1 Peter 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 Peter 1:3

New Birth to Joy and Holiness

1:3 Blessed be ⁶  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 Peter 1:2

1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling ⁷  with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure! ⁸ 

1 Peter 1:13

1:13 Therefore, get your minds ready for action ⁹  by being fully sober, and set your hope ¹⁰  completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ¹¹ 

1 Peter 2:5

2:5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer ¹²  spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:21

3:21 And this prefigured baptism, which now saves you ¹³  – not the washing off of physical dirt ¹⁴  but the pledge ¹⁵  of a good conscience to God – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

1 Peter 1:7

1:7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, ¹⁶  which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away ¹⁷  – and will bring praise ¹⁸  and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ¹⁹ 

1 Peter 4:11

4:11 Whoever speaks, let it be with ²⁰  God’s words. ²¹  Whoever serves, do so with the strength ²²  that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong ²³  the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

[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.

[1:3]  ⁶ 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.

[1:2]  ¹¹ sn For obedience and for sprinkling indicates the purpose of their choice or election by God.

[1:2]  ¹² tn Grk “be multiplied to you.”

[1:13]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “having bound up…, being sober, set your hope…”

[1:13]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 7).

[2:5]  ²¹ tn Grk “unto a holy priesthood to offer.”

[3:21]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Or “response”; “answer.”

[1:7]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 13).

[4:11]  ³⁶ tn Grk “if anyone speaks – as God’s words.”

[4:11]  ³⁷ tn Or “oracles.”

[4:11]  ³⁸ tn Grk “if anyone serves – with strength…”

[4:11]  ³⁹ tn Grk “is/are.”