1:24 Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, 6 and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, 7 without blemish 8 before his glorious presence, 9
1 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1., where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
2 tn Grk “make your calling and election sure.”
3 tn Grk “these things.”
4 tn In Greek οὐ μή (ou mh) followed by the subjunctive is normally the strongest way to negate an action. Coupled with πότε (pote, “ever”), the statement is even more emphatic. The author is offering sage advice on how to grow in grace.
5 tn The words “into sin” are not in the Greek text, but the Greek word πταίω (ptaiw) is used in soteriological contexts for more than a mere hesitation or stumbling. BDAG 894 s.v. 2 suggests that here it means “be ruined, be lost,” referring to loss of salvation, while also acknowledging that the meaning “to make a mistake, go astray, sin” is plausible in this context. Alternatively, the idea of πταίω here could be that of “suffer misfortune” (so K. L. Schmidt, TDNT 6:884), as a result of sinning.
6 tn The construction in Greek is a double accusative object-complement. “You” is the object and “free from falling” is the adjectival complement.
7 tn Grk “with rejoicing.” The prepositional clause is placed after “his glorious presence” in Greek, but most likely goes with “cause you to stand.”
8 tn The construction in Greek is a double accusative object-complement. “You” is the object and “without blemish” is the adjectival complement.
9 tn Or “in the presence of his glory,” “before his glory.”