1 Peter 4:1

4:1 So, since Christ suffered ¹  in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin, ² 

1 Peter 3:17

3:17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, ³  than for doing evil.

1 Peter 4:16

4:16 But if you suffer as a Christian, ⁴  do not be ashamed, but glorify ⁵  God that you bear such a name. ⁶ 

1 Peter 4:15

4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or as a troublemaker. ⁷ 

1 Peter 2:19

2:19 For this finds God’s favor, ⁸  if because of conscience toward God ⁹  someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly.

1 Peter 2:21

2:21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps.

1 Peter 2:23

2:23 When he was maligned, he ¹⁰  did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened ¹¹  no retaliation, ¹²  but committed himself to God ¹³  who judges justly.

1 Peter 3:14

3:14 But in fact, if you happen to suffer ¹⁴  for doing what is right, ¹⁵  you are blessed. But do not be terrified of them ¹⁶  or be shaken. ¹⁷ 

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 ¹⁸  you may also rejoice and be glad. ¹⁹ 

1 Peter 4:19

4:19 So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good. ²⁰ 

1 Peter 5:9

5:9 Resist him, ²¹  strong in your faith, because you know ²²  that your brothers and sisters ²³  throughout the world ²⁴  are enduring ²⁵  the same kinds of suffering. ²⁶ 

1 Peter 1:11

1:11 They probed ²⁷  into what person or time ²⁸  the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ ²⁹  and his subsequent glory. ³⁰ 

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. ³¹ 

1 Peter 5:1

Leading and Living in God’s Flock

5:1 So as your fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings and as one who shares in the glory that will be revealed, I urge the elders among you:

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 ³²  will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ³³ 

1 Peter 1:6

1:6 This brings you great joy, ³⁴  although you may have to suffer ³⁵  for a short time in various trials.

1 Peter 3:18

3:18 ³⁶ Because Christ also suffered ³⁷  once for sins,

the just for the unjust, ³⁸ 

to bring you to God,

by being put to death in the flesh

but ³⁹  by being made alive in the spirit. ⁴⁰ 

1 Peter 4:12

4:12 Dear friends, do not be astonished ⁴¹  that a trial by fire is occurring among you, ⁴²  as though something strange were happening to you.

1 Peter 4:14

4:14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, ⁴³  who is the Spirit of God, ⁴⁴  rests ⁴⁵  on you.

[4:1]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.

[3:17]  ³ tn Grk “if the will of God should will it.” As in 3:14 the Greek construction here implies that suffering for doing good was not what God normally willed, even though it could happen, and in fact may have happened to some of the readers (cf. 4:4, 12-19).

[4:16]  ⁵ tn The verb is implied by the context but not expressed; Grk “but if as a Christian.”

[4:16]  ⁶ tn These are third-person imperatives in Greek (“if [one of you suffers] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed…let him glorify”), but have been translated as second-person verbs since this is smoother English idiom.

[4:16]  ⁷ tn Grk “in this name.”

[4:15]  ⁷ tn The meaning of the Greek word used here is uncertain. It may mean “spy, informer,” “revolutionary,” or “defrauder, embezzler.” But the most likely meaning is “busybody, one who meddles in the affairs of others, troublesome meddler.” The translation given in the text is intended to suggest this general idea.

[2:19]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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.

[2:23]  ¹¹ tn Grk “who being maligned,” continuing the reference to Christ. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:23]  ¹² tn Grk “he did not threaten, but.”

[2:23]  ¹³ sn An allusion to Isa 53:7.

[2:23]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “to the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:14]  ¹³ sn The Greek construction here implies that such suffering was not the norm, even though it could happen, and in fact may well have happened to some of the readers (cf. 4:4, 12-19).

[3:14]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “because of righteousness.”

[3:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “do not fear their fear,” referring to those who cause their suffering. The phrase “their fear” may mean “what they fear” (subjective genitive), but in a situation of persecution it more likely means “fear of them” (objective genitive).

[3:14]  ¹⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 8:12.

[4:13]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “in the revelation of his glory.”

[4:13]  ¹⁶ 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.

[4:19]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “in doing good.”

[5:9]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “whom,” referring to the devil in v. 8. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:9]  ²⁰ tn Grk “knowing,” a participle that usually denotes a reason for the related action.

[5:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “your brotherhood.” The Greek term “brotherhood” is used in a broad sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 19 s.v. ἀδελφότης 1). Another alternative translation would be “your fellow believers,” though this would weaken the familial connotations. This same word occurs in 2:17; there it has been translated “family of believers.”

[5:9]  ²² tn Grk “your brotherhood in the world,” referring to the Christian community worldwide.

[5:9]  ²³ tn This verb carries the nuance “to accomplish, complete,” emphasizing their faithful endurance in suffering. The verb is passive in Greek (“suffering is being endured by your brotherhood”), but has been translated as an active to give a smoother English style.

[5:9]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the same things of sufferings.”

[1:11]  ²¹ tn Grk “probing.” The participle continues the sentence from v. 10 but has been translated as an indicative for English style.

[1:11]  ²² tn Or “time or circumstances,” focusing not on the person but on the timing and circumstances of the fulfillment.

[1:11]  ²³ tn Grk “the sufferings unto Christ,” i.e., sufferings directed toward him, what he was destined to suffer.

[1:11]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the glories after these things.”

[2:20]  ²³ 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).

[5:10]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn The pronoun “you” is not used explicitly but is clearly implied by the Greek.

[1:6]  ²⁷ tn Grk “in which you exult.”

[1:6]  ²⁸ tc ‡ The oldest and best witnesses lack the verb (א* B, along with 1505 pc), but most mss (Ì⁷² א² A C P Ψ 048 33 1739 Ï) have ἐστίν here (estin, “[if] it is [necessary]”). The verb looks to be an explanatory gloss. But if no verb is present, this opens up the time frame in the author’s mind even more, since the conditional particle for both the first class condition and the fourth class condition is εἰ (ei). That may well be what was on the author’s mind, as evidenced by some of his other allusions to suffering in this little letter (3:14, 17). NA²⁷ has the verb in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[3:18]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ sn The reference to the just suffering for the unjust is an allusion to Isa 53:11-12.

[3:18]  ³² tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two phrases more than can be easily expressed in English.

[3:18]  ³³ 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).”

[4:12]  ³¹ tn Or “do not be surprised, taken aback.” The same verb occurs in 4:4.

[4:12]  ³² tn Grk “at the burning among you, occurring to you for testing.”

[4:14]  ³³ tc Many mss, some of them important and early ([א] A P 33 81 323 945 1241 1739 pm bo), add καὶ δυνάμεως (kai dunamew"; “and of power”) here. The shorter reading is supported by Ì⁷² B K L Ψ 049 pm). Although the evidence is evenly divided, the longer reading looks to be an explanatory or liturgical expansion on the text and for this reason should be considered secondary.

[4:14]  ³⁴ tn Grk “the Spirit of glory and of God.”

[4:14]  ³⁵ sn A quotation taken from Isa 11:2.