.”

On the Day of his coming may be rendered merely as “on the day when God comes,” but it may be advisable to indicate something of the purpose of God’s coming, and this may be done as “on the day when God comes to judge people.”

At least two translations do not take God as the implicit subject of “visitation,” and so go on to interpret the expression in a general way, for example, Phillips “when disasters come”; Moffatt “when you are out upon your trial.” The general consensus, however, does not favor this line of interpretation.

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 3:22

This last verse in this section describes the ascension and exaltation of Christ. Has gone to heaven recalls the verb (he went) in verse 19. If in verse 19, the verb refers to Christ’s going down into the place of the dead, here it refers to Christ’s going up into heaven to be with God. Is at the right side of God (literally “right hand of God”) is a metaphorical expression referring to the bestowal of the highest dignity, honor, power, and even the highest function, which in this case is ruling with God. Angels and heavenly authorities and powers taken together include all spiritual or superhuman beings which in Judaism were believed to be able to influence and affect human life. The fact that they are now subject to Christ emphasizes his absolute power over all spiritual forces, both on earth and in heaven. Such a message would have had tremendous meaning for that handful of Christians who, because of the difficulties they were encountering, could have easily doubted or forgotten that Christ has indeed been and continues to be victorious over all evil powers.

If it is necessary in verse 21 to alter somewhat the order, especially of the last clause, then it may be important to begin verse 22 as a separate sentence and make Jesus Christ the subject, for example, “Jesus Christ has gone to heaven….” In a number of languages any expression concerning “going to heaven” must indicate direction, for example, “going up into heaven,” and heaven may often be translated as “the abode of God” or even “where God dwells.”

Even though the expression at the right side of God is essentially figurative in meaning and refers to a favored position, it is generally necessary to keep the literal form in view of the fact that in so many contexts the “right side” is contrasted with the “left side,” though of course in some cultures it is the left side that is the side of honor rather than the right side. This may require some type of footnote to indicate clearly the significance of the “right side” in the Semitic tradition. However, in some languages at the right side of God is rendered as “at the honored side of God” or “at the place of honor beside God.”

A literal rendering of God, ruling over all angels … might mean that only God is spoken of as ruling over all angels. The meaning, of course, is that Christ is the one who, at least together with God, rules over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers. It may therefore be important to introduce the final participial phrase of verse 22 as a separate sentence, for example, “there he rules over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers.”

In a number of languages angels are spoken of as “messengers from heaven” or even “heavenly messengers.”

There may be some difficulties involved in a strictly literal translation of heavenly authorities and powers, since this might suggest authorities and powers which were actually in heaven as the abode of God. Such authorities and powers are also spoken of as being “in the sky,” and therefore it may be more satisfactory in this context to speak of “authorities and powers in the sky.” In reality, of course, the Greek text itself does not have a word specifically corresponding to heavenly. These authorities and powers were simply the supernatural forces which were believed to affect the lives of people, either for good or for ill. Sometimes, therefore, heavenly authorities and powers may be rendered as “those spirits in the sky who have authority and power.” In some languages, however, the addition of “in the sky” would imply that these beings have no authority over the people here on earth. In these languages, heavenly authorities and powers may be rendered as “supernatural beings who have authority and power” or “spiritual beings who have authority and power.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 5:14

This formula appears in a similar form in many of Paul’s letters (for example, Rom 16.16; 1 Cor 16.20; 2 Cor 13.12; 1 Thes 5.26) and appears to be a popular formula in the early church. Exegetes say that this reflects the practice of Christians embracing each other in their meetings, either at the end or at the reading of an apostolic letter (compare New American Bible “embrace of true love”). The embrace itself is a sign of their fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ and therefore of their deep spiritual ties with one another. Christian love is literally “love,” but since in modern culture the kiss has become associated primarily with romantic love, the qualification of love as Christian love is entirely justified (compare Knox “kiss of fellowship”). Most translations retain the expression, but one modern translation probably has gone too far in indicating its modern significance (Phillips “Give each other a handshake all around as a sign of love”). Normally, an expression like “Greet each other fervently as brothers and sisters in Christ” would be sufficient to express the meaning of the expression. One may also use an expression such as “greet one another affectionately as a fellow Christian” or “greet one another in a way that shows your love for one another as believers.”

The letter ends with a sentence benediction. For peace, see 1.2. All of you who belong to Christ is literally “all of you who are in Christ,” for which see note on 3.17. All of them of course belong to Christ, and attention must be paid in the translation so as not to give the impression that some of those being greeted do not belong to him. To call their attention to this fact at the end of the letter is indeed a fitting conclusion, for it reminds them of their new sphere of existence which is found in and defined by their relationship to Christ.

The final benediction May peace be with all of you who belong to Christ must be expressed in some languages as a type of prayer, and thus must be introduced by an expression which identifies it as a prayer, for example, “I pray that all of you who belong to Christ may experience peace.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 1:14

Peter now exhorts his readers to proper action. Be obedient to God is literally “as children of obedience.” In biblical language, to be a child of something is to be controlled by that something. “Children of obedience” therefore are those who are obedient. The implied goal here is either Jesus Christ (as in 1.2), or God, but in the light of verse 15 it is more probable that God is intended, and the Good News Translation makes this clear (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “as obedient children of God”). Furthermore, the Good News Bible understands this as exhortation with an imperative sense (so also Moffatt, Phillips); most translations, however, retain it as a dependent clause. The adjectival expression Be obedient to God may be rendered in a more direct form as “obey God,” especially if one may use an aspect of the verb which indicates continual obedience.

Do not allow your lives to be shaped is literally “not being conformed” (compare Rom 12.2), which is once again a participle with an imperative force. The main idea here is that the readers of the letter are exhorted not to fashion their lives according to their way of doing things before they became Christians. Desires is literally “passions,” and may be understood as a neutral term simply describing behavior, but in the New Testament it is often used of the behavior of someone who is separated from God.

The passive expression in lives to be shaped by those desires may require a shift so as to indicate clearly that the desires are the cause of the shaping, for example, “do not let your desires … shape your lives.” The term desires may of course be expressed simply as “what you yourself want.”

When you were still ignorant denotes the time before the recipients became Christians. Some scholars take this as a proof that the letter is written primarily for Gentiles, since they are described as ignorant in many parts of the New Testament (compare Acts 17.30). Furthermore, “ignorance” here refers primarily to a lack of knowledge of God, and it would not be an appropriate description of Jews. However, others maintain that both Gentiles and Jews are included. In a sense Jews are ignorant of the true God who is made known through Jesus Christ. It is interesting to note that this problem of who are addressed affects the way in which “ignorant” is translated. To translate, for example, “ignorant” as “before you knew God” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) is to make it clear that Peter was writing to Gentiles, since the Jews could not be accused of not knowing God. On the other hand, a translation like “when you did not know the truth” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, also Jerusalem Bible) allows for a broader readership. It is probably better for the translator to allow for this possibility, and therefore to translate “ignorant of the Good News about Jesus Christ” or “ignorant of God as made known in Jesus Christ.”

Though the Good News Translation‘s rendering do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant seems to be relatively simple in its structure, it is in reality complex, for it involves a number of so-called embedded nuclear structures. Your lives may, for example, be equivalent to “how you live.” To be shaped indicates the relationship between desires and the lives. The expression desires you had is likewise an embedded nuclear structure equivalent to “what you desired,” and obviously the clause when you were still ignorant involves still an additional underlying expression. It may in some instances be necessary, therefore, to break these several underlying nuclear structures into two different sentences, for example, “while you were still ignorant of the Good News about Jesus Christ, you had certain desires; you must not, however, permit those desires to determine how you live now.”

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 .