For the problem of identifying who Peter is, one is referred to the introduction. The Gospel accounts are agreed that Jesus gave the nickname “Peter” (which means “rock”) to Simon, one of his disciples. (See Mark 3.16; Matt 16.18; John 1.42.) The Aramaic form of “Peter” is “Cephas” (see John 1.42; Gal 2.11); the Today’s English Version (Good News Bible) and many other modern translations have used simply “Peter” to translate both the Greek and Aramaic forms so as to avoid the problem of the reader interpreting these two names as referring to two different people.

In a number of languages it is not possible to speak of oneself in the third person; moreover, the relationship between the writer of a letter and those to whom it is sent must often be made more explicit, so that verse 1 must begin as “I, Peter, who am an apostle of Jesus Christ, write to you who are God’s chosen people…” or “I am Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and I write to you, God’s chosen people….”

Peter describes himself as an apostle. The word apostle is used to describe a person who is sent by someone in order to proclaim a message and to speak or act in behalf of the one who sent him. In the New Testament, apostle is used either in a limited sense, referring to the disciples chosen by Jesus during his earthly ministry (see Luke 24.48), or in a wider sense, referring to all the early Christian missionaries and evangelists (Acts 15.2; Rom 16.7; 2 Cor 8.23). In 1 Peter, the word may be interpreted either way, but it is more likely that it should be taken with the limited sense, since it is used to describe Peter, who was one of the twelve disciples. But the more important thing is to realize that Peter’s authority to speak and to write comes from Jesus himself.

It is sometimes possible to translate apostle as “specially sent one.” In other instances the term apostle is best represented by a word which means “representative” or “a representative who has been sent out” or “… sent out for a purpose.”

The relationship between “apostle” and “Jesus Christ” may be expressed in some languages as “one who is sent by Jesus Christ” or “one who is sent by Jesus Christ to represent him.” It is important to avoid a rendering of “apostle” which in combination with Jesus Christ would simply mean that Peter was “Jesus Christ’s errand boy.”

The recipients of the letter are identified as coming from five places in Asia Minor, now a part of western Turkey. Pontus is on the South coast of the Black Sea; Galatia is the central part of Asia Minor; Cappadocia is inland, located east of Galatia and south of Pontus. Asia is the land extending along the west coast, comprising the famous cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Miletus, etc. It is not the continent of Asia that is referred to. All the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation belong to this province. Bithynia is west of Pontus along the Black Sea.

Some commentaries have suggested that the order of these places is important, in that since the letter is intended to be a circular letter, this would be the circular route that its bearer would follow. He would begin in Pontus and end in Bithynia.

It may not be possible to find in some languages a term which corresponds precisely to provinces. One can, of course, use a more general term such as “areas” or “regions,” or even as in some cases, “lands.”

In transliterating the names of the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia it is important to follow the pronunciation of the dominant languages of an area or to employ the traditional forms used in languages which have established a pattern for such ancient geographical terms. One should avoid a transliteration resulting in combinations of consonants and vowels which would be difficult for persons to pronounce. It may also be advisable to have a brief note indicating that these provinces were all part of what came to be known as Asia Minor (now called Turkey), and it may be particularly important to have a note indicating clearly that the term Asia does not refer to the Orient but to a particular area in what is now western Turkey.

The recipients are described as God’s chosen people. In the Greek this is simply “chosen ones,” with the agent left implicit. This particular Greek term, however, was traditionally used to describe the people of Israel as a whole, to designate their being called and chosen by God to be his own people. Therefore, it is clear from the text that God is the implicit agent of “chosen,” and this information is made explicit in Good News Translation. It is worth noting that the same term used for Jews is now used to refer to Christians, which means that God has chosen the Christians individually and the church collectively as the new Israel, that is, the new people of God. This is made much clearer in chapter 2, especially verses 9,10.

The phrase God’s chosen people may be slightly restructured as “the people whom God has chosen.” It is important, however, in choosing a term for “chosen,” to avoid the implication that such individuals are merely privileged individuals. The implication should be that they are “chosen for a purpose.” It is particularly important to avoid any term which will suggest that they are the ones that “God has bet on.”

Refugees scattered throughout is literally “exiles of the Dispersion” (Revised Standard Version [Revised Standard Version]), which is another popular way of describing the Jews. The Greek word for “exiles” primarily means “temporary residents,” foreigners who settle temporarily in a place, without any intention of residing there permanently. The word “Dispersion” was a popular way of referring to Jews who were living outside the Holy Land.

It is possible to take the expression “exiles of the Dispersion” as referring to Christians of Jewish origin who were living in the provinces mentioned. It is more likely, however, that the expression is used figuratively, as referring to all Christians, primarily non-Jewish Christians in Asia Minor. This would indeed be an appropriate figure in two ways. (1) In the same way that the Jews were strangers everywhere outside the Holy Land, not only in nationality but also in culture and religion, so the Christians were strangers in the areas where they lived. (2) And in the same way that the Jews longed for the time that they would be able to return to the Holy Land, their true home, so the Christians too, long for the time when their temporary stay is over, and they attain full citizenship in heaven (see 1.9 below).

Within this figurative usage, two primary meanings of the expression can be derived. (1) The term emphasizes the transitory existence of the Christian in the world, that is, he is a temporary resident of the world, since his real citizenship is in heaven, (compare New International Version [New International Version] “strangers in the world”). (2) The term emphasizes the feeling of strangeness among Christians as they live in the midst of pagan neighbors, and as a result, encounter various difficulties. The first of these is supported by the strong eschatological tone of the letter, that is, that the world is about to end, and therefore the Christian’s attainment of full citizenship in heaven is also near at hand. The second is supported by the actual situation of the readers which is described in the letter, a situation in which they are actually suffering persecutions, trials, and various difficulties as a result of their faith. Perhaps, then, both of these meanings are intended. In view of circumstances throughout the world, it is normally possible to find a perfectly good word for refugees, but one should avoid a kind of literal rendering which would suggest that the people were continually in flight from one place to another. Sometimes the appropriate connotations may be introduced by a phrase such as “people living as strangers in a foreign land” or “those who live as strangers in other places” or “those who are dwelling for a time in foreign countries.”

A literal rendering of scattered throughout might be misleading in that it would suggest that someone had purposely “scattered them in the various provinces.” A satisfactory equivalent of scattered throughout may in some instances be “living in various places” or “living in different cities throughout.”

A word should be added about the relation of the expression “exiles of the Dispersion” with “chosen ones.” With the Greek text, it is possible to translate “chosen” as an adjective qualifying “exiles of the Dispersion” (for example, Anchor Bible “chosen immigrants”). The danger here, however, is that it conveys the meaning that the letter is not written to all the “exiles” but only to a few of them. In view of this, it is better to take “chosen” as a descriptive term referring to all the Christians in the provinces mentioned (as in Good News Translation and most other modern translations)

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 .