The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “stumbling-stone” or “stone that makes them stumble” in English had to be translated carefully in Chol. John Beekman (in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 180ff. ) explains: “When translating for the Chols, the translator was aware that the phrase ‘stone of stumbling’ could refer to a specific stone found on the trail to the town of Ococingo, Chiapas, Mexico. Those who came to this rock with aching muscles from long hours of weary walking with heavy loads believed that by striking their foot against this rock they would be strengthened for the remainder of the trip and would not stumble along the way. It therefore became important to translate these two passages avoiding any ambiguity as to whether this rock prevented or occasioned stumbling.”
The now commonly-used German idiom Stein des Anstoßes (literally “stumbling-stone”) was coined in 1534 in the German Bible translation by Martin Luther. It is now widely used as “bone of contention” or “stumbling block.” (Source: Günther 2017, p. 108) For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.
In Latvian, the phrase piedauzības akmens or “stone of abuse” has become part of the standard lexicon with the meaning of “disgrace,” goes back to the 1682 New Testament translation by Ernst Glück (source: Pēteris Vanags in Glück’s landmark translation of the Bible into Latvian ).
The parallelism between “rock” in 1 Peter 2:5 (in the English New Revised Standard Version “like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house”) and verse 8 (in the New Revised Standard Version “a stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall”) had to be maintained in the Kahua translation. As “posts” are used in house building (see cornerstone) the parallelism was kept with terms for “tree” and “centerpost.”
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 2:8:
Uma: “‘That stone became the stone they stumble on, and a stone where they fall-flat-on-their-front.’ They stumbled, because they refused to believe the Word of God, and that is the portion that God had already determined [lit., made certain] for them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And there is also another verse in the holy-book saying, ‘That is the stone that causes people to stumble therefore they fall.’ Because they did not believe God’s word/message they have figuratively stumbled. That is God’s will for them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there is also a prophecy which has been fulfilled which says, ‘That is the stone which people accidently kicked. That is the one which caused them to stumble.’ They did not believe in the Word of God, and because of that, according to the prophecy, they stumbled and fell, for that is what God has destined for those who do not believe.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “They should also remember what God caused-to-be-written which says, ‘This is the stone which people will-be-offended-at and over-which-(they)-will-stumble-and-fall.’ They will stumble-and-fall because they don’t believe/obey the word of God, and this also is God’s plan for them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And also fulfilled was what was said which is, his likeness is, ‘Like a rock which is always being-stumbled-over and what people fall over.’ They stumble because that is what was determined by God, because they don’t believe/obey this word of his which is the Good News.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Also it is written: ‘This is the stone which will cause people to stumble. This is the rock which will cause people to fall.’ They stumble just as it has been determined what will happen to those who do not believe the word of God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.
As in other places, the Good News Translation has marked this as a quotation from Scripture by introducing it with And another scripture says (literally “and”). For suggested restructurings, see note on 2.3.
The stone that will make people stumble is literally “a stone which causes stumbling.” The Good News Translation‘s rendering makes the stone the actor which makes people stumble. Some other translations make people the main actor: they stumble because they trip over the stone (for example, Jerusalem Bible “A stone to stumble over…”; Moffatt “A stone over which men stumble”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Men knock themselves against it”). The rock that will make them fall (literally “a rock of stumbling”) is treated in the same way, for example, Knox “a boulder they stumble against.” These two expressions are parallel and convey the same meaning.
In a number of languages it is rather misleading to introduce the stone or the rock as the agent of the stumbling or falling. It may therefore be preferable to indicate that “this is the stone against which people will stumble and the rock over which they will fall.” In some instances stumble is more explicitly identified as “hitting one’s foot against and then falling.”
Technically, the term rendered stone refers to an object which is generally somewhat smaller than the term rendered rock. It is also frequently used of stone which has been shaped in order to be used in building, while the term rendered rock normally refers to bedrock or field stone. However, in this particular context the parallelism of the two clauses indicates clearly that no important distinction should be introduced, for in both instances the reference is to the Lord.
The cause of this stumbling is now mentioned: they did not believe in the word. They did not believe is literally “they disobeyed,” but unbelief and disobedience are very closely linked together, with the latter being an outward expression of the former. The word, as in 1.25, is the Word of God, or the gospel. They did not believe in the word may be rendered as “they did not believe in the message from God” or even “they did not put their trust in what God had said.”
Such was God’s will for them is literally “into which also they were destined.” “Into which” may refer either to stumbling or to disobedience, or perhaps to both. That God foreordains people to stumble is found elsewhere in the New Testament (for example, Rom 8.28-30; 1 Thes 5.9; Eph 1.12; Jude 4), although predestination as a doctrine is more positive than negative, referring primarily to the act of God foreordaining people to salvation rather than to reprobation. The question of why some people believe in Christ, and others do not, even when the message is preached to them, is so deep and so great that sometimes the doctrine of predestination seems to be the only logical answer.
It is possible to soften the statement here by interpreting “stumbling” not as predestined by God, but a logical result to people’s disobedience, for example, Phillips “they stumble at the word of God for in their hearts they are unwilling to obey it—which makes stumbling a foregone conclusion.” However attractive this is, it falls short of the intent of the verse, for it removes the difficult mystery that stumbling and disobedience play in the purpose and will of God, in much the same way that believing does.
Such was God’s will for them may be rendered as “this was what God had planned for them” or “what they did was in accordance with what God had planned.”
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 .
In 2:8, Peter continued to use the rock metaphor for Jesus Christ. Now the metaphor is of a rock that people fall over. Peter used this metaphor to continue his description (started at 2:7b) of the bad things that would happen to people who do not believe in Jesus Christ.
2:8a
and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and marks what follows in 2:8b as another quotation from the Old Testament. Some versions such as the Contemporary English Version do not translate this conjunction. You should translate it in a way that is natural for your language.
In some languages it may be helpful to follow the Good News Translation and make this explicit:
And another scripture says, (Good News Translation)
If your language requires you to say that this quotation is from a different writer, then you may be able to say something like:
And ⌊the prophet⌋ ⌊Isaiah⌋ ⌊wrote that⌋ ⌊to unbelievers⌋ ⌊Christ/he is⌋
2:8b
In this verse part Peter continued to portray Jesus Christ as a rock. The collision between unbelievers and this rock results in the downfall of the unbelievers.
A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense: 2:8b is a quotation from Isaiah 8:14, which was Hebrew poetry. In Hebrew poetry, the writer often repeated the same or similar idea but in different words. Here the same idea is stated twice.
If repeating ideas like this is unnatural in your language and might communicate a wrong meaning, or if your language has only one word for both stone and rock, then you may say something like:
He is a stone/rock that people stumble over so that they fall.
The Greek phrases that the Berean Standard Bible translates as A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense are literally “a stone of stumbling” and “a rock of falling.” The text does not use any verbs. As it is speaking about something that was future to the Old Testament writer, another possible translation model is:
This is the stone that will make people stumble, the rock that will make them fall. (Good News Translation)
stone…rock: Some scholars see a difference in meaning between the two Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as stone and rock. The word rock may refer to something larger than a stone. It could mean bedrock or a boulder or rocky crag.
If you follow the style of Hebrew poetry to translate 2:8b, you will need two words such as stone and rock. For the first, you will want a word that can mean a stone people might use for building, perhaps cut or shaped to size. For the second, you may use a word that can mean a rock that is relatively larger than the building stone.
of offense: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as of offense can also be translated as:
to trip people up (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
to trip over (NET Bible)
Consider the most natural way to express this in your language.
2:8c
They:They is a pronoun that Peter is using to refer to the people whom he mentioned at 2:7a. They were the people who did not trust/believe in Jesus Christ.
stumble: In 2:8b, Peter used the word “stumbling,” which is noun form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as stumble here. Some English versions translate the verb here as:
trip (Revised English Bible)
they disobey the word: There are two ways of understanding the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disobey :
(1) It means disobey. These people do not obey the word/message. For example:
they do not obey what God says (New Century Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, NET Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version)
(2) It means disbelieve. These people do not believe the word. For example:
they refuse to believe the word (Revised English Bible)
(God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, Peter was probably implying that the disobedience consisted of not believing what God said about Jesus. In some languages it may be natural to make this explicit. For example:
they disobey ⌊God by refusing to believe⌋ the message ⌊about Jesus Christ⌋
the word: The Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as word had a very broad meaning. It could refer to almost anything that was said. The correct interpretation had to be understood from the context.
There are two ways of interpreting the term here:
(1) It refers to a word or message, perhaps concerning the Good News about salvation through Jesus Christ. For example:
They stumble because they disobey the message (New International Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised Standard Version)
(2) It is another metaphor for Jesus Christ. This is indicated either by capitalizing the “W” of word, and/or by using the pronoun “in.” For example:
they do not believe in the Word (New Jerusalem Bible)
(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommend that you follow interpretation (1) as most English versions do.
2:8d
and to this they were appointed: There are two ways of interpreting the phrase to this they were appointed :
(1) The unbelievers were appointed to stumble because of their disobedience/unbelief. In other words, God planned or decided that the people who disobeyed the word would stumble. For example:
They stumble because they do not obey what God says, which is what God planned to happen to them. (New Century Version)
(New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, New Century Version; probably New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible)
(2) The unbelievers were destined to disobey/disbelieve the word and therefore to stumble. For example:
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. (NET Bible)
(probably King James Version, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Contemporary English Version)
The Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, and Good News Translation leave both possibilities open. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), which has the support of most commentaries.
they were appointed: This is a passive clause. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb, it may be necessary to make the implied subject “God” explicit:
⌊God⌋ destined them
-or-
⌊God⌋ determined/decided would happen to them
-or-
⌊God⌋ said this must certainly happen to them
Some other ways that the English versions have translated the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they were appointed include:
the fate in store for them (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
the fate appointed for them (Revised English Bible)
-or-
they were doomed (Contemporary English Version)
et aussi : ces mots rendent la conjonction καί kai qui introduit une nouvelle citation de l’AT : És 8.14. La Bible en français courant précise ce fait en disant « Et ailleurs, il est dit encore ». La Good News Bible est plus explicite encore : « Et un autre texte de l’Écriture dit… ».
une pierre d’achoppement : il ne s’agit pas de la pierre angulaire qui paraît en 1 Pierre 2.6, mais d’une pierre sur laquelle les gens trébuchent, une pierre qui fait tomber ou cause la chute des gens. La Bible en français courant parle de la pierre « qui fait trébucher », et la Parole de Vie de la pierre « qui fait perdre l’équilibre ». Dans certaines langues, il va falloir expliciter les personnes qui trébuchent : « c’est une pierre contre laquelle les gens se heurtent » ou « trébuchent ».
un roc qui fait tomber est parallèle à l’expression précédente. En poésie, il arrive souvent que deux vers disent à peu près la même chose, mais en des termes différents. Ici il semblerait que la notion de tomber est plus forte que celle de « trébucher ». Les traducteurs devraient donc trouver des expressions parallèles en s’efforçant de respecter le rythme des vers, par exemple :
c’est la pierre contre laquelle les gens vont trébucher,
le roc qui fera que les gens vont tomber.
pierre … roc : le mot traduit par pierre (grec : λίθος lithos) renvoie en général à un objet moins grand que celui rendu par roc : πέτρα petra. Le premier est le plus souvent appliqué à une pierre taillée utilisée dans la construction d’un bâtiment, tandis que roc désigne plutôt une roche dans la nature. Mais comme c’est souvent le cas dans la poésie hébraïque, ces deux mots renvoient au même élément, la pierre précieuse, sur laquelle les gens trébuchent à cause de leur mépris de cette pierre. Les traducteurs devraient rendre ces lignes d’une manière permettant les lecteurs de comprendre qu’il s’agit d’une même et unique pierre. Si les traducteurs ne trouvent pas deux termes distincts pour pierre et roc, ils pourraient répéter le mot pierre dans les deux vers. En effet, les deux mots font allusion au Seigneur. On pourra aussi, dans certaines langues, par manque de vocabulaire, réduire les deux vers en une seule ligne, par exemple, « c’est la pierre qui fait tomber les gens ».
Ils s’y heurtent parce qu’ils refusent de croire à la parole, et c’est à cela qu’ils étaient destinés : l’image des gens qui se heurtent contre une pierre est développée. Le verbe se heurter ou « trébucher » (Bible en français courant) est en grec de la même racine que le mot achoppement dans la première ligne du verset. Voir aussi Rom 9.32, avec le même verbe grec. Pierre indique maintenant la raison de ce trébuchement, littéralement « (ils trébuchent) désobéissant à la parole à laquelle ils étaient aussi destinés ». La Traduction œcuménique de la Bible propose parce qu’ils refusent de croire, peut-être pour exprimer l’idée que l’incrédulité est une forme de désobéissance. La Bible de Jérusalem va dans le même sens. Mais la Bible en français courant, qui semble plus proche du grec pourra servir de modèle : « parce qu’ils ont refusé d’obéir à la parole de Dieu ». Voir aussi la Nouvelle Bible Segond : « Ils s’y achoppent en refusant d’obéir à la Parole ».
parole : il s’agit du mot grec λόγος logos ; voir 1 Pierre 1.23, mais aussi 1 Pierre 1.25 où figure un synonyme : ῥῆμα rhêma. Il s’agit ici de la « parole de Dieu » (Bible en français courant), c’est-à-dire de l’Évangile, la Bonne Nouvelle. Mais il vaut mieux rester plus près du texte en se limitant à « parole de Dieu ».
et c’est à cela qu’ils étaient destinés : par les mots c’est à cela, on peut comprendre que les gens sont destinés soit à se heurter contre un rocher, soit à la « désobéissance » ou au « manque de foi en la parole ». La première solution est préférable, car comme la note de la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible le précise : « Ils ne sont pas destinés par Dieu à l’incrédulité, mais à la chute s’ils se refusent à croire ». L’idée est que « …quiconque ne croit pas est destiné à tomber, et non pas : ceux qui étaient destinés à ne pas croire tomberont » (Margot, p. 39). Il n’y a pas d’agent explicite pour le passif Ils étaient destinés, mais probablement c’est Dieu qui est sous-entendu : « voilà ce que Dieu avait prévu pour eux » ou « ce qui leur est arrivé est en accord avec ce que Dieu avait prévu ».
destinés : le verbe grec signifie littéralement « être placés » ou « établis ». L’idée que Dieu destine des gens à « trébucher » ou à se tromper apparaît ailleurs dans le NT, par exemple en Rom 9.22 (comp. Jude 4). C’est ce qui a amené certains biblistes à parler de la « prédestination », une doctrine qui explique pourquoi certaines personnes croient au Christ, alors que d’autres refusent d’y croire, même quand le message du salut leur est annoncé clairement. Cependant, les textes du NT révèlent que Dieu veut le salut et non la condamnation de tout être humain. Voir, entre autres, Rom 8.28-30 ; Éph 1.11 ; 1 Thess 5.9 ; 1 Tim 2.4. Il semble donc légitime de présenter le fait que des gens « trébuchent » comme une conséquence de leur désobéissance ou de leur incrédulité. On pourra dire « ils ont trébuché car dans leur cœur ils refusent de croire à la parole de Dieu », puis « et c’est cela qui devait leur arriver » (Parole de Vie), c’est-à-dire « c’est la conséquence de ce refus-là ».
Source: Margot, Jean-Claude. La première lettre de Pierre – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.
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