1 Peter 1:3

New Birth to Joy and Holiness

1:3 Blessed be ¹  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 4:10

4:10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another ²  as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

1 Peter 1:25

1:25 but the word of the Lord ³  endures forever. ⁴ 

And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

1 Peter 5:4

5:4 Then ⁵  when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades away.

1 Peter 4:11

4:11 Whoever speaks, let it be with ⁶  God’s words. ⁷  Whoever serves, do so with the strength ⁸  that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong ⁹  the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 1:8

1:8 You ¹⁰  have not seen him, but you love him. You ¹¹  do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice ¹²  with an indescribable and glorious ¹³  joy,

1 Peter 1:13

1:13 Therefore, get your minds ready for action ¹⁴  by being fully sober, and set your hope ¹⁵  completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ¹⁶ 

1 Peter 2:10

2:10 You ¹⁷  once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, ¹⁸  but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 4:13

4:13 But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed ¹⁹  you may also rejoice and be glad. ²⁰ 

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 ²¹  with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure! ²² 

1 Peter 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 ²³  of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter 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. ²⁴ 

1 Peter 3:18

3:18 ²⁵ Because Christ also suffered ²⁶  once for sins,

the just for the unjust, ²⁷ 

to bring you to God,

by being put to death in the flesh

but ²⁸  by being made alive in the spirit. ²⁹ 

1 Peter 4:3

4:3 For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians ³⁰  desire. ³¹  You lived then ³²  in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, ³³  and wanton idolatries. ³⁴ 

1 Peter 4:6

4:6 Now it was for this very purpose ³⁵  that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, ³⁶  so that though ³⁷  they were judged in the flesh ³⁸  by human standards ³⁹  they may live spiritually ⁴⁰  by God’s standards. ⁴¹ 

1 Peter 5:10

5:10 And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ ⁴²  will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ⁴³ 

[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.

[4:10]  ² tn Grk “serving it to one another.” The primary verb is a participle but it continues the sense of command from v. 7.

[1:25]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 40:6, 8.

[5:4]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the logical sequence of events.

[4:11]  ⁵ tn Grk “if anyone speaks – as God’s words.”

[4:11]  ⁶ tn Or “oracles.”

[4:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “if anyone serves – with strength…”

[4:11]  ⁸ tn Grk “is/are.”

[1:8]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “glorified.”

[1:13]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Grk “having bound up…, being sober, set your hope…”

[1:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 7).

[2:10]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ sn The quotations in v. 10 are from Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23.

[4:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “in the revelation of his glory.”

[4:13]  ¹⁰ tn The verb “be glad” is used also in 1:6 and 1:8. The verbs of v. 13b are used together in Matt 5:12 and Rev 19:7.

[1:2]  ¹⁰ sn For obedience and for sprinkling indicates the purpose of their choice or election by God.

[1:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “be multiplied to you.”

[2:9]  ¹¹ sn This verse contains various allusions and quotations from Exod 19:5-6; 23:22 (LXX); Isa 43:20-21; and Mal 3:17.

[2:20]  ¹² 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).

[3:18]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ sn The reference to the just suffering for the unjust is an allusion to Isa 53:11-12.

[3:18]  ¹⁶ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two phrases more than can be easily expressed in English.

[3:18]  ¹⁷ 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).”

[4:3]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the Gentiles,” used here of those who are not God’s people.

[4:3]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “to accomplish the desire of the Gentiles.”

[4:3]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “having gone along,” referring to the readers’ behavior in time past.

[4:3]  ¹⁷ tn According to BDAG 857 s.v. πότος the term refers to a social gathering at which wine is served, hence “drinking parties” (cf. TEV, NASB). However, the collocation with the other terms in v. 4 suggests something less sophisticated and more along the lines of wild and frenzied drinking bouts.

[4:3]  ¹⁸ tn The Greek words here all occur in the plural to describe their common practice in the past.

[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.”

[5:10]  ¹⁶ tc ‡ A few important mss (א B 614 630 1505 pc) lack “Jesus” after “Christ,” while the majority include the name (Ì⁷² A P Ψ 33 1739 Ï latt). However, the inclusion is a natural and predictable expansion on the text. NA²⁷ includes ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity. .

[5:10]  ¹⁷ tn The pronoun “you” is not used explicitly but is clearly implied by the Greek.