1 Petrus 5:12

Final Greetings

5:12 Through Silvanus, ¹  whom I know to be a faithful brother, ²  I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify ³  that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. ⁴ 

1 Petrus 1:16

1:16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” ⁵ 

1 Petrus 1:20

1:20 He was foreknown ⁶  before the foundation of the world but ⁷  was manifested in these last times ⁸  for your sake.

1 Petrus 1:25

1:25 but the word of the Lord ⁹  endures forever. ¹⁰ 

And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

1 Petrus 4:2

4:2 in that he spends the rest of his time ¹¹  on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires.

1 Petrus 1:17

1:17 And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, live out the time of your temporary residence here ¹²  in reverence.

1 Petrus 1:6

1:6 This brings you great joy, ¹³  although you may have to suffer ¹⁴  for a short time in various trials.

1 Petrus 5:1

Leading and Living in God’s Flock

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:

1 Petrus 2:9

2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues ¹⁵  of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Petrus 4:6

4:6 Now it was for this very purpose ¹⁶  that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, ¹⁷  so that though ¹⁸  they were judged in the flesh ¹⁹  by human standards ²⁰  they may live spiritually ²¹  by God’s standards. ²² 

1 Petrus 1:12

1:12 They were shown ²³  that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things angels long to catch a glimpse of.

1 Petrus 2:15

2:15 For God wants you ²⁴  to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

1 Petrus 3:9

3:9 Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless ²⁵  others ²⁶  because you were called to inherit a blessing.

1 Petrus 4:16

4:16 But if you suffer as a Christian, ²⁷  do not be ashamed, but glorify ²⁸  God that you bear such a name. ²⁹ 

1 Petrus 2:21

2:21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps.

1 Petrus 2:19

2:19 For this finds God’s favor, ³⁰  if because of conscience toward God ³¹  someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly.

1 Petrus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Peter, ³²  an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those temporarily residing ³³  abroad ³⁴  (in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, ³⁵  and Bithynia) who are chosen ³⁶ 

1 Petrus 1:10

1:10 Concerning this salvation, ³⁷  the prophets ³⁸  who predicted the grace that would come to you ³⁹  searched and investigated carefully.

1 Petrus 2:11

2:11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul,

1 Petrus 1:7

1:7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, ⁴⁰  which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away ⁴¹  – and will bring praise ⁴²  and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁴³ 

1 Petrus 4:1

4:1 So, since Christ suffered ⁴⁴  in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin, ⁴⁵ 

1 Petrus 5:9

5:9 Resist him, ⁴⁶  strong in your faith, because you know ⁴⁷  that your brothers and sisters ⁴⁸  throughout the world ⁴⁹  are enduring ⁵⁰  the same kinds of suffering. ⁵¹ 

1 Petrus 2:25

2:25 For you were going astray like sheep ⁵²  but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

1 Petrus 1:8

1:8 You ⁵³  have not seen him, but you love him. You ⁵⁴  do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice ⁵⁵  with an indescribable and glorious ⁵⁶  joy,

1 Petrus 3:21

3:21 And this prefigured baptism, which now saves you ⁵⁷  – not the washing off of physical dirt ⁵⁸  but the pledge ⁵⁹  of a good conscience to God – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

1 Petrus 2:7

2:7 So you who believe see ⁶⁰  his value, ⁶¹  but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the ⁶²  cornerstone, ⁶³ 

1 Petrus 3:6

3:6 like Sarah who obeyed ⁶⁴  Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children ⁶⁵  when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so. ⁶⁶ 

1 Petrus 3:19

3:19 In it ⁶⁷  he went and preached to the spirits in prison, ⁶⁸ 

1 Petrus 2:10

2:10 You ⁶⁹  once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, ⁷⁰  but now you have received mercy.

1 Petrus 4:17

4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house ⁷¹  of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate ⁷²  of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God?

1 Petrus 2:13

Submission to Authorities

2:13 Be subject to every human institution ⁷³  for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme

1 Petrus 3:8

Suffering for Doing Good

3:8 Finally, all of you be harmonious, ⁷⁴  sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble.

1 Petrus 4:7

Service, Suffering, and Judgment

4:7 For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer. ⁷⁵ 

1 Petrus 1:4

1:4 that is, ⁷⁶  into ⁷⁷  an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you,

1 Petrus 1:18

1:18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed – not by perishable things like silver or gold,

1 Petrus 1:23-24

1:23 You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 1:24 For

all flesh ⁷⁸  is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of the grass; ⁷⁹ 

the grass withers and the flower falls off,

1 Petrus 2:20

2:20 For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God. ⁸⁰ 

1 Petrus 3:5

3:5 For in the same way the holy women who hoped in God long ago adorned themselves by being subject to their husbands,

1 Petrus 3:10

3:10 For

the one who wants to love life and see good days must keep ⁸¹  his tongue from evil and his lips from uttering deceit.

1 Petrus 1:3

New Birth to Joy and Holiness

1:3 Blessed be ⁸²  the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Petrus 1:11

1:11 They probed ⁸³  into what person or time ⁸⁴  the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ ⁸⁵  and his subsequent glory. ⁸⁶ 

1 Petrus 3:7

3:7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker partners ⁸⁷  and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way nothing will hinder your prayers. ⁸⁸ 

1 Petrus 3:18

3:18 ⁸⁹ Because Christ also suffered ⁹⁰  once for sins,

the just for the unjust, ⁹¹ 

to bring you to God,

by being put to death in the flesh

but ⁹²  by being made alive in the spirit. ⁹³ 

[5:12]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Grk “the faithful brother, as I think.”

[5:12]  ³ tn These are participles (“encouraging and testifying”) showing purpose. The pronoun object “you” is omitted in Greek but implied by the context.

[5:12]  ⁴ tn Grk “in which stand fast.” For emphasis, and due to constraints of contemporary English, this was made a separate sentence in the translation.

[1:16]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Lev 19:2.

[1:20]  ⁶ tn Grk “who was foreknown,” describing Christ in v. 19. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:20]  ⁷ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[1:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “at the last of the times.”

[1:25]  ⁹ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; here and in Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[1:25]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 40:6, 8.

[4:2]  ¹¹ tn This verse may give the purpose or result of their “arming” themselves as called for in v. 1b and then the translation would be: “so that you may spend the rest of your time…” But it is better to take it as explanatory of the last phrase in v. 1: what it means to be finished with sin.

[1:17]  ¹² tn Grk “the time of your sojourn,” picturing the Christian’s life in this world as a temporary stay in a foreign country (cf. 1:1).

[1:6]  ¹³ tn Grk “in which you exult.”

[1:6]  ¹⁴ tc ‡ The oldest and best witnesses lack the verb (א* B, along with 1505 pc), but most mss (Ì⁷² א² A C P Ψ 048 33 1739 Ï) have ἐστίν here (estin, “[if] it is [necessary]”). The verb looks to be an explanatory gloss. But if no verb is present, this opens up the time frame in the author’s mind even more, since the conditional particle for both the first class condition and the fourth class condition is εἰ (ei). That may well be what was on the author’s mind, as evidenced by some of his other allusions to suffering in this little letter (3:14, 17). NA²⁷ has the verb in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:6]  tn Grk “Though now, for a little while if necessary, you may have to suffer.”

[2:9]  ¹⁵ sn This verse contains various allusions and quotations from Exod 19:5-6; 23:22 (LXX); Isa 43:20-21; and Mal 3:17.

[4:6]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn Grk “according to men.”

[4:6]  ²¹ tn Grk “in spirit,” referring to the heavenly, eternal realm of existence (cf. 3:18).

[4:6]  ²² tn Grk “according to God.”

[1:12]  ²³ tn Grk “to whom [pl.] it was revealed.”

[2:15]  ²⁴ tn Grk “because thus it is God’s will.”

[3:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “not returning…but blessing,” continuing the sense of command from the preceding.

[3:9]  ²⁶ tn The direct object “others” is omitted but implied in Greek, and must be supplied to suit English style.

[4:16]  ²⁷ tn The verb is implied by the context but not expressed; Grk “but if as a Christian.”

[4:16]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Grk “in this name.”

[2:19]  ³⁰ tn Grk “For this [is] favor/grace,” used as a metonymy of that which pleases him, which he looks on with favor (cf. BDAG 1079 s.v. χάρις 2). Cf. 1 Pet 2:20.

[2:19]  ³¹ tc The expression “consciousness/conscience of God” (συνείδησιν θεοῦ; suneidhsin qeou) is unusual, occurring only here in the NT. Because θεοῦ was liable to misinterpretation, several witnesses altered the text, either replacing it with ἀγαθήν (agaqhn; C Ψ 323 614 630 945 1241 1505 1739 al sy) or expanding the expression by adding ἀγαθήν before θεοῦ (Ì⁷² [A* 33] 81). Replacing θεοῦ with ἀγαθήν conforms to other NT phrases, notably in this same letter (Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5, 19; 1 Pet 3:16, 21), suggesting that such a reading is motivated. The reading θεοῦ, however, has superior support (א A^c B P 049 Ï lat co), and best explains the rise of the other readings.

[2:19]  tn Grk “conscious(ness) of God,” an awareness of God and allegiance to him.

[1:1]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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.

[1:10]  ³⁷ tn Grk “about which salvation.”

[1:10]  ³⁸ sn Prophets refers to the OT prophets.

[1:10]  ³⁹ tn Grk “who prophesied about the grace that is to/for you.”

[1:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “genuineness,” the result of testing. On the other hand it may denote the process of testing: “that the proving of your faith…may bring praise.”

[1:7]  sn The author is not asserting that the quality of the readers’ faith is in doubt and will be proven by future trials. He declares their faith to be a present reality in v. 5 and 9, so in context v. 8 affirms that their faith is indeed genuine.

[1:7]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “which is passing away but is tested by fire,” describing gold in a lesser-to-greater comparison with faith’s proven character.

[1:7]  ⁴² tn Grk “that the testing of your faith…may be found unto praise,” showing the result of the trials mentioned in v. 6.

[1:7]  ⁴³ tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 13).

[4:1]  ⁴⁴ tc Most mss (א² A P Ï) add ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν (Juper Jhmwn, “for us”); others (א* 69 1505 pc) add ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν (Juper Jumwn, “for you”), the first hand of א also has ἀποθανόντος (apoqanonto", “since he died”) instead of παθόντος (paqonto", “since he suffered”). But the reading without ὑπὲρ ἡ/ὑμῶν best explains the rise of the other readings, for not only is there confusion as to which pronoun belongs here, but the longer readings, being clarifications, are evidently motivated readings. The shortest reading is found in important and early Alexandrian and Western witnesses (Ì⁷² B C Ψ 0285 323 1739) and is strongly preferred.

[4:1]  ⁴⁵ sn Has finished with sin. The last sentence in v. 1 may refer to Christ as the one who suffered in the flesh (cf. 2:21, 23; 3:18; 4:1a) and the latter part would then mean, “he has finished dealing with sin.” But it is more likely that it refers to the Christian who suffers unjustly (cf. 2:19-20; 3:14, 17). This shows that he has made a break with sin as vs. 2 describes.

[5:9]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “knowing,” a participle that usually denotes a reason for the related action.

[5:9]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “your brotherhood in the world,” referring to the Christian community worldwide.

[5:9]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the same things of sufferings.”

[2:25]  ⁵² sn A quotation from Isa 53:6.

[1:8]  ⁵³ tn Grk “whom not having seen, you love.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “in whom not now seeing…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “in whom not now seeing but believing, you exult.” The participles have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “glorified.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “which also, [as] an antitype, now saves you, [that is] baptism.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “the removal of the dirt of the flesh,” where flesh refers to the physical make-up of the body with no moral connotations.

[3:21]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “response”; “answer.”

[2:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “to you who believe is the value,” referring to their perception of the stone in contrast to those who reject (vv. 7b-8). But the expression may also be translated as “to you who believe is this honor,” referring to the lack of shame cited in v. 6b.

[2:7]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “the value” or “the honor,” but the former is preferred since it comes from the same root as “priceless” in vv. 4, 6, and it is in contrast to the negative estimate of the stone by those who reject (vv. 7b-8).

[2:7]  ⁶² tn Grk “the head of the corner.”

[2:7]  ⁶³ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 (cf. Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11).

[3:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “as Sarah obeyed.”

[3:6]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “whose children you become.”

[3:6]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “doing good and not fearing any intimidation.”

[3:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “in which.” ExSyn 343 notes: “The antecedent of the RP [relative pronoun] is by no means certain. Some take it to refer to πνεύματι immediately preceding, the meaning of which might be either the Holy Spirit or the spiritual state. Others see the phrase as causal (‘for which reason,’ ‘because of this’), referring back to the entire clause, while still other scholars read the phrase as temporal (if so, it could be with or without an antecedent: ‘on which occasion’ or ‘meanwhile’). None of these options is excluded by syntax. It may be significant, however, that every other time ἐν ᾧ is used in 1 Peter it bears an adverbial/conjunctive force (cf. 1:6; 2:12; 3:16 [here, temporal]; 4:4).” Also, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:19]  ⁶⁸ sn And preached to the spirits in prison. The meaning of this preaching and the spirits to whom he preached are much debated. It is commonly understood to be: (1) Christ’s announcement of his victory over evil to the fallen angels who await judgment for their role in leading the Noahic generation into sin; this proclamation occurred sometime between Christ’s death and ascension; or (2) Christ’s preaching of repentance through Noah to the unrighteous humans, now dead and confined in hell, who lived in the days of Noah. The latter is preferred because of the temporal indications in v. 20a and the wider argument of the book. These verses encourage Christians to stand for righteousness and try to influence their contemporaries for the gospel in spite of the suffering that may come to them. All who identify with them and their Savior will be saved from the coming judgment, just as in Noah’s day.

[2:10]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “who,” continuing the description of the readers from vs. 9. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:10]  ⁷⁰ sn The quotations in v. 10 are from Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23.

[4:17]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “to begin from the house.”

[4:17]  ⁷² tn Or “the end.”

[2:13]  ⁷³ tn Or “every human being”; Grk “every human creation,” denoting either everything created for mankind (NRSV mg: “every institution ordained for human beings”) or every creature who is human. The meaning of the verb “be subject” and the following context supports the rendering adopted in the text.

[3:8]  ⁷⁴ tn There is no main verb in this verse (Grk “Finally, all [ ] harmonious”), but it continues the sense of command from the previous paragraphs.

[4:7]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “for prayers.”

[1:4]  ⁷⁶ tn The phrase “that is” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the imperishable inheritance is in apposition to the living hope of v. 3.

[1:4]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “into,” continuing the description of v. 3 without an “and.”

[1:24]  ⁷⁸ sn Here all flesh is a metaphor for humanity – human beings as both frail and temporary.

[1:24]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “a wildflower.”

[2:20]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “For this [is] favor/grace with God,” used as a metonymy as in vs. 19 of that which pleases him, which he looks on with favor (cf. BDAG 1079 s.v. χάρις 2).

[3:10]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “stop.”

[1:3]  ⁸² tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (euloghtos) and the author’s intention at this point in the epistle must both come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. Two factors of the author’s style come into play. At this point the author is describing the reality of believers’ salvation and will soon explain believers’ necessary response; this is in emulation of Pauline style which generally follows the same logical order (although the author here discusses the reality in a much more compressed fashion). On the other hand, when imitating the Pauline greeting, which is normally verbless, the author inserts the optative (see v. 2 above). When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the fact that the author in the immediate context has used the optative when imitating a Pauline stylized statement would argue for the optative here. The translation uses the term “blessed” in the sense “worthy of praise” as this is in keeping with the traditional translation of berakah psalms. Cf. also 2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3.

[1:11]  ⁸³ tn Grk “probing.” The participle continues the sentence from v. 10 but has been translated as an indicative for English style.

[1:11]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “time or circumstances,” focusing not on the person but on the timing and circumstances of the fulfillment.

[1:11]  sn The OT prophets wondered about the person and the surrounding circumstances (time) through which God would fulfill his promised salvation.

[1:11]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “the sufferings unto Christ,” i.e., sufferings directed toward him, what he was destined to suffer.

[1:11]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “the glories after these things.”

[3:7]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “living together according to knowledge, as to the weaker, female vessel.” The primary verbs of vs. 7 are participles (“living together…showing honor”) but they continue the sense of command from the previous paragraphs.

[3:7]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “so that your prayers may not be hindered.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek, this clause was translated as a separate sentence.

[3:18]  ⁸⁹ sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[3:18]  ⁹⁰ tc The variants here are legion (B. M. Metzger produces eight variants in a nice layout of the evidence [TCGNT 622]). Most of these variants involve pronouns, prepositions, or word order changes, but the major problem involves whether Christ “suffered” (ἔπαθεν, epaqen) or “died” (ἀπέθανεν, apeqanen). The witnesses that read ἀπέθανεν are Ì⁷² א A C^vid Ψ 0285 33 614 630 945 1241 1505 1739; the witnesses that read ἔπαθεν are B L P 81 Ï. Although the external evidence slightly favors ἀπέθανεν, such may be a secondary reading. Intrinsically, ἔπαθεν both fits the context better, especially the verbal link between v. 17 and v. 18 (note in particular the introductory causal ὅτι [{oti, “because”] and the emphatic καί [kai, “also”]), and fits the author’s style (1 Peter never uses ἀποθνῄσκω [apoqnhskw], but uses πάσχω [pascw] 11 other times, more than any other NT book). However, scribes would most likely realize this, and might conform the verb in v. 18 to the author’s typical usage. It may be argued, however, that scribes tended to alter the text in light of more common NT idioms, and did not have as much sensitivity to the literary features in the immediate context. In this instance, it may not be insignificant that the NT collocates ἀποθνῄσκω with ἁμαρτία (Jamartia, “sin”) seven other times, though only once (1 Cor 15:3) with a meaning similar to what would be demanded here, but collocates πάσχω with ἁμαρτία in only one other place, 1 Pet 4:1, where the meaning also detours from what is seen here. All in all, a decision is difficult, but ἔπαθεν is to be preferred slightly.

[3:18]  ⁹¹ sn The reference to the just suffering for the unjust is an allusion to Isa 53:11-12.

[3:18]  ⁹² tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two phrases more than can be easily expressed in English.

[3:18]  ⁹³ sn Put to death in the flesh…made alive in the spirit. The contrast of flesh and spirit is not between two parts of Christ’s person (material versus immaterial) but between two broader modes of existence: the realm of unregenerate earthly life versus eternal heavenly life. The reference may not be to the Holy Spirit directly, but indirectly, since the Spirit permeates and characterizes the spiritual mode of existence. However, ExSyn 343 (n. 76) states “It is often objected that the Holy Spirit cannot be in view because the two datives of v 18 (σαρκί, πνεύματι [sarki, pneumati]) would then have a different syntactical force (sphere, means). But if 1 Pet 3:18 is a hymnic or liturgical fragment, this can be no objection because of ‘poetic license’: poetry is replete with examples of grammatical and lexical license, not the least of which is the use of the same morpho-syntactic categories, in parallel lines, with entirely different senses (note, e.g., the dat. expressions in 1 Tim 3:16).”