SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 2018 – Page 9

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 3:13

Paragraph 3:13–17

3:13

Who can harm you if you are zealous for what is good?: This is a rhetorical question with the implied answer “No one.” It is really a strong negative statement. There are two ways to translate this:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Who is going to do you harm if you are devoted to what is good? (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? (Contemporary English Version)

• As an emphatic statement. For example:

Surely no one will harm you if you are eager to do good!
-or-
No one is going to harm you for working hard to do what is right!

Use whichever form is most natural for a strong negative statement in your language.

zealous for what is good: The word eager describes someone who has a strong interest or desire in something. Some other ways this word can be translated include:

devoted (NET Bible)
-or-
trying hard (New Century Version)

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SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 5:4

5:4a

the Chief Shepherd: The phrase the Chief Shepherd is a metaphor for Jesus Christ. He is above all church leaders. In some languages it may not be clear that this expression refers to Christ. If that is true for your language, you should make this explicit. For example:

when Christ the Chief Shepherd (Contemporary English Version)

appears: The verb appears here refers to the time when Jesus will return to earth for everyone to see. Some other ways to translate this verb are:

comes (New Century Version)
-or-
returns (Contemporary English Version)

5:4b

you will receive: It is implied that the Chief Shepherd is the one who will give this crown. Here is another way to translate this:

our master, Christ, will give you (Easy English Bible)

crown of glory: There are two ways of understanding the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crown of glory :

(1) It means a crown that will consist of glory. For example:

glory, a crown that never fades (Revised English Bible)

(New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible)

(2) It means a glorious crown. For example:

a glorious crown (New Century Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The reward or crown that believers will receive will be glory. This is the natural meaning in the context, since in 5:1 Peter had mentioned sharing Christ’s glory. This is also the view of many commentators.

crown: The Greeks used to put a circle or garland of leaves on the head of the winner of a race as a sign that he was the victor. This was called the crown. Citizens who served their city well also received such a crown. It was a reward for having served well. Here Peter is using crown as a metaphor for the reward that God will give to his people.

glory: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glory means “honor.” See how you translated glory in 4:14c and 5:1c.

never fade away: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fade away describes the way in which flowers and leaves wither and die. Peter was contrasting a crown or garland of leaves to a “crown of glory.” Although a garland of leaves soon withers, the reward given to faithful church leaders will never spoil. It will last forever. See how you translated fade in 1:4. Some other ways to translate this word include:

never lose its brightness (Good News Translation)
-or-
never lose its beauty (New Century Version)
-or-
of never-ending glory (New Living Translation (2004))

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 1:10

Paragraph 1:10–12

Peter told his readers that they were privileged because they had heard the gospel. Peter’s readers understood the good news about how God saves people more clearly than did the prophets who lived before them. Peter’s readers were also privileged in that as Christians they knew from experience what it is like to have God save them. Even the angels do not know this.

1:10a

In many languages it may be best to make 1:10a a separate sentence. For example:

As for this salvation, the prophets foretold how God was going to be gracious to you.

See also the Display for 1:10a for additional examples.

See the General Comment on 1:10–11 at the end of 1:11c for an example of how you may be able to make your translation clearer and more natural by combining 1:10–11.

Concerning this salvation: The phrase Concerning this salvation introduces the topic of this paragraph. In this paragraph Peter wrote more Concerning the salvation that he had just mentioned (1:9). Some other ways to translate this phrase include:

This salvation was (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
It was about this salvation
-or-

⌊Now⌋ ⌊I want to talk⌋ about this salvation

the prophets who foretold the grace: Hundreds of years earlier, and over a long period of time, God’s prophets had foretold that God would send the Messiah/Christ to save people.

prophets: The prophets were men and women who spoke on behalf of God. They told people what God revealed to them. God gave some prophets power to work miracles. These miracles helped people realize that God had sent the prophets. Some ways to translate prophets are:

spokesmen for God
-or-
people who speak God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speakers

foretold: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as foretold is more literally “prophesied.” The prophets told the messages God had given them concerning events that were then in the distant future. Other ways to say this are:

prophesied (Good News Translation)
-or-
predicted (NET Bible)

the grace: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as grace means “kindness, favor.” In this context it refers to the salvation the prophets foretold that God in his kindness would provide. Other ways this has been translated include:

God’s kindness (God’s Word)
-or-
this gracious salvation (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
this gift (Good News Translation)

to come: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the words to come. These words are not in the Greek text. If your translation already makes it clear that the message is about the future (see notes above for “spoke”), you do not need to supply these words here.

to you: Peter wrote to you in order to make his letter personal. By the phrase to you, Peter did not mean that this grace/salvation was not for him too. If in your language to you implies that the grace/salvation did not extend to Peter (and other Christians), you may want to instead say:

to/for us

1:10b

searched and investigated carefully: The Greek text that the Berean Standard Bible translates as searched and investigated carefully has two verbs. These Greek verbs are similar in meaning. Because they are so similar, you may:

• Translate them together as one phrase. For example:

This salvation was the subject of intense search by the prophets (Revised English Bible)

• Translate them separately as two verbs. For example:

carefully researched and investigated (God’s Word)
-or-
inquired and searched diligently (King James Version)

Translate these two verbs in the way that is most natural in your language. Your translation should communicate that the prophets investigated the matter thoroughly.

searched: In some languages it may be necessary to say what the prophets searched and investigated. In those languages, you may need to supply the implied information that they searched the Old Testament Scriptures. For example:

searched ⌊the prophecies⌋
-or-
investigated ⌊the Scriptures/ Writings⌋
-or-
studied thoroughly ⌊the Jewish Holy Writings⌋

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 2:17

2:17a–d

Commentators do not agree about how the four commands in this verse relate to each other:

(1) There are four separate commands. The same punctuation should therefore separate the commands. For example:

Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (Revised Standard Version)

(King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, Revised Standard Version)

(2) The first command is a summary of the other three. This is shown by a colon at the end of 2:17a. For example:

Give due honor to everyone: love your fellow-Christians, reverence God, honor the emperor. (Revised English Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and the majority of English versions.

2:17a

Treat everyone with high regard: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Treat…with high regard is literally “honor.” Believers are to honor all people. Some other ways this clause has been translated are:

Give due honor to everyone (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Honor all people (NET Bible)

2:17b

Love the brotherhood of believers: The word Love refers to a strong feeling of affection and concern for a person. Use a natural expression or idiom for this word.

the brotherhood of believers: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the brotherhood of believers is literally “the brotherhood.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the words of believers to make it explicit that Peter was not talking about a human family. He was referring to the members of the church, all Christians. They were a brotherhood in the sense that God was their heavenly father. It is also possible to translate this as:

your brothers and sisters ⌊in Christ⌋
-or-
your brothers and sisters in the faith (God’s Word)

2:17c

fear God: The phrase fear God means to hold God in awe or to respect God. See how you translated the same word occurring as a noun in 1:17c.

2:17d

honor the king: See how you translated the phrase “high regard,” which is literally “honor,” in 2:17a.

the king: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as king here refers to the Roman emperor, as in 2:13b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 4:2

4:2a–b

Consequently: There are three ways of interpreting the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Consequently :

(1) It introduces purpose: For example:

so that you will live here on earth doing what God wants (New Century Version)

(Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, King James Version, New Century Version)

(2) It introduces result. For example:

From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God’s will and not by human desires. (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, God’s Word, Good News Translation; possibly New Living Translation (2004))

(3) It introduces an explanation of the meaning of “he who has suffered in his body has done with sin.” For example:

[has finished with sin] in that he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires. (NET Bible)

(Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible; possibly New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This is the view of the majority of commentators. A Christian renounces or rejects sin so that he or she may live in a way that pleases God.

he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God: In some languages in may be natural to put the positive statement before the negative:

he lives the rest of his earthly life for the will of God, not for evil human desires

not…for human passions: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as not…for human passions here means “not trying to do wrong things any more.” Other ways of translating this include:

no longer concerned about the evil things people desire
-or-
not guided/controlled by sinful human desires (God’s Word)

human passions: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as human passions is simply “desires.” This word generally implies wrong or selfish desires. Some translations such as the New International Version make that explicit by saying “evil desires.” See also the note on 1:14b, where the same word is used. In some languages it may be possible to use a word that itself implies that the desires are wrong. For example:

bad things (Easy English Bible)
-or-
lusts

his remaining time on earth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as his remaining time on earth is literally “the remaining time in flesh.” It refers to a person’s life on earth after he renounces sin. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

the rest of your lives on earth (God’s Word)
-or-
the rest of your time here in the world

General Comment on 4:1–2

The Berean Standard Bible, like the Greek, switches from the second person (“you”) to the third person (“he”) in 4:1c–2 and then back to the second person again in 4:3. In some languages it may be natural to use second person pronouns throughout. For example, the Contemporary English Version translates 4:1–2 as:

1 Christ suffered here on earth. Now you must be ready to suffer as he did, because suffering shows that you have stopped sinning. 2 It means you have turned from your own desires and want to obey God for the rest of your life. (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 1:21

1:21a

The Greek sentence continues here, but several English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, start a new sentence here. For example:

Through him you now trust in God (NET Bible)

Through Him: The phrase Through Him means “Through Christ,” that is, by means of what Christ had done. Some other ways to translate this are:

because of what he has done
-or-
By means of what Christ has done

you believe in God: See how you translated believe in 1:8.

1:21b

who raised Him from the dead: The phrase who raised Him from the dead refers to God, whom Peter has just mentioned in 1:21a. God brought Christ back to life after he died on the cross. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

who brought Christ back to life (God’s Word)

and glorified Him: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glorified Him can be translated literally as “having given glory to him.” Another way to translate this phrase is:

and gave him glory

Peter already mentioned Christ being glorified as part of the content of Old Testament prophecy (see the note at 1:11c on “glories”). Here Peter wrote that God had glorified Him. This means that God gave him great honor. This took place when God gave Jesus a resurrected body and took him to be with him in heaven. Jesus’ new body is free from human limitations and can never die again. Other ways to say this include:

gave him great honor
-or-
honored him

1:21c

and so your faith and hope are in God: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and so has been interpreted in two ways:

(1) It indicates result or consequence. They had faith and hope in God as a result of God raising Christ and giving him glory. For example:

so that your faith and hope are in God (Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible, New International Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It indicates purpose. God raised Christ and gave him glory in order that they should have faith and hope in God. For example:

for this very purpose—that your faith and hope should be in God (New Jerusalem Bible)

(King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as most English versions do.

faith and hope: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faith and hope have closely related meanings. One way we can distinguish between them is:

• faith : The believers’ faith was their belief in God and their trust in him and in what he had done for them. See how you translated faith in 1:5a, 1:7a, and 1:9.

• hope : The believers’ hope was their expectation that God would do good things for them in the future. They had confidence that God would keep the promises he had made concerning their inheritance (1:4a and 1:4b) and the new life he had prepared for them (1:3b).

Peter mentioned this hope previously at 1:3c and 1:13c.

If your language uses verbs instead of the nouns faith and hope, you may be able to translate them as:

you believe in God and hope in him
-or-
you trust God and look forward to ⌊the life⌋ he ⌊promised⌋

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 3:3

3:3a

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Your beauty should not come from outward adornment is a command to wives. Peter did not want them to spend an excessive amount of money in order to try to make themselves beautiful by decorating their bodies. Different ways to say this include:

Let your beauty not be external (NET Bible)
-or-
Do not adorn yourselves outwardly (New Revised Standard Version)

outward adornment: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as outward adornment refers to all of the ways people try to make their bodies beautiful. It includes everything that is physical, not just the outer layer of clothes. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

outward aids (Good News Translation)

3:3b

such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes: This verse part gives three examples of ways in which women in Peter’s time tried to make themselves beautiful.

braided hair: Peter was thinking of the elaborate way Greek and Roman ladies used to do their hair. If in your area women normally braid their hair, you will need to choose an expression that refers to elaborate or fancy braiding. Some other ways to translate braided hair include:

fancy hairstyles (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the way you fix your hair (Good News Translation)

gold jewelry: The word gold refers to a very valuable metal that is strong and beautiful. See how you translated this word in 1:7.

fine clothes: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word fine. Peter was forbidding women from trying to make themselves look beautiful by wearing expensive or immodest clothes. Other ways to translate fine clothes are:

beautiful clothes (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
expensive clothes (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 3:3

In some languages it may be natural to combine 3:3a and 3:3b by following one of these models:

It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. (New Century Version)
-or-
Don’t depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look beautiful. (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 4:13

4:13a

But: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a contrast. Peter’s readers were to rejoice instead of being unpleasantly surprised. Here is another way to translate this word:

Rather (Good News Translation)

rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ is literally “rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ.”

rejoice: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rejoice is a strong word that can be translated as “leap/dance for joy.” See 1:6a, where the same word occurs and is translated as:

greatly rejoice

share in the sufferings of Christ: Believers were to some extent suffering in the same way that Christ suffered. However, believers cannot completely suffer as Christ did. To the extent that believers do suffer as Christ did, they should be glad.

Some other ways this phrase has been translated include:

rejoice in so far as you share in Christ’s suffering (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. (Contemporary English Version)

4:13b

so that you may be overjoyed: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you may be overjoyed is literally “you may rejoice, being glad.” This double verb intensifies the idea that the believers were to have great joy. Some other ways overjoyed has been translated are:

full of joy (God’s Word)
-or-
wonderful joy (New Living Translation (2004))

at the revelation of His glory: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at the revelation of His glory refers to the time when Christ will return to the earth and everyone will see his glory. The same word for “revelation” is used in 1:7e.

glory: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glory refers to a shining brightness. This represented God’s holiness and majesty. Such glory often accompanied the appearance of God or his angels to people. Some other ways to translate glory are:

greatness
-or-
majesty

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 2018