1 Petrus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Peter, ¹  an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those temporarily residing ²  abroad ³  (in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, ⁴  and Bithynia) who are chosen ⁵ 

1 Petrus 1:13

1:13 Therefore, get your minds ready for action ⁶  by being fully sober, and set your hope ⁷  completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ 

1 Petrus 2:8

2:8 and a stumbling-stone ⁹  and a rock to trip over. ¹⁰  They stumble ¹¹  because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. ¹² 

1 Petrus 3:9

3:9 Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless ¹³  others ¹⁴  because you were called to inherit a blessing.

1 Petrus 4:6

4:6 Now it was for this very purpose ¹⁵  that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, ¹⁶  so that though ¹⁷  they were judged in the flesh ¹⁸  by human standards ¹⁹  they may live spiritually ²⁰  by God’s standards. ²¹ 

1 Petrus 4:16

4:16 But if you suffer as a Christian, ²²  do not be ashamed, but glorify ²³  God that you bear such a name. ²⁴ 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Peter.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ² tn Or “to those living as resident aliens,” “to the exiles.” This term is used metaphorically of Christians who live in this world as foreigners, since their homeland is heaven.

[1:1]  ³ tn Grk “in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles. But here it is probably metaphorical, used of Gentile Christians spread out as God’s people in the midst of a godless world.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Or “to the chosen sojourners…” On this reading the phrases in v. 2 describe their entire existence as sojourners, etc., not just their election.

[1:13]  ⁶ tn Grk “binding up the loins of your mind,” a figure of speech drawn from the Middle Eastern practice of gathering up long robes around the waist to prepare for work or action.

[1:13]  ⁷ tn Grk “having bound up…, being sober, set your hope…”

[1:13]  ⁸ tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 7).

[2:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” The latter phrase uses the term σκάνδαλον (skandalon), denoting an obstacle to faith, something that arouses anger and rejection.

[2:8]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 8:14.

[2:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “who stumble,” referring to “those who do not believe” in vs. 7. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:8]  ¹² tn Grk “to which they were also destined.”

[3:9]  ¹³ tn Grk “not returning…but blessing,” continuing the sense of command from the preceding.

[3:9]  ¹⁴ tn The direct object “others” is omitted but implied in Greek, and must be supplied to suit English style.

[4:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “since for this purpose the gospel was preached even to the dead,” referring to the purpose described in the clause to follow in v. 6b.

[4:6]  ¹⁶ sn In context the phrase those who are dead refers to those now dead who had accepted the gospel while they were still living and had suffered persecution for their faith. Though they “suffered judgment” in this earthly life (i.e., they died, in the midst of physical abuse from the ungodly), they will enjoy life from God in the spiritual, heavenly realm because of the gospel (v. 6b). It clearly does not assume a second chance for conversion offered to unbelievers who had died; why would Peter urge people to suffer in this life for the sake of the gospel if he believed that mercy would be extended to all the dead in the hereafter (cf. 2:7-8; 4:1-5, 12-19)?

[4:6]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “so that they may be judged…but may live.” Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[4:6]  ¹⁸ tn Or “in their earthly lives,” since “flesh” here denotes the physical, earthly life. The phrase “in the flesh” is retained to preserve the links with 3:18 and 4:1 which use the same wording.

[4:6]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “according to men.”

[4:6]  ²⁰ tn Grk “in spirit,” referring to the heavenly, eternal realm of existence (cf. 3:18).

[4:6]  ²¹ tn Grk “according to God.”

[4:16]  ²² tn The verb is implied by the context but not expressed; Grk “but if as a Christian.”

[4:16]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Grk “in this name.”