After a look at the past in verse 3, the writer returns to the present situation of his readers (And now), and he makes three observations: (1) they no longer join in these evil practices, (2) their heathen neighbors are surprised at their (the Christians’) attitude, and (3) the Christians are insulted by their heathen neighbors.

The verse starts with a relative formula (literally “in which”) for which see various occurrences in 1.6; 2.12; and 3.19. Here, it refers to the thought of the preceding verse, more particularly with the fact that the Christians no longer indulged in these evil pagan practices. But most translations find it more natural to connect it with what follows, since it is made quite explicit in this verse that the Christians no longer join their heathen neighbors in their pagan celebrations.

Are surprised translates a Greek word which in the active voice means “to receive a guest,” but in the passive voice means to be astonished or shocked at something because of its unusual or unexpected character (compare Jerusalem Bible “people cannot understand why”; also New English Bible); it may include the elements of offense or resentment (compare Phillips “Your former companions may think it very queer”), although it is not at all clear that these are included here, and most translations render it simply as “surprised” or “astonished” (Moffatt).

The relationship between the surprise which the heathen experience and the fact that Christians do not join the heathen in such wild and reckless living is not merely a temporal relationship, as expressed by the English conjunction when. In fact, it is the so-called temporal clause which is the cause of the surprise, and therefore it may be more appropriate in some instances to translate the first part of verse 4 as “the fact that you do not join the unbelievers in their wild and reckless living causes them to be surprised” or “… astonishes them” or “… makes them wonder about you.”

Join translates a Greek word which can be literally rendered “run together” and describes the act of people rushing forward from all directions in order to see something unusual (compare Mark 6.33; Acts 3.11). Here it gives a vivid picture of people who, in reckless abandon, stampede to participate in illicit activities. Join may often be expressed as “become one with” or “do together with” or “gather together with and do.”

The pagan practices, enumerated in verse 3, are now summed up in one expression: wild and reckless living. Wild translates a Greek word which is found nowhere else in the whole New Testament: literally it means “a pouring out” or “an overflowing,” as for example, of a river; here, an overflowing in immoral acts. Reckless translates the same word (although in its adverbial form) used to describe the way of life of the prodigal son (Luke 15.13). Elsewhere in the New Testament it is also used for excessive drinking (Eph 5.18; Titus 1.6). Here it describes the state of a person who no longer cares about anything as long as he can enjoy the pleasures of life.

Since the expression here is obviously metaphorical, many translations try to express the meaning in similar fashion (for example, New American Bible “swamp of profligacy”; Jerusalem Bible “this flood which is rushing down to ruin”; Barclay “their headlong rush into the maelstrom of debauchery”). Others, like the Good News Translation, have expressed the meaning in non-metaphorical language (for example, Phillips “riotous excesses”; New English Bible “reckless dissipation”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “unrestrained and unbridled lives”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “excesses of an evil life”).

The phrase wild and reckless living may require some rearrangement of components, since wild … living may be equivalent to “living immorally,” rendered in some languages as “living like a dog.” The phrase reckless living can sometimes be expressed as “living without any limits” or “living in such a way as to fulfill every desire of one’s body,” but it is also possible to speak of reckless living as “living without regard to what may happen,” in other words, living without concern for the consequences of what one is doing.

They insult you: a further reaction of the heathen. They do not stop at being surprised, but their surprise turns into bitterness and resentment, which express themselves in insult. The word for insult is literally “blaspheme” and may mean in a specific sense “to say things offensive to God,” or “to dishonor God,” or in a wider sense, to insult or to slander someone. Since “blaspheme” does not have an explicit object in the text, it is therefore possible to take either the general or the specific sense of the term, depending on one’s interpretation about the object of “blaspheme.” If God is the implicit object, then the meaning of the expression is “they blaspheme God because of you.” No translation gives this explicit rendering, although the New American Bible seems to prefer this understanding (“those blasphemers”). If, however, the Christians are the object, then the meaning is that the heathen insult them. In view of the fact that many times previously the writer has alluded to the insults and slanders spread by the heathen against the Christians (for example, 2.12; 3.9), it is probable that this second sense is primary here, and many translations adopt it (for example, Jerusalem Bible “they begin to spread libels about you”; Phillips “say all sorts of unpleasant things about you”; Knox “call you ill names accordingly”). They insult you may be expressed simply as “they speak evil of you” or “they say bad things about you,” but since Peter is suggesting that the believers now no longer do such evil things but rather live good lives, it may be more meaningful to translate they insult you as “they say that what you do is evil.” This is essentially equivalent therefore to “they speak evil lies about you.”

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 .