1 Peter 3:8

Suffering for Doing Good

3:8 Finally, all of you be harmonious, ¹  sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble.

1 Peter 1:13

1:13 Therefore, get your minds ready for action ²  by being fully sober, and set your hope ³  completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁴ 

1 Peter 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. ⁵ 

1 Peter 4:1

4:1 So, since Christ suffered ⁶  in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin, ⁷ 

1 Peter 5:8

5:8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, ⁸  is on the prowl looking for someone ⁹  to devour.

1 Peter 5:2

5:2 Give a shepherd’s care to ¹⁰  God’s flock among you, exercising oversight ¹¹  not merely as a duty ¹²  but willingly under God’s direction, ¹³  not for shameful profit but eagerly.

1 Peter 2:15

2:15 For God wants you ¹⁴  to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

1 Peter 2:19

2:19 For this finds God’s favor, ¹⁵  if because of conscience toward God ¹⁶  someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly.

1 Peter 3:13

3:13 For ¹⁷  who is going to harm you if you are devoted to what is good?

[3:8]  ¹ tn There is no main verb in this verse (Grk “Finally, all [ ] harmonious”), but it continues the sense of command from the previous paragraphs.

[1:13]  ² 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]  ³ tn Grk “having bound up…, being sober, set your hope…”

[1:13]  ⁴ tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 7).

[4:7]  ³ tn Grk “for prayers.”

[4:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.

[5:8]  ⁵ sn This phrase may be an allusion to Ps 22:13.

[5:8]  ⁶ tc A few mss (B Ψ 0206^vid pc) lack the pronoun τινα (tina), while others have it. Those that have it either put the acute accent over the penult, making this an interrogative pronoun (“whom”; L P 322 323 614 630 945 1243 1739 2298 al), or leave off any accent, making this an indefinite pronoun (“someone”; Ï), or are too early to employ accents but nevertheless have the pronoun τινα (Ì⁷² א A). Generally speaking, the shorter and harder reading is to be preferred. In this instance, the omission of the pronoun would obviously be accommodated for by scribes, since both ζητέω (zhtew, “look, seek”) and καταπίνω (katapinw, “devour”) are transitive verbs. However, if the omission were original, one might expect the position of the pronoun to float in the mss – both before and after the infinitive καταπιεῖν (katapiein, “to devour”). Further, other terms might be expected as well, such as ἕνα ἐξ ὑμῶν ({ena ex Jumwn, “one of you”) or τινα ἐξ ὑμῶν (tina ex Jumwn, “a certain one/someone of you”). The uniformity of both the word and its location suggests that the shorter reading (found in but a few Greek mss) in this instance was a scribal mistake. As to whether the pronoun is interrogative or indefinite, since accents were not a part of the earliest mss, such Greek witnesses are of no help to us in this kind of problem. There would be little difference in meaning between the two in this context.

[5:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “shepherd,” “tend,” “pastor.”

[5:2]  ⁷ tc A few important mss (א* B sa) lack ἐπισκοποῦντες (episkopounte", “exercising oversight”), but the participle enjoys otherwise good ms support (Ì⁷² א² A P Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat). A decision is difficult because normally the shorter reading is preferred, especially when found in excellent witnesses. However, in this instance the omission may be due to a hesitation among some scribes to associate oversight with elders, since the later church viewed overseer/bishop as a separate office from elder.

[5:2]  ⁸ tn Or “not under compulsion/coercion.”

[5:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “according to God.”

[2:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “because thus it is God’s will.”

[2:19]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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.

[3:13]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “For” to indicate that what follows gives an explanation.