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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
1 Pet 3 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22
OET (OET-LV) For/Because it_is better to_be_suffering doing_good, if the will of_ the _god might_be_willing it, than doing_evil.
OET (OET-RV) After all, it’s better to do good, and then, if God intends it, to suffer, than to do evil,
In this section Peter taught that Christians should always do good and act kindly towards others, even if they are mistreated and made to suffer. They should do this because it pleases God, and because that was how Jesus Christ behaved.
Some other headings for this section are:
Suffering for Doing Right (CEV)
Dedicate Your Lives to Jesus (GW)
For it is better, if it is God’s will,
If it should be that God permits trouble to come to
Perhaps God may allow you to suffer for doing what is right.
to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
you as a result of doing good, this is better than bringing trouble to yourself as a result of doing evil.
That is better than suffering for doing wrong.
Peter was saying that it may sometimes be God’s will that Christians suffer as a result of doing good. However, Christians should never bring suffering upon themselves by doing evil.
For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil: This is a comparison. Neither of the two things being compared is actually good in the sense of desirable, but one is better than the other. Peter is saying that it is better to suffer from doing good than for doing evil.
if it is God’s will: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as if it is God’s will suggests that this is a possibility, but it is not likely.
for doing good…for doing evil: The Greek phrases that the BSB translates as for doing good…for doing evil here mean “because you have done good…because you have done evil.”
Some other ways this verse has been translated include:
Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! (NLT)
You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong (CEV)
After all, if it is God’s will, it’s better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong. (NET)
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
ἀγαθοποιοῦντας & κακοποιοῦντας
doing_good & doing_evil
These two phrases indicate two different reasons for suffering. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [because of doing good … because of doing evil]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
εἰ θέλοι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ
if ˓might_be˒_willing_‹it› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: κρεῖττον Γάρ ἀγαθοποιοῦντας εἰ θέλοι τό θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ πάσχειν ἤ κακοποιοῦντας)
Peter uses the will of God to refer to God himself. If your readers would not understand this, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [if God wills]
3:13-17 This short paragraph emphasizes the Christian response to suffering—following Christ’s example (3:18).
OET (OET-LV) For/Because it_is better to_be_suffering doing_good, if the will of_ the _god might_be_willing it, than doing_evil.
OET (OET-RV) After all, it’s better to do good, and then, if God intends it, to suffer, than to do evil,
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.