1 Peter 3
Wives, be subject to your own husbands — as at 2:18 this comes as a participle with no finite verb, hanging on the imperative of 2:13 — so that those who disobey the word may be won without a word. Let the adornment not be the outside one of braiding of hair and putting around of gold or putting on of garments, but the hidden man of the heart: all three of those words are once in the New Testament, and ‘adornment’ is the word this edition fixes as ‘world’, taken up by ‘adorn’ at v.5. As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. Husbands, dwell together according to knowledge, assigning honour to the female as to the weaker vessel — a comparative. Six verses to the wives, one to the husbands. All of you be of the same mind, suffering with one another, brother-loving, compassionate, lowly in mind — five adjectives with no verb, four of them compounds, the first and the fifth ending alike. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse, but on the contrary bless: what Christ did not do at 2:23 becomes the congregation’s command. vv.10-12 quote Ps 34:12-16 outright, naming no place. Turn aside from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it — ‘pursue’, not the ‘persecute’ of places where a person is the object. Who will mistreat you if you become zealous for what is good? Even suffering for righteousness you are blessed — ‘do not fear their fear’ is the phrase of Isa 8:12. Sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts — Isa 8:13 has ‘the Lord of hosts’, and the base text puts Christ in that place (the Received Text reads ‘the Lord God’). Be always ready for a defence to everyone who asks you for a word about the hope in you, yet with gentleness and fear — ‘defence’ is a courtroom word. If the will of God should so want, it is better to suffer while doing good than while doing evil — an optative. Christ suffered once concerning sins, a righteous one for unrighteous ones. He was put to death in flesh but given life in spirit — the two datives are not explained. In which he also went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison — neither who they are nor what he proclaimed is said. In the days of Noah eight lives were brought safely through water, and its copy, baptism, now saves — not a laying aside of the dirt of the flesh but a question of a good conscience toward God. ‘Laying aside’ is the verb of 2:1, and ‘question’ the noun of ‘question’. He is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him — the last link in the chain of subjection that began at 2:13.
Why this rendering
1Pet.3.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
⸀Ὁμοίως γυναῖκες ὑποτασσόμεναι τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν … As at 2:18, this comes as a participle with no finite verb — neither the wives nor the husbands get an imperative form; both hang on ‘be subject’ at 2:13 · six verses to the wives and one to the husbands · ἐμπλοκή ‘braiding’, περίθεσις ‘putting around’ and ἔνδυσις ‘putting on’ stand in a row and all three are once in the New Testament — 1 Tim 2:9 uses πλέγμα ‘braids’ in the same place, a different word · κόσμος is ‘adornment’ here — the word this edition fixes as ‘world’ — and κοσμέω ‘adorn’ takes it up at v.5 · ὁ κρυπτὸς τῆς καρδίας ἄνθρωπος ‘the hidden man of the heart’ faces ‘the outside one’ of v.3 · πτόησις ‘terror’ is also once (v.6), the noun of πτοέομαι ‘be terrified’ at Luke 24:37 · συνοικέω, γυναικεῖος and ἀπονέμω are all once (v.7) · ἀσθενεστέρῳ is comparative, ‘weaker’ and not ‘weak’ · ⸀συγκληρονόμοις is dative, and the text does not say whether the husbands are fellow heirs or the pair together.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text supplies no finite verb and hangs these on the imperative of 2:13 — closed as at 2:18.
Basis This edition fixes κόσμος as ‘world’, but here it is finery, and κοσμέω ‘adorn’ takes it up at v.5.
Basis The text uses a comparative — ‘the weak vessel’ would lose the comparison with the husband.
Lost in translation
Only participles (vv.1 · 7) — no finite verb. Both must choose the imperative.
κόσμος / κοσμέω (vv.3 · 5) — one root in two verses. Both keep the link.
κόσμος (v.3) — the word fixed as ‘world’ used of finery. The two places take different words.
ἔξωθεν / κρυπτός (vv.3-4) — outside and hidden face each other. Both keep it.
συνοικέω (v.7) — one root with οἰκέω at 1 Cor 7:12. English keeps ‘dwell’.
πτόησις (v.6) — the noun of ‘be terrified’ at Luke 24:37. English does not keep that root.
Why this rendering
1Pet.3.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τὸ δὲ τέλος πάντες ὁμόφρονες, συμπαθεῖς, φιλάδελφοι, εὔσπλαγχνοι, ⸀ταπεινόφρονες — v.8 sets out five adjectives with no verb, four of them compounds, and four of the five are once in the New Testament (ὁμόφρων, συμπαθής, φιλάδελφος, ταπεινόφρων); only εὔσπλαγχνος stands with Eph 4:32 · the first and the fifth end in the same piece, the one that means ‘mind’, so the five are framed · v.9 ties λοιδορία here to λοιδορέω at 2:23 — what Christ did not do becomes the congregation’s command · ⸀εὐλογοῦντες is a participle, and inheriting a blessing is the reason · vv.10-12 quote Ps 34:12-16 outright and the text names no place · inside the quotation ἀγαθόν ποιέω comes as two words, the same thing the one word ἀγαθοποιέω says at 2:15 · διώκω is ‘pursue’ here, the place-rule of Rom 9:30, not ‘persecute’ as at Matt 5:10.
Rendering options · 3
Basis All four join two pieces — a single word like ‘humble’ would lose that repeated piece.
Basis The object is peace — ‘persecute’ belongs where a person is the object, and Rom 9:30 already settled ‘pursue’.
Basis The text says neither ‘as it is written’ nor ‘in the psalm’ — supplying one would add words it does not have.
Lost in translation
Two alike (v.8) — the first and fifth end in the same piece for ‘mind’. English splits ‘mind’ across two phrases.
Five adjectives (v.8) — set out with no verb. Both must supply a verb.
λοιδορία (v.9) — the root of 2:23. Both keep the link with ‘revile’.
εὐλογοῦντες / εὐλογία (v.9) — one root in one verse. Both keep it.
ἀγαθὸν ποιέω (v.11) — two words for the one word of 2:15. Both read alike.
Ps 34:12-16 (vv.10-12) — the text names no place. Neither locale supplies one.
Why this rendering
1Pet.3.17 Observation
Syntactic observation
Καὶ τίς ὁ κακώσων ὑμᾶς ἐὰν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ⸀ζηλωταὶ γένησθε; … v.15 quotes Isa 8:13 with a change — there it is ‘sanctify the Lord of hosts’, and here ⸀τὸν Χριστόν enters, making it ‘the Lord Christ’ (the Received Text reads ‘the Lord God’) · ‘do not fear their fear’ at v.14 is the phrase of Isa 8:12 · ἀπολογία ‘defence’ is a courtroom word, that of Acts 22:1 and 25:16, here owed to ‘everyone’ · ἐπηρεάζω ‘treat spitefully’ stands with Luke 6:28, where such people are prayed for · καταλαλέω returns from 2:12, with the same phrase ‘in the very thing in which’ · κρεῖττον … ἤ is a comparison, and v.17 takes up 2:20 · ἀγαθοποιέω and κακοποιέω face each other in one verse · εἰ θέλοι is optative, ‘should so want’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The Received Text reads ‘the Lord God’, matching Isaiah; the base text puts Christ there, and the translation does not choose between them.
Basis It is what Paul does in court at Acts 22:1 and 25:16 — ‘answer’ would lose that.
Basis The text uses the optative, one of the few places this letter does.
Lost in translation
Isa 8:12-13 (vv.14-15) — the phrases come over with no place named. Neither locale supplies one.
φόβος three times (vv.14 · 15 · 16) — both keep one word.
ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω (v.17) — two words on one pattern. Both keep the contrast.
θέλοι (v.17) — an optative. Neither locale carries the mood.
καταλαλέω (v.16) — the verb of 2:12, with the same phrase. Both stand alike.
ἐπηρεάζω (v.16) — the verb of Luke 6:28. Both stand alike.
Why this rendering
1Pet.3.22 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὅτι καὶ Χριστὸς ἅπαξ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ⸀ἔπαθεν, δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων … δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων gathers into one phrase the ‘one who judges justly’ of 2:23 and the ‘unjustly’ of 2:19 · σαρκί / πνεύματι are two datives and the text does not say what they name — rendered ‘in’ and left unfilled · ἐν ᾧ: what it takes up is not said · who the ‘spirits in prison’ are is not said · κηρύσσω ‘proclaim’ has no object · the eight lives of Noah are brought safely ‘through water’, and that water becomes the copy of baptism at v.21 — ἀντίτυπος stands with Heb 9:24 · ἐπερώτημα ‘question’ is also once, the noun of ἐπερωτάω ‘question’ at Matt 12:10 · ἀπόθεσις ‘laying aside’ takes up ἀποτίθημι from 2:1 — there wickedness, here the dirt of the flesh · ὑποταγέντων is the last place in the chain of subjection that began at 2:13.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text does not say what they name — ‘in the body … by the Holy Spirit’ would add a distinction it does not have.
Basis The text does not say — only that v.20 ties them to those who disobeyed of old.
Basis It is the noun of ‘question’ at Matt 12:10 — ‘pledge’ would close what the text leaves open.
Lost in translation
σαρκί / πνεύματι (v.18) — the two datives are not explained. Both leave them unfilled.
ἐν ᾧ (v.19) — what it takes up is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
ἀπόθεσις / ἀποτίθημι (v.21 ↔ 2:1) — one root across two chapters. Both keep it.
ἐπερώτημα (v.21) — from ‘question’ at Matt 12:10. Both keep the root.
δίκαιος / ἄδικος (v.18) — one root facing itself. Both keep it.
ὑποτάσσω (v.22) — the last link in the chain from 2:13. Both keep one word.