1 Peter 1:23

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

1 Peter 4:5

4:5 They will face a reckoning before ¹  Jesus Christ ²  who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

1 Peter 2:4

A Living Stone, a Chosen People

2:4 So as you come to him, ³  a living stone rejected by men but ⁴  chosen and priceless ⁵  in God’s sight,

1 Peter 4:6

4:6 Now it was for this very purpose ⁶  that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, ⁷  so that though ⁸  they were judged in the flesh ⁹  by human standards ¹⁰  they may live spiritually ¹¹  by God’s standards. ¹² 

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 ¹³  spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:3

New Birth to Joy and Holiness

1:3 Blessed be ¹⁴  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 2:24

2:24 He ¹⁵  himself bore our sins ¹⁶  in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning ¹⁷  and live for righteousness. By his ¹⁸  wounds ¹⁹  you were healed. ²⁰ 

[4:5]  ¹ tn Grk “give an account to.”

[4:5]  ² tn Grk “the one”; the referent (Jesus Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:4]  ¹ tn Grk “to whom coming…you are built up…” as a continuation of the reference to the Lord in v. 3.

[2:4]  ² tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two phrases more than can be easily expressed in English.

[2:4]  ³ tn Grk “chosen, priceless.”

[4:6]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Grk “according to men.”

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

[4:6]  ⁷ tn Grk “according to God.”

[2:5]  ¹ tn Grk “unto a holy priesthood to offer.”

[1:3]  ¹ 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.

[2:24]  ¹ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:24]  ² sn A quotation from Isa 53:4, 12.

[2:24]  ³ tn The verb ἀπογίνομαι (apoginomai) occurs only here in the NT. It can have a literal meaning (“to die”; L&N 74.27) and a figurative meaning (“to cease”; L&N 68.40). Because it is opposite the verb ζάω (zaw, “to live”), many argue that the meaning of the verb here must be “die” (so BDAG 108 s.v.), but even so literal death would not be in view. “In place of ἀποθνῃσκιεν, the common verb for ‘die,’ ἀπογινεθαι serves Peter as a euphemism, with the meaning ‘to be away’ or ‘to depart’” (J. R. Michaels, 1 Peter [WBC 49], 148). It is a metaphorical way to refer to the decisive separation from sin Jesus accomplished for believers through his death; the result is that believers “may cease from sinning.”

[2:24]  ⁴ tn Grk “whose.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:24]  ⁵ tn Grk the singular: “wound”; “injury.”

[2:24]  ⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 53:5.