complete verse (1 Peter 5:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 5:4:

  • Uma: “And when the Main Shepherd comes, he will give you a hat of victory, whose shiningness never changes.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then when Isa Almasi comes again he is figuratively the leader of those people caring for the sheep, he will reward you with something very good and that will really not change, that means you will be included in his brightness/glory forever.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when Jesus returns, He who is the high one who cares for the sheep of God, He will have payment for you, and it is your being able to share in His very great highness which never goes out of existence.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And when Jesu Cristo appears who is the highest leader of the believers, he will give you a reward that lasts forever which is your joining-in-sharing his greatness.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then as long as you oversee well, when Cristo comes who is like the Most-important Shepherd of us overseers, he will reward you with far-from-ordinary glory which has no ending.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “And when the Boss of the caretakers has come here, there will be given to you the blessing of God which will never come to an end.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 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).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

humble form of "receive" (itadaku)

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 to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

In these verses, itadaku (いただく), a respectful form of morau (もらう) or “receive” is used. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also receive (Japanese honorifics), humble form of “receive” (tamawaru) and humble form of “eat” (itadaku).

Translation commentary on 1 Peter 5:4

This verse indicates the result of obedience to the preceding exhortations. If the church elders act as indicated, then they will receive the glorious crown when the Chief Shepherd appears. The Chief Shepherd refers to Christ; already he has been referred to as the shepherd in 2.25, but since the church elders are also described as shepherds, it is natural to add the designation “chief” to him (compare Hebrews 13.20 “the great shepherd of the sheep”). This also serves as a reminder to the church elders that they do not act independently or of their own accord, but are ultimately responsible to the Chief Shepherd, and furthermore, that while they are shepherds, they too are part of the flock which is under one Shepherd.

In translating the Chief Shepherd it is important to avoid a rendering which will mean “the chief who acts like a shepherd” or “the shepherd who is a chief.” The Chief Shepherd is “the shepherd who is over all other shepherds” or “the shepherd whom other shepherds should obey.” Therefore the Chief Shepherd may in some instances be rendered as “he who is the shepherd over all other shepherds.”

Appears translates an aorist passive participle (literally “is manifested”), but it is best to take it with a present active sense, as the Good News Translation and most modern translations do. The verb itself is used of the incarnation (1.20; 1 Tim 3.16) and of the second coming (Col 3.4; 1 John 2.28). Here it is used in this second sense; the second coming of Christ has been previously alluded to several times; in conformity with previous passages, it is here viewed as very imminent, so imminent in fact that the church elders will still be acting out their role as shepherds to the flock when this happens.

The glorious crown which will never lose its brightness is literally “the unfading crown of glory.” The crown is a symbol of victory; it was the practice in ancient times to bestow a crown of flowers to victorious athletes; today we probably would call these crowns “garlands.” “Glory” here may describe the crown, hence glorious (Good News Translation, Barclay, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “wonderful”), or may be the crown itself, if the genitive here is interpreted as epexegetic so that it would mean “the crown that is glory.” Interpreted in this latter sense, “glory” may be either “divine glory,” that is, the power and greatness which Christ possesses and which will be made known at his second coming and in which Christians will share (compare 5.1), or else the blessed state of believers when they receive the final salvation.

In some languages the term crown suggests only a symbol of ruling rather than a symbol of reward as the result of being victorious. It may therefore be relevant in some instances to translate the glorious crown as “the glorious prize.” Similarly, the substitute passive you will receive may be made explicitly active with Christ as the agent, for example, “Christ will give you the glorious prize” or “… the wonderful prize.”

“Unfading” translates the Greek word amarantinon, for which see 1.4. It is possible, however, that amarantinon is derived from “amaranth” which is the name for a flower which doesn’t wither or fade, and which can be revived easily by being moistened with water; as such it is a symbol of immortality. “Unfading” goes with “crown” in the text (Good News Translation and most translations); it is possible, however, to take it with “glory” if the second interpretation (see above) is accepted (compare Jerusalem Bible “the crown of unfading glory”).

If the term crown is translated as “prize,” then the unfading character of this prize may be expressed as “which will always last” or “which will always be wonderful.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Peter 5:4

5:4a

the Chief Shepherd: The phrase the Chief Shepherd is a metaphor for Jesus Christ. He is above all church leaders. In some languages it may not be clear that this expression refers to Christ. If that is true for your language, you should make this explicit. For example:

when Christ the Chief Shepherd (Contemporary English Version)

appears: The verb appears here refers to the time when Jesus will return to earth for everyone to see. Some other ways to translate this verb are:

comes (New Century Version)
-or-
returns (Contemporary English Version)

5:4b

you will receive: It is implied that the Chief Shepherd is the one who will give this crown. Here is another way to translate this:

our master, Christ, will give you (Easy English Bible)

crown of glory: There are two ways of understanding the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crown of glory :

(1) It means a crown that will consist of glory. For example:

glory, a crown that never fades (Revised English Bible)

(New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible)

(2) It means a glorious crown. For example:

a glorious crown (New Century Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The reward or crown that believers will receive will be glory. This is the natural meaning in the context, since in 5:1 Peter had mentioned sharing Christ’s glory. This is also the view of many commentators.

crown: The Greeks used to put a circle or garland of leaves on the head of the winner of a race as a sign that he was the victor. This was called the crown. Citizens who served their city well also received such a crown. It was a reward for having served well. Here Peter is using crown as a metaphor for the reward that God will give to his people.

glory: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glory means “honor.” See how you translated glory in 4:14c and 5:1c.

never fade away: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fade away describes the way in which flowers and leaves wither and die. Peter was contrasting a crown or garland of leaves to a “crown of glory.” Although a garland of leaves soon withers, the reward given to faithful church leaders will never spoil. It will last forever. See how you translated fade in 1:4. Some other ways to translate this word include:

never lose its brightness (Good News Translation)
-or-
never lose its beauty (New Century Version)
-or-
of never-ending glory (New Living Translation (2004))

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Sung version of 1 Peter 5

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