22Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual affection, love one another deeply from the heart.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek that is translated in English typically as “obedience” or “obey” is translated in Tepeuxila Cuicatec as “thing hearing,” because “to hear is to obey.” (Source: Marjorie Davis in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 34ff. )
In Huba it is translated as hya nǝu nyacha: “follow (his) mouth.” (Source: David Frank in this blog post )
In Central Mazahua it is translated as “listen-obey” and in Huehuetla Tepehua as “believe-obey” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Noongar as dwangka-don, lit. “hear do” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).
The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom), in Yagaria with oune or “shadow, reflection” (source: Renck, p. 81), and in Elhomwe as “heart” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).
The Mandarin Chineselínghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )
In Chichewa, moyo means both “soul” and “life.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
The Greek that is translated in English as “brotherly love” (also: “mutual love” and others) is translated in Waama as “love each other as children of the same mother.” Like many languages, Waama has no generic term for “brother” and sister, just “older brother” or “younger brother.” At first, “love each other as children of the same father” seemed to fit but since the Waama live in a polygamous society, brothers of the same father with different mothers often don’t get along unlike maternal siblings. (Source: Kathrin Pope in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 54)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated with geschwisterliche Liebe or “love between siblings.”
In Romans 12:10 the Protestant Mandarin ChineseUnion Version and the Catholic Sigao version translate this with a historical Chinese idiom: huíxīn zhuǎnyì (相親相愛 / 相亲相爱) or “close and loving.” (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)
Nida (1947, p. 230) says this about the translation of the concept of “truth”: “The words for ‘truth’ and ‘true’ are not always the most readily discovered in aboriginal languages. In some instances the only expression which corresponds to ‘true’ is something like ‘it happened.’ A falsehood is something that ‘did not happen.’ In a good many languages the meaning of ‘truth’ is expressed by the words signifying ‘straight’ and ‘direct.’ Untruth is accordingly ‘crookedness.’ An abstract noun such as English “truth” is quite difficult to find in some instances. Only an expression such as ‘true statement’ or ‘true word’ will be found to correspond to English ‘truth.’”
The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is usually translated in English as “truth” is translated in Luchazi with vusunga: “the quality of being straight” (source: E. Pearson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 160ff. ), in Obolo as atikọ or “good/correct talk” (source: Enene Enene), and in Ekari as maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (esp. in John 14:6 and 17; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) tells of the translation into Kui which usually is “true-thing.” In some instances however, such as in the second part of John 17:17 (“your word is truth” in English), the use of “true-thing” indicated that there might be other occasions when it’s not true, so here the translation was a a form of “pure, holy.”
The translation committee of the Malay “Good News Bible” (Alkitab Berita Baik, see here ) wrestled with the translation of “truth” in the Gospel of John:
“Our Malay Committee also concluded that ‘truth’ as used in the Gospel of John was used either of God himself, or of God’s revelation of himself, or in an extended sense as a reference to those who had responded to God’s self-disclosure. In John 8:32 the New Malay translation reads ‘You will know the truth about God, and the truth about God will make you free.’ In John 8:44 this meaning is brought out by translating, ‘He has never been on the side of God, because there is no truth in him.’ Accordingly Jesus ‘tells the truth about God’ in 8:45, 46 (see also 16:7 and 8:37a). Then, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6) becomes ‘I am the one who leads men to God, the one who reveals who and what God is, and the one who gives men life.” At 3:21 the translation reads ” … whoever obeys the truth, that is God himself, comes to the light …’; 16:13a appears as ‘he will lead you into the full truth about God’; and in 18:37 Jesus affirms ‘I came into the world to reveal the truth about God, and whoever obeys God listens to me.’ On this basis also 1:14 was translated ‘we saw his glory, the glory which he had as the Father’s only Son. Through him God has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace)’; and 1:17 appears as ‘God gave the law through Moses; but through Jesus Christ he has completely revealed himself (truth) and his love for us (grace).'” (Source: Barclay Newman in The Bible Translator 1974, p. 432ff. )
The German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) has followed a somewhat similar path to the Malay committee 50 years earlier in the gospel of John. In John 1 it translates “truth as “God’s nature,” in John 3 as “God’s will,” in John 8 as “God’s reality,” in John 14 as “encountering God,” and in John 16 as “God’s truth.”
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 1:22:
Uma: “So, relatives, you have followed the true News, and you have made your hearts holy so that you can love your one-faith relatives with true hearts. That is why I advise you to really love one another with holy hearts.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Because you followed/obeyed the true teaching about Isa Almasi you have left your bad doings and you truly love your fellow believers/trusters in Isa. You now really love each other whole-heartedly.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And since you have come to believe in the true doctrine, you have been cleansed from evil behaviour, and your love for your fellow believers is not a lie. In spite of that, draw your love tighter still for every one of your companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Since you have already cleansed your minds by means of your having-obeyed the true teaching (lit. what-is-being-taught), you already-have a heartfelt love for your siblings/cousins (henceforth brothers) who believe. Persevere then in loving-one-another with all your minds.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well today, through your believing/obeying this truth which is the Good News, it’s like you have cleansed yourselves now. For your sin has been removed, when you submitted to Cristo. Therefore it’s now possible that your valuing one another is genuine like a brotherhood. Therefore really concentrate your mind/inner-being on true valuing of one another which is not just pretence.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Because you do that which the true message says, the Holy Spirit has taken away the evil which was within you. Now you truly can love your brethren. Therefore each one of you earnestly love your brethren.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
The exhortation to love one another is grounded on the purification of the believer; this purification is a result of their obedience to the truth, and in turn results in a sincere love for fellow believers. The Good News Translation has rearranged the order in the Greek according to the above logical sequence.
The transitional phrase Now that may express a cause for the imperative which follows, namely, love one another, for example, “since you now have love for one another.” One may also express the transition as “in view of the fact that now you have love for one another.”
The truth is only used once in this letter, and probably is equivalent to the gospel (as in 1 Thes 2.10, 12, 13), that is, the Good News of what God has done in Jesus Christ. It is further elaborated in verse 23 by the expression the living and eternal word of God. A proper translation of the truth then, would be “the true teaching from God” or “the true teaching about Jesus Christ” or “the true words about Jesus Christ” or “the teaching about Jesus Christ which is true.”
Obedience refers not to a continuing attitude, but to actual action, that is, acting in accordance with the truth. This is quite clearly the intention: truth leads to the purification of the believer.
Your obedience to the truth may be rendered as “your doing what the truth about Jesus Christ says you should do.”
You have purified yourselves is literally “having purified your souls,” but as in 1.9, “soul” here denotes the whole person, and many translations render it accordingly (for example, New International Version, New American Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “You have become pure”). The word used for purified (Greek agnizō) is used of ceremonial purification in the Old Testament (for example, of objects, Num 31.23; or of people, Exo 19.10), but in the New Testament has come to refer to moral and spiritual purification (for example, James 4.8; 1 John 3.3). In the light of 1.2, “purification” here should probably be understood as moral cleansing, that is, deliverance from the power of sin. The perfect participle refers to an act in the past which remains effective to the present, and accordingly, many scholars see in this a reference to baptism.
It may be important in some languages to translate you have purified yourselves in a negative fashion, for example, “you have become no longer contaminated by sin” or “you have gotten rid of the sin that spoiled you.”
Purification leads to sincere love for fellow believers. Literally, the expression used here is “sincere brotherly love,” which was formerly used to refer to the love between actual brothers and sisters. In the New Testament, however, “brothers” has come to mean fellow believers. The adjective sincere means negatively, free from hypocrisy or deceit, and positively, “genuine” (Phillips, Barclay), a love that comes directly from the heart. To have a sincere love for your fellow believers may be rendered as “to really love your fellow believers.” Such fellow believers may be rendered as “those who believe even as you do.”
After laying the groundwork, Peter moves on to the imperative: love one another earnestly with all your heart. The exhortation to love one another already appears in 1.17 and will be mentioned again in 3.8 and 4.8. Earnestly appears again in 4.8, and in both instances contains the elements of steadiness, ferventness and constancy (compare New International Version “deeply”). Taken as a whole, to love earnestly with all your heart is to involve the whole being in the task of fervently and constantly loving others.
It may be somewhat difficult to provide a satisfactory contrast between the two statements have come to have a sincere love for your fellow believers and love one another earnestly with all your heart. The latter expression should of course indicate an even more intense degree of love. Love one another earnestly may be expressed as “love one another indeed very much,” but the phrase with all your heart must in some languages be translated figuratively with some other organ of the body, for example, “love with all your abdomen” or “love with all your liver.”
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 .
Peter’s readers had accepted the good news about Jesus Christ that had been preached to them (1:12c). Believing this truth worked a change in them. It made them morally pure and caused them to love one another.
1:22a
Since you have purified your souls: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Since you have purified your souls is literally “Having purified your souls.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word Since to show that 1:22a is the grounds for Peter’s statement in 1:21. Another way to express this is with the words “Now that.” For example:
Now that you have purified yourselves… (New International Version (2011))
you have purified your souls: The phrase you have purified your souls means that Peter’s readers had made themselves morally and spiritually pure. They had turned away from their sins. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
You were cleansed from your sins (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you have made yourselves pure
your souls: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as your souls is the same as in 1:9. The word souls refers to the whole person or self. You could translate this phrase as “yourselves,” as many English versions do.
by obedience to the truth: The phrase obedience to the truth refers to when Peter’s readers first believed the truth about God and Christ and became Christians. When they did not know the truth, their desires led them to sin (1:14b). By accepting the truth and desiring to live according to it, they purified themselves. Another way to translate this phrase is:
obeying God’s true message
obedience: Peter used the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as obedience in 1:2c and 1:14a.
1:22b
so that you have a genuine love for your brothers: Peter’s readers had a genuine love for their fellow believers in Christ.
so that: There are two ways of understanding the Greek preposition that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that :
(1) It introduces a result. Peter’s readers were able to love other Christians because they had been purified. For example:
As a result you have a sincere love for each other. (God’s Word)
(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word)
(2) It introduces a purpose. Peter’s readers purified themselves in order to love other Christians. For example:
You have purified your souls…in order to show sincere mutual love. (NET Bible)
(New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), with the majority of English versions.
genuine: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as genuine is literally “unhypocritical.” Other words that can be used are:
true (New Century Version)
-or-
sincere (New International Version (2011))
-or-
honest
love for your brothers: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as love for your brothers means “love for all other Christians.” Peter was using the word brothers figuratively to represent fellow believers. So by it he meant the entire church, including both men and women. So you could translate this phrase as:
affection towards your fellow-Christians (Revised English Bible)
-or-
love for other believers (Good News Translation)
-or-
love for your Christian brothers and sisters (New Century Version)
-or-
mutual love (NET Bible)
love: It may be more natural in your language to translate love as a verb. For example:
sincerely love (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
truly love
-or-
honestly love
1:22c
love one another deeply: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as love is a command, and it is the main verb of this sentence (1:22–23).
love: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as love here is a different word than the one at 1:22b. You may use the same word in your translation for both, since the meanings are very similar. However, if it would be more natural in your language to use two different words, then you may do as Peter did in Greek.
deeply: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deeply can also be translated as:
warmly (God’s Word)
-or-
earnestly (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
fervently
from a pure heart: There is a textual issue here:
(1) Some Greek texts have from a pure heart. For example:
from a pure heart (English Standard Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version, NET Bible)
(2) Some Greek texts have from the heart. For example:
from the heart (New Revised Standard Version)
(God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), since that reading is found in several reliable ancient manuscripts.
pure: In this context, the word pure refers to something that has nothing else mixed in with it. Other ways to say this include:
from a sincere heart
-or-
with genuine affection
heart: In the minds of Peter’s readers, the heart was associated with thoughts and ideas as well as emotions and feelings. So the Greek word that many English versions translate as heart is an idiom that means much the same as “deeply.” If you choose to use a figure of speech, use an idiom or metaphor from your own language that refers to seeking someone else’s well-being.
Some English versions keep the heart figure. For example:
love each other deeply with all your heart (New Century Version)
-or-
love one another wholeheartedly with all your strength (Revised English Bible)
In some languages it may be necessary to remove the heart figure. For example:
love each other deeply and earnestly
General Comment on 1:22a–c
In some languages it may be natural to reorder the parts of 1:22. For example:
22c
⌊You should⌋ love each other deeply and earnestly. After all, 22b you have true affection for each other because 22a you purified yourselves ⌊from your sin(s)⌋ when you accepted the true ⌊teaching concerning Christ⌋.
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