1 Petrus 4:12--5:14
Konteks4:12 Dear friends, do not be astonished 1 that a trial by fire is occurring among you, 2 as though something strange were happening to you. 4:13 But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed 3 you may also rejoice and be glad. 4 4:14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, 5 who is the Spirit of God, 6 rests 7 on you. 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or as a troublemaker. 8 4:16 But if you suffer as a Christian, 9 do not be ashamed, but glorify 10 God that you bear such a name. 11 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house 12 of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate 13 of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God? 4:18 And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of 14 the ungodly and sinners? 15 4:19 So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good. 16
5:1 So as your fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings and as one who shares in the glory that will be revealed, I urge the elders among you: 5:2 Give a shepherd’s care to 17 God’s flock among you, exercising oversight 18 not merely as a duty 19 but willingly under God’s direction, 20 not for shameful profit but eagerly. 5:3 And do not lord it over 21 those entrusted to you, 22 but be examples to the flock. 5:4 Then 23 when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away.
5:5 In the same way, you who are younger, 24 be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 25 5:6 And God will exalt you in due time, 26 if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand 27 5:7 by casting 28 all your cares 29 on him because he cares for you. 5:8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, 30 is on the prowl looking for someone 31 to devour. 5:9 Resist him, 32 strong in your faith, because you know 33 that your brothers and sisters 34 throughout the world 35 are enduring 36 the same kinds of suffering. 37 5:10 And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ 38 will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 39 5:11 To him belongs 40 the power forever. Amen.
5:12 Through Silvanus, 41 whom I know to be a faithful brother, 42 I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify 43 that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 44 5:13 The church 45 in Babylon, 46 chosen together with you, 47 greets you, and so does Mark, my son. 5:14 Greet one another with a loving kiss. 48 Peace to all of you who are in Christ. 49
[4:12] 1 tn Or “do not be surprised, taken aback.” The same verb occurs in 4:4.
[4:12] 2 tn Grk “at the burning among you, occurring to you for testing.”
[4:13] 3 tn Grk “in the revelation of his glory.”
[4:13] 4 tn The verb “be glad” is used also in 1:6 and 1:8. The verbs of v. 13b are used together in Matt 5:12 and Rev 19:7.
[4:14] 5 tc Many
[4:14] 6 tn Grk “the Spirit of glory and of God.”
[4:14] 7 sn A quotation taken from Isa 11:2.
[4:15] 8 tn The meaning of the Greek word used here is uncertain. It may mean “spy, informer,” “revolutionary,” or “defrauder, embezzler.” But the most likely meaning is “busybody, one who meddles in the affairs of others, troublesome meddler.” The translation given in the text is intended to suggest this general idea.
[4:16] 9 tn The verb is implied by the context but not expressed; Grk “but if as a Christian.”
[4:16] 10 tn These are third-person imperatives in Greek (“if [one of you suffers] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed…let him glorify”), but have been translated as second-person verbs since this is smoother English idiom.
[4:16] 11 tn Grk “in this name.”
[4:17] 12 tn Grk “to begin from the house.”
[4:18] 14 tn Grk “where will he appear.”
[4:18] 15 tn The personal references in v. 18 are generic singulars, but they have been changed to the plural in English to maintain consistency with the plurals of v. 17.
[4:18] sn A quotation from Prov 11:31 (LXX).
[4:19] 16 tn Grk “in doing good.”
[5:2] 17 tn Grk “shepherd,” “tend,” “pastor.”
[5:2] 18 tc A few important
[5:2] 19 tn Or “not under compulsion/coercion.”
[5:2] 20 tn Grk “according to God.”
[5:3] 21 tn Grk “not as lording it over…but being examples.” The participles continue the command of v. 2 by describing how the shepherding should be carried out.
[5:3] 22 tn Grk “the ones allotted,” referring to those God has given over to their care.
[5:4] 23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the logical sequence of events.
[5:5] 24 sn In this context younger and elder are terms that combine two meanings: relative age and an official structure of leadership in the church. As in v. 1, elder here denotes those who exercise spiritual leadership, who for the most part are older in years. Likewise younger means the rest of the community, who for the most part are younger in age, who are urged to accept the authority of their leaders.
[5:5] 25 sn A quotation from Prov 3:34 (cf. Jas 4:6).
[5:6] 26 tn Grk “in time,” but connoting “the proper time, when the time is right” as in Matt 24:45; Luke 12:42.
[5:6] 27 tn Grk “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that in due time he may exalt you.” The sentence was rearranged so that the English reader could more clearly see the connection between “casting” (v. 7) and “humble” (v. 6).
[5:7] 28 tn Or “throwing on”; “loading.” Some scholars take the participle to function imperativally, or as attendant circumstance – thus, “cast.” See below for discussion.
[5:7] sn Casting. According to ExSyn 630, “Although treated as an independent command in several modern translations (e.g., RSV, NRSV, NIV), the participle [casting] should be connected with the verb of v 6, ταπεινώθητε [tapeinwqhte, Humble yourselves]. As such, it is not offering a new command, but is defining how believers are to humble themselves. Taking the participle as means enriches the understanding of both verbs: Humbling oneself is not a negative act of self-denial per se, but a positive one of active dependence on God for help.”
[5:7] 29 tn Or “anxiety, burden,” but using a word from the same root as the verb “cares” in the last part of the verse.
[5:8] 30 sn This phrase may be an allusion to Ps 22:13.
[5:8] 31 tc A few
[5:9] 32 tn Grk “whom,” referring to the devil in v. 8. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[5:9] 33 tn Grk “knowing,” a participle that usually denotes a reason for the related action.
[5:9] 34 tn Grk “your brotherhood.” The Greek term “brotherhood” is used in a broad sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 19 s.v. ἀδελφότης 1). Another alternative translation would be “your fellow believers,” though this would weaken the familial connotations. This same word occurs in 2:17; there it has been translated “family of believers.”
[5:9] 35 tn Grk “your brotherhood in the world,” referring to the Christian community worldwide.
[5:9] 36 tn This verb carries the nuance “to accomplish, complete,” emphasizing their faithful endurance in suffering. The verb is passive in Greek (“suffering is being endured by your brotherhood”), but has been translated as an active to give a smoother English style.
[5:9] 37 tn Grk “the same things of sufferings.”
[5:10] 38 tc ‡ A few important
[5:10] 39 tn The pronoun “you” is not used explicitly but is clearly implied by the Greek.
[5:11] 40 tn No verb is expressed here but the verb “is” or “belongs” is clearly implied. This doxology expresses a fact for which God should be glorified (as in 4:11), rather than a wish or prayer (“may power be to him”).
[5:12] 41 sn The phrase Through Silvanus means either that Silvanus was the secretary (amanuensis) who assisted Peter in writing or composing the letter (cf. Rom 16:22) or that he carried the letter to the churches. The latter sense is more likely since this is the meaning of the Greek wording when it is used elsewhere (cf. Acts 15:23; Ignatius, Letter to the Romans 10:1; Letter to the Philadelphians 11:2; Letter to the Smyrnaeans 12:1; Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians 14), though it is perhaps possible that both ideas could be incorporated by this expression. For a detailed argument regarding this issue, see E. R. Richards, “Silvanus Was Not Peter’s Secretary: Theological Bias in Interpreting διὰ Σιλουανοῦ…ἔγραψα,” JETS 43 (September 2000): 417-32.
[5:12] 42 tn Grk “the faithful brother, as I think.”
[5:12] 43 tn These are participles (“encouraging and testifying”) showing purpose. The pronoun object “you” is omitted in Greek but implied by the context.
[5:12] 44 tn Grk “in which stand fast.” For emphasis, and due to constraints of contemporary English, this was made a separate sentence in the translation.
[5:13] 45 tn Grk “the one in Babylon,” which could refer to some individual woman (“she who is in Babylon”) since the Greek article (here “the one”) is feminine. But it is much more likely to be a veiled reference to a church (the Greek word “church” is also feminine in gender).
[5:13] 46 sn Most scholars understand Babylon here to be a figurative reference to Rome. Although in the OT the city of Babylon in Mesopotamia was the seat of tremendous power (2 Kgs 24-25; Isa 39; Jer 25), by the time of the NT what was left was an insignificant town, and there is no tradition in Christian history that Peter ever visited there. On the other hand, Christian tradition connects Peter with the church in Rome, and many interpreters think other references to Babylon in the NT refer to Rome as well (Rev 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21). Thus it is likely Peter was referring to Rome here.
[5:13] 47 tn Grk “chosen together,” implying the connection “with you” in context.
[5:14] 48 tn Grk “a kiss of love.”
[5:14] 49 tc Most