OET interlinear 1PET 2:5

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

αὐτοὶ ὡς λίθοι ζῶντες οἰκοδομεῖσθε, οἶκος πνευματικὸς

yourselves as stones living ˱you_all˲_/are_being/_built /a/_house spiritual

Peter uses stones to refer to his readers, people who believe in Jesus. Just as people in the Old Testament used stones to build the temple that God dwelled in, God is using believers to bring together a group of people in whom he will dwell. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [you, like stones that are put together and built into a house, are living stones that are being brought together into a spiritual community in which God dwells]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

αὐτοὶ ὡς λίθοι ζῶντες

yourselves as stones living

Peters uses stones as if they were living. This emphasizes the fact that Peter’s readers have eternal life because they believe in Jesus. In this verse, living cannot mean to give life, because only God can give life. Alternate translation: [like stones that live]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οἰκοδομεῖσθε, οἶκος πνευματικὸς

˱you_all˲_/are_being/_built /a/_house spiritual

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [you … that God is building up as a spiritual house]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οἰκοδομεῖσθε

˱you_all˲_/are_being/_built

Here, are being built up could indicate: (1) a factual statement, as in the UST. (2) a command, in which case “coming to him” in the previous verse would also be a command. Alternate translation: [you … be built up]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

εἰς ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον ἀνενέγκαι πνευματικὰς θυσίας

into /a/_priesthood holy /to/_offer_up spiritual sacrifices

Here Peter speaks of believers as if they were part of a priesthood and as if their good deeds and acts of worship were sacrifices offered to God. Just as the priests in the Old Testament offered sacrifices to God, so should believers do good deeds and worship God. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly or with a synonym. Alternate translation: [like the holy priesthood that offered sacrifices to God, so you are made into a group which does good spiritual deeds]

Note 6 topic: grammar-collectivenouns

εἰς ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον

into /a/_priesthood holy

The word priesthood is a singular noun that refers to a group of priests. If your language does not use singular nouns in that way, you can use a different expression. Alternate translation: [a group of holy priests]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

πνευματικὰς θυσίας εὐπροσδέκτους

spiritual sacrifices acceptable

This could mean: (1) the sacrifices are of a spiritual, rather than physical, nature. Alternate translation: [the sacrifices of a spiritual nature that are acceptable] (2) the sacrifices are offered by the power of the Holy Spirit. Alternate translation: [the sacrifices offered by the power of the Holy Spirit, which are acceptable]