1 Peter 4:2-4

4:2 in that he spends the rest of his time ¹  on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires. 4:3 For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians ²  desire. ³  You lived then ⁴  in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, ⁵  and wanton idolatries. ⁶  4:4 So ⁷  they are astonished ⁸  when you do not rush with them into the same flood of wickedness, and they vilify you. ⁹ 

[4:2]  ¹ tn This verse may give the purpose or result of their “arming” themselves as called for in v. 1b and then the translation would be: “so that you may spend the rest of your time…” But it is better to take it as explanatory of the last phrase in v. 1: what it means to be finished with sin.

[4:3]  ² tn Grk “the Gentiles,” used here of those who are not God’s people.

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

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

[4:3]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn The Greek words here all occur in the plural to describe their common practice in the past.

[4:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “in/by which,” referring to the change of behavior described in v. 3. The unbelievers are astonished by the readers’ moral transformation. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:4]  ⁸ tn Or “are surprised, are taken aback.” The same verb occurs in 4:12.

[4:4]  ⁹ tn Grk “blaspheming,” giving the result of their astonishment. Here the target of their “blasphemy/vilification” is not God but the Christian.