2:10a

God will punish all people who do wrong. In verses 4–9, Peter had been talking about such people in general, but now in verse 10, he returned to the false teachers whom, he said, God would punish especially severely. He gave two reasons for this: their immoral behavior and the way they despised authority.

the flesh: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek word literally as flesh. This refers to the fact that people want to do what their bodies desire to do, even if this is something wrong. In this verse, Peter was referring to sinful sexual behavior which causes people to think and behave in an impure way.

authority: This probably refers to the right that God and Christ have to rule people. Good News Translation: “and despise God’s authority.” But some scholars think it means the right that any person has to rule people. If these scholars are correct, Peter was talking about people who not only despised God’s right to rule people but also despised the right that humans, for example government and church leaders, have to rule other people.

Paragraph 2:10b–13a

Peter was saying that the false teachers did all kinds of wicked things. They did not show respect for anyone, not even those greater than themselves. They behaved like wild animals, doing only what their bodies desired to do. Because they were so evil, and because they enticed others to behave as they themselves did, God would destroy them.

2:10b

Bold: This word can mean “courageous,” which is something good. But here it described people who dared to do all kinds of wrong things because they did not respect and fear God as people should respect and fear him, and because they did not care about other people.

self-willed: This word described people who were proud and stubborn. They did not listen to anyone else. Instead, they did exactly what they wanted to do.

2:10c

unafraid to slander: Most versions interpret these words like Berean Standard Bible in a way that refers to only one action. This is the most likely interpretation. Here is another example:

are not afraid of offending the glorious ones (The Jerusalem Bible)

Good News Translation follows the other interpretation and refers to two actions:

“they show no respect—instead they insult them.”

glorious beings: The literal meaning of the Greek is “glorious ones.” It is difficult to know to whom Peter was referring. The word may refer to:

(1) angels or other heavenly beings, maybe the wicked angels that Peter mentioned in verse 4. The parallel verses 8–11 in Jude clearly refer to angels.

(2) important people such as emperors, magistrates, or important church leaders. But this is less likely since the word usually refers to spiritual beings.

If possible, it is better to choose a neutral expression which could refer to any living beings, heavenly or human leaders. But if this is impossible, choose one of these interpretations and translate it that way. Then if you are using footnotes, explain the other interpretation in a note.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:9a

Here Peter was not talking about problems that people have with their physical eyes. Instead, he was using metaphors to describe spiritual blindness. When people say that a person is spiritually blind, they mean that he does not understand about God or about living God’s way. One thing that people should understand about living God’s way is that after God has forgiven them for sinning against him, they should live in a way which pleases him. Peter wrote that people who do not understand this are like blind people.

nearsighted to the point of blindness: These are two kinds of eye problems. When a person is nearsighted, he can see clearly only things which are very near to him. When referring to a person’s blindness, this indicates that he is completely unable to see. Good News Translation combines the two:

so short-sighted that he cannot see (Good News Translation)

The most important thing to do when you are translating this part of this verse is to check that the people who will read your translation understand that Peter was writing about spiritual blindness.

1:9b

cleansed from his past sins: The Greek verb here, which Berean Standard Bible translates as cleansed, means “to be made clean.” The New Testament often talks about a Christian being “cleansed” from his sins (see Titus 2:14). Many scholars believe that Peter is here talking about baptism, but it is probably best to translate this verb as “forgiven” in this context. (For more discussion on this word and other possible ways of translating it, see 1:9 in the UBS Handbook Handbook on the Letter from Jude and the Second Letter from Peter.)

Paragraph 1:10–11

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

2:21

This verse further explains why the final result is worse for them than if they had never been Christians at all. The Greek text shows this relationship by using the link word “for,” which is left implicit in Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version. The Display line shows one way to translate the link.

This verse is one long and complex sentence in Greek. You may need to divide it into shorter sentences. The Display shows one way to do this.

2:21a

It would have been better: Peter wrote that it would have been better for these people never to have known Christ than to turn away after knowing him. The reason is that God punishes those who sin even though they know that they are sinning more severely than he punishes those who sin but who do not know that they are sinning. It may be necessary for you to state this explicitly in your translation or to explain the reason in a footnote to enable your readers to understand this verse clearly.

way of righteousness: This refers to the way a person should behave in order to do what is right, to behave in the way God wants them to.

2:21c

holy commandment: The holy commandment refers to God’s law which tells people how to behave.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:20

In this verse and the next Peter emphasized that people can rely on prophecy because the prophets did not speak by their own wisdom, but rather spoke what the Spirit of God inspired them to speak.

Above all: The literal meaning of the Greek is “first.” Peter wanted to emphasize that what he would say next would be very important.

no prophecy…comes from one’s own interpretation: The Greek here is more literally “No prophecy…is a matter of one’s own interpretation” (see Revised Standard Version). It is unclear whose “interpretation” Peter is referring to. There are two main ways to understand this part of the verse:

(1) Some scholars believe it refers to the prophet’s own interpretation, that is, none of the OT prophets spoke any prophecy by his own power. This meaning fits with verse 21 which says it was God’s Spirit who inspired them.

(2) Other scholars believe it refers generally to any person who hears or reads an OT prophecy. No one who hears or reads an OT prophecy should explain/interpret it by his own power. Peter was saying that no person had the right to interpret Scripture according to that person’s own ideas. If this interpretation is the correct one, then in this verse Peter was referring ahead to chapter 2 where he would speak about false teachers who twisted the meaning of Scripture as they wished. For example:

the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual (The Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
No one can interpret any prophecy of Scripture himself (New English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1). If, however, you decide to accept the second interpretation, you could translate it like this:

You must understand that when a person reads the words of the prophets in Scripture and explains the meaning of those words according to his own thinking, he is not acting rightly.

This verse is very important for doctrine, so if you have footnotes in your translation, you should include a note that explains the interpretation which you have not followed in the main text.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Paragraph 3:11–13

Peter told the people to whom he wrote this letter that they should live in a manner that would please God because God would destroy the present earth and everything that is in it and there would be a new earth where only good people would live.

3:11–12

In the Greek, verses 11 and 12 are one sentence, but you may need to use shorter sentences in your translation as the Display has done.

3:11b

Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), and Good News Translation interpret this part of the verse as a question: “what kind of people ought you to be?” This is a rhetorical question. Peter was not asking for information. He was telling the people to whom he wrote to consider how they should behave now that they knew that God would judge the world in the way that Peter had described. Peter was advising them that it was necessary to live in a holy and godly manner if they did not want God to judge them and to condemn them.

Other translations do not have a question. For example:

think what sort of people you ought to be (New English Bible)
-or-
you should be living holy and saintly lives (The Jerusalem Bible)

3:11c

holiness: Here this means “pure, upright, dedicated to God.”

godliness: See note on “godliness” in 1:3a; also the note in 2:9a.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

2:11a

greater in strength and power: These two expressions mean almost the same thing, so they are probably a pair of words that Peter used together in this sentence in order to emphasize how powerful the angels that he is talking about are. Then this expression means, “have much greater power.”

In the Greek it is not clear whom Peter was saying the angels were stronger than, but in many languages it will be necessary to state this. Many scholars think that Peter meant to say that the angels were stronger than the false teachers. Others think he meant that the angels were stronger than the celestial beings. If your language requires that you say whom the angels are stronger than, we recommend that you say that they are stronger than the false teachers. For example:

so much stronger and mightier than these false teachers (Good News Translation)

2:11b

dare to bring such slanderous charges against them: Peter said that the angels do not bring slanderous accusations against them. Here is another way to translate this:

do not pronounce a reviling judgement upon them. (Good News Translation)

It is not clear to whom Peter was referring when he used the word them.

(1) In some translations, them refers to the heavenly beings of verse 10c. If this is the correct interpretation, then the meaning is that the false teachers insult the heavenly beings, but the angels, who are even more powerful, do not.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New English Bible, The Jerusalem Bible)

(2) In the Good News Translation, them refers to the false teachers. If this is the correct interpretation, then Peter was contrasting the false teachers, who insult the heavenly beings, with the angels. Even when the angels are telling God about the wrong things the false teachers have done, they do not use insulting language to do so.

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1).

Lord: This is referring to God, not Christ, in this verse. See note on 2:9a.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:10a

Peter told the people to whom he wrote this letter that they should demonstrate by behaving well that God had called them to be his people. When other people saw the Christians behaving well, it would help the other people to understand that God had called the Christians to be his people.

brothers: Peter called the people to whom he wrote this letter his “brothers” because they were also members of God’s family. This was a common way for New Testament writers to address those to whom they were writing (see Galatians 1:11; Hebrews 3:12; James 1:2; 1 John 3:13). It may be advisable to translate this as “fellow believers” so that people who read your translation will not think that Peter was writing to his physical brothers.

strive: The Greek contains a word here that the Berean Standard Bible has left implicit. However, this word is in most translations and can have one of two meanings:

(1) “more.” Most English versions interpret it in this way. They say that here it modifies the meaning of the word strive to mean “strive even more.” For example:

be all the more eager (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
try even harder (Good News Translation)

(2) “rather.” In verse 5, Peter had already urged the Christians to whom he was writing to do all that they could do to live in a good way. So some scholars believe that Peter used the word “rather” in order to contrast what he would write next with the preceding verse. He was saying, therefore, that Christians should not forget that God has cleansed us from the spiritual uncleanness that sinning against him caused. Instead, they should eagerly desire to show others that they were God’s people by the way they behave.

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1) like most English versions. See the Meaning Line in the Display for an example.

make your calling and election sure: Here, election means “choice.” The Bible clearly states that it is God who chooses and calls a person to become a Christian (see paragraph 1:3–4). But Peter wrote that Christians must cause their calling by God to be sure and certain. There are two possible ways of understanding this:

(1) From the preceding verses, it seems that Peter meant that, by behaving in a way that is full of character traits that are spiritually and morally excellent, we will prove to ourselves and to others that God has called us to be his people.

(2) However, some people think that Peter meant that his readers needed to do all these things in order to ensure that their calling and election would not lapse, but would be permanent.

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1) as it fits the context best.

1:10b

stumble: The Greek word that Peter used here literally means “to stumble” or “to trip.” Here it is used as a figure of speech and can mean one of two things:

(1) “to fall away from your faith,” that is, “to turn away from God.” Many versions follow this by saying “fall away” (Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible).

(2) “to commit serious sin.” Obviously all Christians sin, but here some scholars believe that Peter was saying that if a believer did all the things he had just been talking about, he would not sin in a really serious way.

The first interpretation (1) is recommended. If you are following this interpretation, try to find an idiomatic expression in your language that means this same thing. Here is an example: “you will at no time leave God’s road.” If you decide to use the word “stumble,” it may be necessary to add something that will tell the people who read your translation that this word refers to turning away from God.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

2:22

Peter ended his criticism of the false teachers by saying that what they had done was the same sort of stupid behavior as that of the dog and the pig in two proverbs which would have been well-known to the readers of Peter’s letter. It will be necessary for you to study the form of proverbs in your language, and then to translate these proverbs in the same style so that they sound like proverbs.

Paragraph 3:1–2

Peter said that he was writing this letter to remind them of what the prophets and the Lord Jesus, speaking through his apostles, had said.

3:1a

Beloved: You should try to find a term that you would use in your language to express affection for someone.

second letter: The first letter may have been the one we know as 1 Peter. But Peter probably wrote several letters while he was one of the church leaders, so we cannot be certain about this.

3:1b

reminders: Peter said here, as he had said in 1:12, that he wanted to remind the Christians to whom he was writing of what Christian teachers had taught them, so that they would not forget it.

to stir you to wholesome thinking: The Greek text says: “to rouse of-you…the pure mind.” There are two ways of understanding this part of the verse:

(1) He wanted to stimulate them to think pure and correct thoughts, rather than allowing the false teachers to contaminate their thoughts.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)

(2) The expression “the pure mind” means that their minds were already pure/sincere. “Rouse” means that Peter was wanting to strengthen their pure minds by reminding them of what the prophets and the Lord had said.

(King James Version, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

The difference between the two interpretations is slight. It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation, as Berean Standard Bible has done.

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.