Be glad about this is literally “in which you rejoice.” The antecedent of “which” is not at all clear in the text. There are three possibilities.

1. It could refer back to God or to Jesus Christ in verse 3.

2. It could refer to the end of time in verse 5.

3. Finally, it could refer to everything mentioned in verses 3-5.

All three are possible, although most commentaries prefer the third alternative: the Christian’s joy is grounded in the fact that God has given him new life, a living hope, a certainty of receiving God’s rich blessings, and of possession of salvation at the end of time. Most translations are ambiguous at this point. The Good News Translation this (in Be glad about this) simply points back, but does not make the intended antecedent clear. A literal translation (as in Revised Standard Version) would make the antecedent the last part of verse 5. A translation like “You should be glad about all these things” would be much better (compare Barclay “You must rejoice in all this”).

Be glad about this must be made somewhat more explicit in some languages, for example, “be glad about what God has done” or “be happy about what is going to happen.” The expression “about what is going to happen” may, of course, refer specifically to the salvation which is to be revealed, but it can also refer to the rich blessings which will come to believers.

The Greek verb for “rejoice” may be either indicative or imperative. Many modern translations understand it as imperative because it fits what follows better. (However, see Phillips “This means tremendous joy to you”; New American Bible “There is cause for rejoicing here.”)

The command to be glad is now qualified by the observation that it may now be necessary for the readers of the letter to be sad for a while. Here again, there are two possibilities of understanding this clause: First, Peter may have been presenting a hypothetical case; the readers are not now suffering, but if they have to suffer, then they will still be glad, knowing that their suffering will be temporary (for example, Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt). But secondly, Peter may have been describing the actual situation of his readers; they are now undergoing sufferings and trials of all sorts. This is reflected in many translations, for example, Phillips “even though at present you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations”; Barclay “Even if at the moment you are involved in a situation in which you are bound to be distressed by all kinds of troubles.”

The so-called adversative clause introduced by even though may be expressed in some instances by “but,” for example, “but it may now be necessary.”

It may now be necessary for you may be restructured as “you may now have to” or “you may now be caused to.”

The qualifiers of now and for a while may be combined in some instances as “you may for a time be forced to be sad.”

The phrase to be sad translates a Greek verb which can mean physical suffering (as in Revised Standard Version “to suffer”; Spanish Common Language [Biblia Dios Habla Hoy], Phillips “temporarily harassed”). In this context, however, the focus is not primarily on physical suffering but on the mental condition arising out of the experience of suffering, hence Good News Translation to be sad; Knox “to sadden your hearts”; Barclay “to be distressed.” Taken this way, it would be parallel (although adversely) to be glad.

If one is to translate to be sad as the opposite of be glad, one can sometimes employ a negative expression. For example, be glad may be rendered as “be happy,” while to be sad may be rendered as “to be unhappy.” Frequently, however, to be sad is expressed figuratively, for example, “to sink within one’s heart” or “to feel pained within one’s liver.”

The word trials translates a Greek word which can also mean “temptation” to sin or to become unfaithful to God, but here it refers primarily to the difficulties and troubles which the Christians at that time were facing because of their faith. A literal translation would of course focus on the former meaning, and therefore many modern translations have used a word which would focus on the latter meaning (for example, Barclay “troubles”; but compare Phillips “trials and temptations”). Many kinds points to the diversity of these difficulties; the letter, however, does not go into any specific detail as to what these troubles were.

The many kinds of trials you suffer may be expressed as “the many different ways in which you suffer” or “the many different ways in which you are caused to suffer,” or “the many different ways in which people make you suffer” or “… cause you trouble.”

For a while is literally “for a little.” But what does this expression refer to? It could refer to the brevity of the trials as contrasted to the rich blessings in verse 4, which are eternal. But what does this brevity mean? It could mean either that these trials are only temporary, and that the Christians will soon expect a time of peace on earth; or that the trials will soon end at the end of time, as mentioned in verse 5. This latter understanding seems to be in focus here, in which case the trials and persecutions are part of the “messianic woes,” that is, the upheavals immediately before the end of time.

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 .

It is not easy to find the connection of this verse with what precedes or with what follows. Perhaps there were some members of the early church who opposed submission to the state because of the fact that Christ has made them free people. Or perhaps, Peter was anticipating the disillusionment among his readers when they read his admonition for them to obey the authorities, since such submission would be tantamount to denying their freedom in Christ. To ease these feelings, Peter now admonishes them to live as free people with the implication that they do not lose their freedom by submitting to the state; such submission is not coerced upon them, but something which they do voluntarily as free people. Free is used here in the religious and moral sense, referring to their freedom in union with Jesus Christ (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Through Christ you are free”). The imperative force is taken by many translations (for example, Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible, Barclay, Moffatt), but the Greek allows also for an indicative rendering which would mean that Peter is simply stating an accepted fact (compare Knox, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Reicke “Although you are free”).

In some languages it is extremely difficult to speak about free people. The only equivalent is “people who are not slaves to others.” This is, however, a very useful equivalent expression for the first part of verse 16, since it provides an excellent contrast for the last clause.

This freedom in Christ, however, could be easily abused, and many New Testament writers warn their readers of this possibility (for example, Gal 5.1 and following). Peter, likewise, warns his readers not to use their freedom to cover up any evil, that is, using their freedom as a “pretext” (Revised Standard Version) for doing wrong (compare Jerusalem Bible “excuse for wickedness”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “to justify your wrong deeds”). For evil, see 2.1. Here it may refer generally to all acts of wickedness, and specifically, to not doing the duties expected of a good citizen.

It may be difficult in some languages to speak of “using one’s freedom,” especially in connection with covering up evil. One may, however, recast the second clause of verse 16 as “do not think that because you are not slaves that you can hide evil” or “… cause people not to see the evil which you might do.” In some instances to cover up any evil may also be rendered as “to sin and to get away with it” or “to sin and not be found out.”

The last part of this verse brings out one of the profound paradoxes of the Christian life: Christians are free, and yet they are slaves of God; it is recognition of the latter that ensures the former. Implied in the statement is also the idea that when Christians submit to the state, they do not become slaves of the state; they remain slaves of God; government is never the Christian’s master; he owes his allegiance only to God. The Greek word for slave (doulos) is perhaps better translated as “servant” (for example, Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Phillips, Moffatt) if it is interpreted as related to the Hebrew word ʿebed which the Septuagint translated as doulos or pais. The main idea here is that God is their master; he controls them, and they obey him (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “people over whose lives God disposes”).

But live as God’s slaves may be rendered as “but live as those who serve God” or “… as those who are servants to God.” Such a change may be required if a literal rendering of slaves carries the wrong connotations.

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 .

Having exhorted his readers to spend the rest of their lives on earth in accordance with God’s will, the writer now goes back to the time before their conversion and gives a description of their former state. You have spent enough time is used with a sense of irony (compare Matt 6.34; 10.25). What the writer is saying is that far too much time had been spent in pagan practices, and very little time is left; it is therefore very urgent, as expressed in verse 2, that this little time be spent properly in doing the will of God.

In a number of languages it is impossible to speak of “spending time.” In fact, the statement You have spent enough time in the past must be related to the following clause what the heathen like to do, for in a sense the first clause of verse 3 is a qualifier of the second clause, and accordingly, one must often render the first sentence as “for enough time now you have been doing what the heathen like to do.” The order might be reversed, for example, “what the heathen enjoy doing is just what you have been doing for enough time now.”

What the heathen like to do (literally “the will of the Gentiles”) is synonymous with “human desires” in verse 2 and is contrasted with God’s will. “Gentiles,” as in 2.12, refers to non-Christians rather than to non-Jews. In the Greek, the list of wrongdoings is connected with Gentiles (see Revised Standard Version), but since it is clear from the context (particularly verse 4) that the recipients of the letter also engaged in such wrong practices, many translations have restructured the verse to indicate this fact clearly (Good News Translation; compare Barclay “Your past conduct was characterized by…”; Moffatt “you used to lead lives of…”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “In that time you lived in…”). The list itself bears similarities with other lists in the New Testament (especially Rom 1.29-31 and Gal 5.19-21) and accurately describes immoral and indecent acts practiced by individuals and groups in Asia Minor at that time. Here these immoral acts can be divided into three categories: (1) sexual sins – indecency, lust; (2) sins of intemperance – drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties; and (3) wrong religious practices – disgusting worship of idols.

The Greek term rendered heathen in the Good News Translation is literally “the nations” and is frequently translated as “Gentiles.” In a number of contexts this term may be translated as “non-Jews,” but in this particular context the rendering of “those who are not Jews” would be unsatisfactory, for the contrast is between those who believe in God and do his will and those who do not. Accordingly, it is probably most satisfactory in this context to translate heathen as “unbelievers” or “those who do not obey God.”

Indecency translates a Greek word which refers to sexual excesses resulting in indecent behavior. Lust translates the same word used for desires in verse 2, and may be understood generally as strong, excessive desires of all kinds (compare New American Bible “evil desires”), but may be understood more specifically in terms of impure sensual desires, hence lust (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Phillips). It may be useful in some languages to combine the meanings of indecency and lust as “strong desire for immorality” or “immoral longings.” A phrase equivalent to “evil passions” may also do justice to the two terms indecency and lust, which in a sense serve to reinforce one another in this list.

Drunkenness conveys not only excessive drinking, but habitual intoxication (compare Jerusalem Bible “drinking all this time”; Barclay “habitual drunkenness”). Orgies describes the result of excessive drinking; another way of expressing it is “excessive feasting,” “wild parties” (Jerusalem Bible). Drinking parties is similar to orgies, but whereas the latter is the result of drunkenness, the former provides the occasion for it. Included in the word is the idea of drinking competitions to see who can drink the most. Drunkenness may be rendered as “frequently getting drunk” or “constantly drinking too much,” but in this type of context, a term for “drinking” must indicate the drinking of intoxicating liquors. There may be a value in combining the meanings of orgies and drinking parties in order to suggest the close relationship between the two, for example, “occasions when people get together to drink a great deal and act in a shameful manner.”

Disgusting worship of idols translates a term which can be literally rendered “unlawful idolatries” (compare Revised Standard Version “lawless idolatry”). The word translated “lawless” occurs in Acts 10.28 in the sense of “forbidden by the law of Moses.” In classical Greek, it describes acts which are contrary to what is naturally accepted as proper or decent. Here, it may have a more intense meaning, referring to something which is so obviously evil that any decent person would detest or shun it (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “detestable worship of gods”; Barclay “idolatries which outrage common decency”; Knox “shameful idolatry”). In rendering disgusting worship of idols, there may be a problem in attempting to reproduce an equivalent of disgusting. One might suggest an attributive such as “detestable,” but again in may languages it is important to indicate to whom such an activity would be detestable. There is very little help to be gained from attempting to reproduce a more or less literal rendering of the Greek, namely, “unlawful,” for obviously the worship of idols was not against the law. It is possible, or course, to render disgusting worship of idols as “the worship of idols, something which no one should ever do.” Sometimes the worship of idols may be qualified by an expression equivalent to “horrible,” for example, “the horrible worshiping of idols.”

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 .

The first part of the verse is literally “and if you call Father the one….” “If” can be taken either to mean “even if” (compare New International Version “since”), which means that it is a known fact that the Christians were indeed doing this, or a conditional “if,” meaning that the writer does not know this to be a fact. Most translations take it with the first meaning; for the second, see New English Bible “If you say Father” (compare Jerusalem Bible, Phillips). Most commentators take the whole clause to refer to prayer; some even suggest that this is a reference to the Christians praying together the Lord’s Prayer which begins with “Our Father.” Since “call” in English is ambiguous, and does not refer specifically to the act of prayer, the Good News Translation has added when you pray to God to make the reference to prayer explicit. Other translations have various ways of capturing this sense, for example, Barclay “The God whom in your prayers you call Father”; Knox “You appeal to God as your father”; New American Bible “In prayer you call upon a Father.”

In some languages it may be necessary to render You call him Father in a form of direct address, for example, “you say to God, Our Father.” It may be useful in such circumstances to change the order of the first two clauses so that the temporal clause when you pray to God occurs first, for example, “when you pray to God, you call him, Our Father.” If the first two clauses are left as indirect discourse, then it may be necessary to change somewhat the specific kind of reference, so that in the first clause one will use the term “God,” and the pronoun in the second clause, for example, “you call God your father when you pray to him.” If the order is reversed, “when you pray to God, you call him your father,” it may then be necessary to start the following clause as a separate sentence, for example, “He is the one who judges all people….”

God is described as one who judges all people by the same standard (literally “who impartially judges each one”). This simply means that God does not play favorites, and that all people fall under the same judgment in so far as God is concerned. In other parts of the New Testament, the impartiality of God is related to his dealings with both Jews and Gentiles; here, perhaps the reference is that those who call God “Father” are in no way given preferential treatment by him. On the contrary, they are judged, as all other people are, according to what each one has done. It should be noted that the verb tense for judge is present, and not past or future, for the focus is on God’s essential function as judge, and not on any specific acts of judgment in the past or in the future (Beare).

A literal rendering of who judges all people by the same standard can result in serious misunderstanding, for it could mean in some languages that God judges all people in the same way, that is to say, by condemning them all alike. In a number of instances it may therefore be important to translate by the same standard by a negative expression, for example, “when God judges all people, he does not show special favors to anyone” or in a figurative sense, “God doesn’t close one eye when he looks at some people’s sins” or “… judges some people’s sins.”

According to what each one has done may then be expressed in some instances as providing the contrast to favoritism, for example, “but he judges each person by thinking about what that person has done” or “what that person has done determines how God will judge him.”

It is because God is both Father and Judge that the readers are exhorted to spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. The rest of your lives here on earth is literally “during the time of your stay among strangers.” This goes back to 1.1 and looks forward to 2.11. The expression refers to the Christian’s period of life on earth, viewed as a temporary existence, since his true home is in heaven with the Lord. Many other translations restructure the expression in a way similar to what the Good News Translation has done (for example, Phillips “the time of your stay here on earth”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “all the time you live in this world”).

The rest of your lives here on earth may frequently be rendered as “the remaining days you live here on earth” or “however many will be your days here on earth.”

Reverence is literally “fear,” but here the word connotes not fear but “awe,” “respect.” This is usually the attitude one has towards God in worship; in this verse, however, this attitude is taken as valid for the whole Christian life. A literal translation of the Greek term often rendered “fear” can be seriously misleading because it would suggest that the Christians were to be “afraid of God,” while in reality it is the reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ which eliminates this fear. There may not be in a language, however, a wholly appropriate word for reverence, but some such expression as “deep concern for” or “great respect for” may occur. Sometimes reverence may be expressed figuratively as “stand before with your heart fluttering.”

Spend … your time is literally “conduct yourself,” referring specifically to one’s relationship to God (as in Good News Translation, New English Bible), or in a wider sense, to the whole way of life of the Christian as he relates to God and to others (as in Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Moffatt, New American Bible, Barclay). The way one understands this of course affects one’s understanding of the implied object of reverence, which the Good News Translation understands to be God (also New English Bible). Many other translations, however, understand reverence to refer to the conduct itself, for example, New American Bible “conduct yourselves reverently”; Barclay “spend your time … in reverent living”; Moffatt “to be reverend in your conduct” (however, compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “take his will seriously”). Spend … your time may simply be rendered as “live” or “behave” or even “do whatever you do.”

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 .

The first part of this verse is very similar to Matthew 5.10; the presence of so many allusions to sayings of Christ in the Gospels may indicate for some that Peter himself is writing these out of this own memory of what Jesus had taught while he was alive. It is more likely, however, that this shows the presence of catechetical material which included many of the sayings of Jesus. To the early Christians, these sayings had very great authority and were used as normative guidelines for ethical decisions.

Happy translates a Greek word which is used also in the Beatitudes (Matt 5.3-11); for further discussion of the word, see 3.14. The word for insulted is also found in Matthew 5.11; it is used only here in this letter, although some words with similar meanings have been used previously (for example, 2.23; 4.4). The word itself is a general terms for any oppressive action, primarily verbal (Moffatt “denounced”), although physical assault is not excluded.

If the Greek term rendered in the Good News Translation as Happy is translated as “fortunate,” for example, “you are fortunate if you are insulted because you are Christ’s followers,” there is usually no special difficulty involved. However, a strictly literal translation of “you are happy” may be quite misleading because it states an emotional situation which should be the experience of the followers of Christ rather than necessarily being their actual condition. Therefore, in some languages it may be necessary to say “you should be happy if you are insulted because you are Christ’s followers.”

The passive expression if you are insulted may be transformed into an active one, for example, “if people insult you.”

The causal clause because you are Christ’s followers may be restructured as direct discourse, since this is implied in the introductory verb insulted, for example, “if they insult you by saying, You are Christ’s followers.”

You are Christ’s followers is literally “in the name of Christ,” which is a New Testament idiom meaning “because of Christ” or “on account of Jesus Christ”; “for the cause of Christ” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy); “for the sake of Christ” (Moffatt); “because you belong to Christ” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

This means is literally “because,” giving the reason why the Christians are happy. To be insulted for the sake of Christ means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you. This literally is “the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Most commentaries and translations agree that “the Spirit of glory” and “the Spirit of God” are one and the same, with the first genitive construction expressing an attributive relationship (that is, “the Spirit which is glorious”) and the second an objective relationship (that is, “the Spirit of God” or “the Spirit from God”). All in all, the whole complicated statement may be expressed simply as “God’s glorious Spirit.” “Glory” in this sense may be taken either as great or powerful (that is, “God’s powerful Spirit”), or as an expression of the function of the Spirit as making known the very presence of God (that is, “the Spirit who reveals the presence of God”). A literal translation (compare Revised Standard Version) would be misleading, since it would give the impression that there are two Spirits and not one.

It may be extremely difficult to translate literally this means, because a verb involving the significance of terms may frequently not be employed in relationship to events. Therefore, this means that must be translated in some languages as “if this happens you may be sure that…” or “… this will cause you to know that….”

It is possible to interpret “glory” here to refer to the Christian, (that is, “the Spirit gives glory”), with glory being interpreted to refer to either the Christian’s state of blessedness and of his power to overcome all his difficulties, or his ability to glorify or praise God. While this is an attractive alternative, none of the modern translations consulted for this Handbook reflect this view.

The glorious Spirit may be rendered as “the wonderful Spirit” or “the Spirit who is wonderful” or “the Spirit that is great.”

In some languages the apposition between the glorious Spirit and the Spirit of God must be clearly marked rather than merely juxtaposed, that is to say, placed side by side. For example, one may need to translate the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God as “the glorious Spirit, that is, the Spirit that comes from God” or “the glorious Spirit, he is the Spirit from God.”

Is resting on you denotes the continuing and constant presence of the Spirit in and among the believers. It is part of Jewish eschatological belief that in the last days the Spirit of God will be given to God’s people (compare Joel 2.28-32); here it is affirmed that the Spirit is already among the believers, thus reaffirming the belief that the Christians are living in the last days. Furthermore, the Spirit of God is usually promised to Christians facing persecution (Mark 13.11; John 14.26; 16.17-21).

Is resting on you can be understood literally as “is burdensome to you.” A more satisfactory equivalent may be “remains with you” or “dwells with you” or even “lives within 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 .

Come is not in the Greek text; the Good News Translation, however, repeats it here (from verse 4), in order to accent the imperative nature of the verse. As Christ is the living stone, so the believers themselves are like living stones, that is, they share in the very nature of Christ himself. Living here cannot mean “life-giving” as in verse 4, but simply “alive,” which is a further reference to the believers’ new life in Christ and their participation in his suffering and exaltation. It may further imply that the believers should be alive in their relationships, particularly in their love and concern for one another.

It may be important to indicate with the verb come the person to whom one is to come, for example, “come to the Lord,” but it may be important to indicate that persons are “to come to the Lord and be as living stones” or “… stones that are alive.” Without the expression “and be like” a reader might get the impression that Christians were to come to the Lord like rolling stones.

As living stones, they are to let themselves be used in building the spiritual temple. Let yourselves be used in building represents one Greek passive participle, with God as the implied builder (compare Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “Let God use you in the construction of a spiritual temple”). The participle itself can either be indicative or imperative; some prefer the former (for example, Jerusalem Bible “to be built up…”), but most other translations prefer the latter. The word translated temple can mean a house, or a household (as in Acts 10.2; 11.14; 1 Cor 1.16; etc.); in view of the metaphorical use of “stones,” the former is to be preferred. Describing the church as the temple accents the collective nature of the community (compare Eph 2.21, 22). This temple is spiritual, which may contrast it with the material temple in Jerusalem. However, in view of the fact that the Greek word used here (pneumatikos) is normally associated with the Spirit of God, the primary meaning here may be that the temple owes its existence from the Spirit of God, and not from the efforts of human hands (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “the temple of God … which is built by the Spirit of God”). As the temple of God’s Spirit, the church as the new Israel is contrasted with that of the Old Israel: the latter being ethnically defined, whereas the former is now free from ethnic boundaries. The spiritual temple therefore is the true temple of God, neither limited by earthly boundaries, nor defeated by non-spiritual forces.

There may be a number of advantages involved in transforming the passive expression let yourselves be used in building into an active one, for example, “let God use you in building.”

The spiritual temple may be rendered as “the temple built by the Spirit of God” or “the temple which God’s Spirit builds.” The term temple may in turn be rendered as “God’s house” or “God’s dwelling place.” Note, however, that in the clause let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple the believers are to constitute part of the temple itself. This is not an exhortation to Christians to allow themselves to become workmen in constructing the temple, but rather to be as living stones a part of the temple. This figurative expression is, however, soon dropped, for in the following clause the focus is upon the believers serving as holy priests.

The idea of the church as the temple naturally leads to the description of the believers as holy priests (literally “a holy priesthood”). Whereas spiritual temple defines the nature of the church, “holy priesthood” defines its vocation or task. “Holy priesthood” can be taken either as a reference to the exercise of priestly functions, or collectively, that is, “body of priests” (compare Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). A literal translation would lean towards the first of these two alternatives. There may be distinct advantages in combining the two possibilities of the meaning by putting equal weight on function (“serve”) and the collective meaning (“a body of priests”). That the church is described in such fashion indicates a very unique feature of the Christian community, in which there are no special priests, but the whole community itself functions as a priestly body. Holy expresses a particular relationship with God, a relationship which implicitly is denied to other groups of priests. Basically, holy accents the fact that Christians are chosen by God and consecrated to him. For further discussion of the term, see 1.2 and 1.15.

In the phrase holy priests it may be best to translate holy has “dedicated to God”; in fact, in some languages the equivalent of holy is normally a phrase, “consecrated to God” or “dedicated to God” or “for the service of God,” used in speaking of a number of objects and persons, for example, clothing, utensils, altar, sanctuary, and priests.

The function of believers as holy priests is to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ (literally “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God”). For spiritual, see above. The basic distinction here is between the material (for example, animal) sacrifices offered by the Jewish priests, and the spiritual sacrifices of the new Israel, that is, the sacrifices which are inspired by the Spirit of God. These sacrifices are not specified beyond the description that they are spiritual. Elsewhere in the New Testament, some of these sacrifices are enumerated (for example, “good deeds,” Heb 13.16; Philippians 4.18; “worship,” Heb 13.15; Rev 7.15; “praise and thanksgiving to God,” Heb 13.15 and following; and “mutual sharing”).

The concept of spiritual and acceptable sacrifices is extremely difficult to communicate effectively in some languages, since the term “sacrifice” is often rendered as a “killed gift.” It may be more satisfactory, therefore, in this particular context to render to offer … acceptable sacrifices to God as “to make offerings which are acceptable to God” or “to offer to God what is acceptable to him.” The term spiritual may then be rendered in such a way as to indicate the role of the Spirit of God, for example, “to make offerings to God which are acceptable to him and which are inspired by the Spirit of God” or “… encouraged by the Spirit of God” or “… prompted by the Spirit of God” or “… which the Spirit of God suggests.”

Through Jesus Christ may be taken either with offer or with acceptable. If the former, then Christ is the mediator, and it is only through him that people can approach God and offer acceptable sacrifices to him (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Permit Jesus Christ to give you the capacity to bring offerings to God…”). If the latter, then the sacrifices offered to God are acceptable to him only because of Christ and because they are offered on his behalf (compare Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “who on behalf of Jesus Christ offer spiritual sacrifices that God can accept”).

If through Jesus Christ is to be understood in a mediating sense, then one can relate the phrase to the preceding expression as “Jesus Christ makes it possible for you to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God.” If the phrase through Jesus Christ is to be related to the adjective acceptable, then it is possible to translate “sacrifices to God which are acceptable to him because of Jesus Christ” or “… because of what Jesus Christ has done.”

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 .

Instead of worrying or being afraid, the readers are urged to have reverence for Christ and to honor him as Lord. These two expressions are literally “sanctify the Lord Christ,” a quotation from Isaiah 8.13, except that “God” in the original passage has been changed to “Christ.” To “sanctify” God is to acknowledge him as holy, to worship and honor him as the only God. To sanctify Christ has the same sense: to recognize, worship, and honor him as the only Lord. In your hearts is not found in the Old Testament quotation; it is added here to show that this acknowledgment of Christ as Lord must be from the very center of their being; they must honor him completely and wholeheartedly.

The closest equivalent of have reverence for Christ may be “worship Christ,” to which, of course, may be added “in your heart.” Honor him as Lord may be expressed as “acknowledge him as Lord” or “give him the honor he deserves as Lord.”

Just in case his readers should understand this reverence for Christ as only inward, and therefore as something to be kept for oneself, Peter hastens on to add that this inward state must result in a readiness to share this faith with others. They are to be ready at all times to answer anyone and to explain the hope that is in them. Be ready is literally “prepared,” taken here in an imperative sense, as it is obvious from the Greek (in the Greek “prepared” etc. is part of the sentence beginning with “sanctify,” and the force of the imperative verb carries itself therefore into the following adjective). The tone of the expression is one of urgency; it is as if Peter expected his readers to be called upon to explain their faith in the immediate future, if they had not already done so.

At all times may frequently be rendered as “always,” but in some languages it may seem more natural to say “on any day.”

To answer anyone is literally “for an apology to anyone.” “Apology” is a Greek word meaning “defense,” and may be used in a formal sense, referring to defense before authorities, particularly before a court of law (compare Luke 12.21; Acts 19.33; 22.1; 26.1, 2, 24). If this is the sense here, then it could be that Peter expected his readers to be brought to trial because of their faith. There is, however, a less formal sense in which apologia is used, that is, referring to answers given to private accusations (compare 2 Cor 7.11), and this may be what is intended here, in view of asks, which is rather informal. If this sense is taken, then anyone would refer to pagan neighbors mentioned in 2.12.

Though the pronoun anyone is singular in form, it is in reality plural in reference. It may therefore be more satisfactorily rendered in some languages as “all,” for example, “be always ready to answer all who ask you….”

Asks you to explain is literally “asks you a word.” The translation of this expression depends in some way on how one takes “apology” (see above). If “apology” is formal and refers to legal defense, then “word” would be translated legally (for example, Knox, Barclay “to give an account”). If, however, the informal sense of “apology” is preferred, then, “word” would be translated accordingly (compare Jerusalem Bible “the reason for”; Phillips, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “an explanation”).

Who asks you to explain must frequently be restructured as direct discourse, for example, “who asks you, Please explain to us….”

For hope, see 1.3, 13, 21, and 3.5. Here, hope refers not primarily to future salvation but to the content of their Christian faith, although the former sense is not excluded.

It may be extremely difficult in some languages to “explain the hope,” for one can only explain a content and not an act of hoping, apart from what is hoped for. Therefore, one may translate explain the hope you have in you as “explain what it is you look forward to with confidence.”

In you could be “within you” (Phillips) or “among you,” that is, the hope that all of them have and share together (for example, Jerusalem Bible “the hope that you all have”; Barclay “the hope all Christians share”; Knox “the hope which you cherish”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “your hope”). If in you is to be understood as something within the individual, then one may translate “the hope that you have in your hearts,” but if this is the hope which Christians shared, then one may speak of “the hope which you all have as believers.”

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 .