The first part of this verse is a quotation taken from Psalm 55.22 (Septuagint). Leave translates a verb which is literally “throw” (compare Revised Standard Version “cast”). In the Greek, this is a participle closely subordinated to the verb Humble yourselves, and clearly indicates that trusting God for one’s worries is itself an act of humility. Most translations render the participle here as an imperative. To “throw upon” means “to give up to”, “to commit,” “to surrender”, so as not to be bothered anymore. Many translations retain the figurative expression (compare Jerusalem Bible “Unload all your worries on to Him”; Knox “Throw back on him the burden of all your anxiety”); the Good News Translation, however, drops the figure in favor of its non-figurative meaning (compare Phillips “You can rest the weight of all your anxieties upon Him”; Barclay “Bring all your worries to him to carry for you”).

It may be difficult to obtain an expression which will indicate how one can transfer the responsibility for certain worries from the believer to God. In some instances this may be done as “let God do your worrying for you” or “instead of your thinking anxiously about everything, let God do that.”

In the Greek text worries is singular in form, but because of the attributive meaning “all” or “every,” it is plural in meaning, and therefore in English it is best translated as “all your worries.”

There is no indication as to the nature of these anxieties, but it can be deduced that they are somewhat related to the suffering which the Christians are experiencing.

He cares for you expresses the reason for the immediately preceding exhortation. This is clearly indicated by because (compare Jerusalem Bible “since”). The verb for cares denotes the idea of being concerned for, of guiding, sustaining, and in the present context, of not being indifferent to the plight of Christians. Jesus is himself recorded as having expressed a similar message to his disciples, exhorting not to worry because God is aware of their needs (Matt 6.25-34). It is noted by many commentaries that the belief expressed here is clearly distinctive of the Judaeo-Christian tradition; other religions concentrate on divine goodness and perfection, but the Christian faith starts with the conviction that God does care.

He cares for you should not be translated in such a way as to mean simply “he likes you.” What is involved here is God’s provision for the believer’s needs, and therefore “he takes care of you” or “he provides what you need.”

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 purpose of all these trials is to prove that their faith is genuine. Literally, this is “the testing of your faith” or “the genuineness of your faith” (Revised Standard Version), since the Greek word involves not only testing but determining the genuineness or value of an event or object. The testing has the primary purpose of proving whether the faith is genuine or not, and this is made very clear in the Good News Translation (compare New English Bible “faith which has stood the test”; Barclay “a tried and tested faith”). Faith can be understood as in verse 5, namely, “trust” in God or in Jesus Christ (for example, German Common Language [Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch]), or perhaps more appropriately as “faithfulness” to God or to Jesus Christ (Best, page 78). As is often the case, however, most modern translations, including the Good News Translation, translate faith literally.

Their purpose must be often expressed as “the reason why you suffer” or “the reason why you experience troubles.”

That your faith is genuine may be expressed as “that your trust in Christ is real” or “that you really trust Christ” or “… trust God.”

The testing of faith is compared to the process of refining gold. As one can see from the Revised Standard Version, the metaphor about gold is a dependent clause. The Good News Translation has restructured the embedded clause into a separate sentence, in order to make the verb less complex and so that the meaning can easily be understood. (See also New English Bible and Barclay, where the metaphor is put at the beginning of the verse.) In the process of refining gold, it is burned in order to remove its impurities. It is this refining process which has made gold a favorite metaphor in talking about faith (for example, Prov 17.3; 27.21; Psa 66.10). Peter adds the observation that gold is material and can be destroyed, and is therefore less valuable than faith, which is spiritual.

Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire may be somewhat restructured as “gold can be destroyed, but it is tested by fire.” The two passives in this sentence must, however, be made active in some instances, for example, “people can destroy gold, but they test it by fire” or “even gold, which people can destroy, they test by fire.” It may, however, be important to translate “they test by fire” as “they test by heating it very hot” or “they test by putting it in a hot furnace.”

As gold, then, is refined by the use of fire, so faith must also be tested, that it may endure. This last clause is literally “may be found.” One way of interpreting this is to connect it directly to what follows, as the Revised Standard Version has done (so also Moffatt, New English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “So that your faith … will merit approval, glory and honor…”). Another way is to connect “found” with the result of the testing, namely, that faith is proved genuine (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “your trust must be tested … to see if it is really genuine”). A person who possesses such a faith will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. The source of all this is most probably God himself, and it may be advisable to make this explicit, since leaving it implicit would make it possible to understand that the source of praise, etc., is people. Glory may be understood as “greatness,” “splendor” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), or simply as parallel to “praise” and “honor.” This trilogy is often found in other biblical writings (for example, Rom 8.17; 2 Cor 3.18; Col 3.4; for “glory and honor,” see Job 40.5; 1 Tim 1.17; Rom 2.7, 10).

The transitional expression and so may be expressed as “and in the same way” or “and in a similar manner.”

The expression your faith must be rendered in the same way as it is expressed in the first part of this same verse.

Which is much more precious than gold may be rendered as “your trust in God is much more valuable than is gold.”

Must also be tested may be expressed as “must also experience trouble,” though it is important to try to employ the same expression of faith as one uses in describing the testing of gold, but in a number of languages this simply is not possible. Something of the parallelism may be expressed by speaking of the testing of gold as “gold … is heated very hot in order to show whether it is genuine” and “your trust in God … must experience trouble in order to show whether your trust is genuine.”

The clause that it may endure is not explicit in the Greek text but it is implied in a sense by the expression for “testing.” This type of expression may be rendered by a negative equivalent, for example, “that it may not fail” or “that it may not disappear.”

The so-called substitute passive in the expression you will receive praise and glory and honor must be rendered in some languages in an active form, and this means introducing God as the agent, for example, “God will give you praise and glory and honor.” In many instances, however, one cannot employ nouns for praise, glory, and honor. As a result, these three aspects of God’s reward for tested faith may be expressed as verbs: “then God will praise you and cause you to be glorious and honor you.”

The Day when Jesus Christ is revealed is literally “in the revelation of Jesus Christ.” What is referred to here is the day of his return to earth, but the use of “revelation” clearly puts emphasis not on his coming, but on his being known in all that he is. A further problem is whether the Greek text (which is ambiguous) should be understood with a passive or a reflexive meaning: will Jesus Christ be revealed by someone else or will he reveal himself? The Good News Translation uses the passive construction here (also New English Bible, Knox), but the reflexive is clearly preferable, since at the second coming, it is Jesus Christ himself who will make himself known (for example, Barclay “when Jesus Christ dawns upon the world again”; Phillips “when Jesus Christ reveals Himself”; New American Bible “When Jesus Christ appears”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “when Christ will show himself to all peoples”).

If one understands the phrase “in the revelation of Jesus Christ” as being passive, then the active form would be “when God reveals Jesus Christ” or “… causes Jesus Christ to appear.” With the reflexive interpretation, however, one may translate “when Christ reveals himself” or “… reveals himself to all people.”

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 .

This passage ends with four statements, all with imperative force; the first two of which are general, and the last two specific. Respect everyone is literally “honor all,” with people as the implicit object. “All” includes all human beings of every race, creed, sex, and social status. In one brief command, Peter admonishes the Christian to break down all barriers of relationship, whether these barriers be racial, creedal, sexual, political, or social. To “honor” someone is to treat him properly as a human being, to give his due.

Respect everyone may in many instances be rendered figuratively, for example, “bow properly before everyone” or “crouch down before everyone” or “use respectful language to everyone.”

While admonishing his readers to respect everyone, Peter commands them to love their fellow believers, which refers back to 1.22. Some scholars suggest that love is possible only where there is reciprocation, but honor is possible even without any response from the one being honored. Fellow believers translates an unusual Greek word which appears only in this letter (here and in 5.9), and is literally translated “brotherhood.” That it refers to fellow-Christians (Barclay “members of the Christian community”) can be easily inferred from the fact that “brothers” is often used in this sense (compare Gal 1.2; James 1.2; etc.). Love your fellow believers may be rendered as “love those who together with you trust Christ.” In languages which have several different terms for “love,” normally the most appropriate expression for “love” is related to love of kinsmen or the love of friends.

The last two commands are modeled after Proverbs 24.21 (“Fear the Lord and the King,” Revised Standard Version), but Peter makes a distinction between the Christian’s attitude toward the Emperor and toward God. Have reverence for is literally “fear,” but is not simply negative, as the English word might indicate; it describes the proper attitude of the Christian toward God; it denotes awe, reverence, utmost respect, worship. The Christians are to fear God only, and not anyone else, including the Emperor. Their attitude toward the Emperor is not one of “fear,” but of respect (the same word used at the beginning of this verse). For Emperor, see 2.13 above.

It may be somewhat difficult to distinguish clearly between “respect” and “reverence.” Sometimes the latter may be indicated simply by “greatest respect.” At times one may use a somewhat figurative expression, “stand in awe before” or “look upon with wonder.”

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 .

After a look at the past in verse 3, the writer returns to the present situation of his readers (And now), and he makes three observations: (1) they no longer join in these evil practices, (2) their heathen neighbors are surprised at their (the Christians’) attitude, and (3) the Christians are insulted by their heathen neighbors.

The verse starts with a relative formula (literally “in which”) for which see various occurrences in 1.6; 2.12; and 3.19. Here, it refers to the thought of the preceding verse, more particularly with the fact that the Christians no longer indulged in these evil pagan practices. But most translations find it more natural to connect it with what follows, since it is made quite explicit in this verse that the Christians no longer join their heathen neighbors in their pagan celebrations.

Are surprised translates a Greek word which in the active voice means “to receive a guest,” but in the passive voice means to be astonished or shocked at something because of its unusual or unexpected character (compare Jerusalem Bible “people cannot understand why”; also New English Bible); it may include the elements of offense or resentment (compare Phillips “Your former companions may think it very queer”), although it is not at all clear that these are included here, and most translations render it simply as “surprised” or “astonished” (Moffatt).

The relationship between the surprise which the heathen experience and the fact that Christians do not join the heathen in such wild and reckless living is not merely a temporal relationship, as expressed by the English conjunction when. In fact, it is the so-called temporal clause which is the cause of the surprise, and therefore it may be more appropriate in some instances to translate the first part of verse 4 as “the fact that you do not join the unbelievers in their wild and reckless living causes them to be surprised” or “… astonishes them” or “… makes them wonder about you.”

Join translates a Greek word which can be literally rendered “run together” and describes the act of people rushing forward from all directions in order to see something unusual (compare Mark 6.33; Acts 3.11). Here it gives a vivid picture of people who, in reckless abandon, stampede to participate in illicit activities. Join may often be expressed as “become one with” or “do together with” or “gather together with and do.”

The pagan practices, enumerated in verse 3, are now summed up in one expression: wild and reckless living. Wild translates a Greek word which is found nowhere else in the whole New Testament: literally it means “a pouring out” or “an overflowing,” as for example, of a river; here, an overflowing in immoral acts. Reckless translates the same word (although in its adverbial form) used to describe the way of life of the prodigal son (Luke 15.13). Elsewhere in the New Testament it is also used for excessive drinking (Eph 5.18; Titus 1.6). Here it describes the state of a person who no longer cares about anything as long as he can enjoy the pleasures of life.

Since the expression here is obviously metaphorical, many translations try to express the meaning in similar fashion (for example, New American Bible “swamp of profligacy”; Jerusalem Bible “this flood which is rushing down to ruin”; Barclay “their headlong rush into the maelstrom of debauchery”). Others, like the Good News Translation, have expressed the meaning in non-metaphorical language (for example, Phillips “riotous excesses”; New English Bible “reckless dissipation”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “unrestrained and unbridled lives”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “excesses of an evil life”).

The phrase wild and reckless living may require some rearrangement of components, since wild … living may be equivalent to “living immorally,” rendered in some languages as “living like a dog.” The phrase reckless living can sometimes be expressed as “living without any limits” or “living in such a way as to fulfill every desire of one’s body,” but it is also possible to speak of reckless living as “living without regard to what may happen,” in other words, living without concern for the consequences of what one is doing.

They insult you: a further reaction of the heathen. They do not stop at being surprised, but their surprise turns into bitterness and resentment, which express themselves in insult. The word for insult is literally “blaspheme” and may mean in a specific sense “to say things offensive to God,” or “to dishonor God,” or in a wider sense, to insult or to slander someone. Since “blaspheme” does not have an explicit object in the text, it is therefore possible to take either the general or the specific sense of the term, depending on one’s interpretation about the object of “blaspheme.” If God is the implicit object, then the meaning of the expression is “they blaspheme God because of you.” No translation gives this explicit rendering, although the New American Bible seems to prefer this understanding (“those blasphemers”). If, however, the Christians are the object, then the meaning is that the heathen insult them. In view of the fact that many times previously the writer has alluded to the insults and slanders spread by the heathen against the Christians (for example, 2.12; 3.9), it is probable that this second sense is primary here, and many translations adopt it (for example, Jerusalem Bible “they begin to spread libels about you”; Phillips “say all sorts of unpleasant things about you”; Knox “call you ill names accordingly”). They insult you may be expressed simply as “they speak evil of you” or “they say bad things about you,” but since Peter is suggesting that the believers now no longer do such evil things but rather live good lives, it may be more meaningful to translate they insult you as “they say that what you do is evil.” This is essentially equivalent therefore to “they speak evil lies about 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 .

To reinforce his argument, Peter now appeals to the example of women from the Old Testament. The devout women is literally “the holy women.” These women are “holy” in the same sense that the church is “holy,” that is, they have a special kind of relationship to God characterized by consecration and dedication to him (compare 2.9). These women placed their hope in God (literally “hoped in God”), that is, trusted in God to fulfill his promises (compare Knox).

The phrase the devout women of the past may be rendered as “the religious women of former times” or “the God-worshiping women who lived long ago” or “the women who lived long ago and believed in God.”

It is very difficult indeed to render literally the clause who placed their hope in God, for hope which describes an attitude of the mind is not something which one can normally “place.” Accordingly, it may be both necessary and useful to translate who placed their hope in God as “who trusted that God would do what he had promised them” or “who were confident that God would fulfill what he had promised.”

The Greek construction allows for two possible ways of looking at used to make themselves beautiful. First, this may refer back to verse 4, that is, to the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Taken in this manner, what Peter is saying would be that these women made themselves beautiful by having a gentle and quiet spirit, and this is illustrated by their submission to their husbands (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “In the same manner holy women adorned themselves…”; Moffatt “It was in this way long ago that holy women … adorned themselves”). Secondly, however, this may refer forward to their “submission,” in which case what Peter is saying is that these women made themselves beautiful by submitting to their husbands. In view of verse 6, this second alternative may be closer to what Peter was trying to say.

There is another interpretation possible, and found in some translations, which takes both “hoped in God” and “were submissive to their husbands” as part of the “adornment” (for example, Jerusalem Bible “That was how the holy women of the past dressed themselves attractively—they hoped in God and were tender and obedient to their husbands”; also New American Bible “reliant on God and obedient to their husbands”). The Greek construction, however, argues against this interpretation.

Used to make themselves beautiful may be rendered as “used to cause themselves to become beautiful” or “made it a practice of being beautiful.”

The final phrase by submitting themselves to their husbands must be rendered in such a way as to reflect the rendering in verse 1. This may be done, for example, by some such rendering as “by obeying their husbands” or “by doing what their husbands have told them to do.”

The relationship between “causing themselves to become beautiful” and “submitting themselves to their husbands” must be inverted in some languages, for example, “they submitted themselves to their husbands, and in this way they used to make themselves beautiful” or “they obeyed their husbands and this caused them to become beautiful” or “… in this way they caused themselves to become beautiful.”

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 .

Not all suffering, however, is cause for blessedness. This verse and the next offers a corrective and expands on an idea already mentioned in 2.20. Christians are to make sure that their suffering is not caused by foolish and sinful acts. Murderer and thief are self-explanatory. Criminal is literally “wrongdoer” and is the same word used in 2.12, 14 and 3.16 (compare the verb form in 3.17). Meddles in other people’s affairs translates a Greek word (allotriepiskopos) which is used nowhere else in the whole New Testament nor, in fact, in the whole of Greek literature before the second century A.D. Because of this, it is not easy to determine what the word really means, and translations vary in their understanding (for example, Revised Standard Version “mischief-maker”; New English Bible “one who infringes on the rights of others”; New American Bible “destroyer of another’s rights”; Jerusalem Bible “informer”; Moffatt “a revolutionary”; Phillips “a spy”). The Good News Translation translation is based on a fourth-century usage where the meaning is clearly “interfering with other people’s business,” and several translations reflect this understanding (for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “one who gets involved in the business of other people”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Barclay “interfering with other people’s affairs”).

A shift from any of you (which may be regarded as a singular second person in form but actually plural in content) to he (third person singular) may be extremely difficult to duplicate in another language. A more common way of rendering this relationship may be “if you suffer, it must not be because you are murderers or thieves….” The causal relationship must sometimes be made even more specific, for example, “if you suffer, it must not be because you are guilty of being murderers or thieves….”

The anticipatory it, which refers to the following causal clause, cannot be reproduced in some languages, and therefore one may have to translate “if you suffer, you must not suffer because you are murderers or thieves.”

The series a murderer or a thief or a criminal causes certain complications because it might suggest that murderers and thieves were not also criminals. In the New English Bible the term translated in Good News Translation as criminal is rendered as “sorcery,” and the Greek term normally refers to persons who do what is bad with the implication of what is bad to others. It is of course also possible to translate the series a murderer or a thief or a criminal as “a murderer or a thief or some other kind of criminal.”

Or meddles in other people’s affairs is often expressed idiomatically, even as in English “to stick one’s nose into other people’s business,” but in some languages one may speak of “putting one’s spoon in someone else’s soup” or “looking on while another man counts his money.”

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 metaphor of Christ as the living stone is now expounded further through the use of several quotations from the Old Testament: Isaiah 28.16 (verse 6); Psalm 118.22 (verse 7); and Isaiah 8.14 (verse 8). These quotations seemed to have been employed very early by Christian preachers to refer to Christ, and as polemic against the Jews who rejected him.

In accordance with the usual practice in this letter, a scripture quotation is introduced by dioti (see in 1.16; 1.24). The scripture quoted is from Isaiah 28.16, with some variations. One omission worthy of note is the mention of “foundation” in the Old Testament; its omission may be explained in part by the desire of early Christian preachers not to make the stone a part of the foundation, and since the foundation is usually buried, then it will not be possible for people to stumble over it (as it is mentioned in the quotation from Isaiah 8.14 (verse 8)). I chose a valuable stone translates “chosen and precious” (for analysis of this, see 2.4). The stone (lithos) and the cornerstone (akrogōniaion) are one and the same; the former functions as the latter. A cornerstone is what it means literally, that is, a stone at the corner where the two walls meet and where they are bound firmly together. In the light of Psalm 118.22 and Ephesians 2.20, some understand this to refer to the chief cornerstone; the Good News Translation leans towards this position by the use of the definite article: the cornerstone. It is possible, however, on the basis of the Greek text, to use the indefinite article before cornerstone, as many translations have done.

It may be necessary to render the expression For the scripture says as “for in the scripture one may read” or “one may read in a passage of scripture.”

The introduction of the first person “I” without indicating who is speaking may cause serious complications in certain instances, and therefore it may be better to employ an introductory statement including a reference to “God,” for example, “for as one may read in a passage of scripture in which God says.”

Zion is used in the Old Testament for the city of Jerusalem, sometimes politically, but more often in a religious and symbolic sense as the city of God (for example, Isa 60.14; Psa 48.1 and following), and the city where God dwells (Isa 8.18; Psa 74.2; 13.13, 14). At other times, Zion is personified and is made to refer to the inhabitants of the city (Psa 74.2; 97.8; Jer 14.19; Isa 51.16). This last sense, together with the symbolic meaning, seems to have been the primary way in which the early church interpreted Zion in this quotation, in that it now stands for the new Jerusalem, the new people of God.

It may be expedient in the phrase the cornerstone in Zion to indicate that this is “the cornerstone of the city of Zion.” Even though in this type of context Zion may suggest the inhabitants, nevertheless the use of cornerstone makes it almost necessary to refer to a building or a construction.

The last part of the quotation plays both a positive and negative role. Positively, it was an encouragement to the Christians who were facing persecution, and an indirect appeal for them to keep on trusting in Christ; negatively, it was an indictment on those who have rejected Christ. Believes as it is often used in the New Testament stands for a relationship of trust in and commitment to someone. The pronoun him, as the object of believes, refers back to the cornerstone, which is personified. There is a problem involved in the shift from the cornerstone, which would normally have as a pronominal referent “it,” to the third person animate pronoun him. This may require some specific identification of the relationships by translating “whoever believes in the Lord, who is the cornerstone” or “whoever believes in the Lord, that is, in the one who is like a cornerstone.”

Will never be disappointed is literally “shall never be put to shame” (whereas, the Hebrew has “shall not make haste”), a very emphatic statement, as shown by the repetition of the negative (Greek ou mē). Disappointed translates a subjunctive aorist passive verb (Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, Barclay, Knox, Moffatt). The Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy have “disillusioned,” whereas New American Bible has “shall not be shaken.”

If one translates believes in him as “puts his trust in him,” it is possible then to translate will never be disappointed as “will never discover that he has trusted the wrong person” or “will never regret that he has trusted the Lord” or “will never have reason to say that he made a mistake in so trusting.”

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 .