OET interlinear 1 PET 5:2

5:2a

This is the beginning of Peter’s appeal to the elders. In some languages it may be necessary to introduce it with a phrase such as:

This is my appeal…

Be shepherds of God’s flock: This is a metaphor. In the lands of the Bible, shepherds cared for and protected sheep. Church leaders were to care for the members of the church as a shepherd took care of his sheep.

In some languages, a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. Some other ways to translate it are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

  Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care (CEV)

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the way that they are similar. For example:

  Care for God’s people as a shepherd watches over his flock of sheep

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

  Watch over God’s people who are under your care

God’s flock: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as God’s flock means “the flock that belongs to God.” God is the owner of the flock. A flock is a group of sheep. This is a metaphor for a church or congregation. In some languages it may be more natural and understandable to make the meaning clear. For example:

flock of sheep

God’s people

that is among you: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as that is among you in this context means “that is your responsibility.” God had given each spiritual leader the responsibility of taking care of other Christians. Other ways to translate this include:

entrusted to you (NLT)

for whom you are responsible (NCV)

that is under your care (NIV)

Try to translate using an expression that can be used both of a shepherd looking after his sheep and of a spiritual leader looking after Christians.

5:2b

watching over them not out of compulsion: In some languages it may be natural to translate this as one simple command. Be careful, however, to make it clear that Peter was not forbidding people to serve as overseers. He was forbidding them to serve with the wrong motives. For example:

do not serve as overseers because you are forced/obliged to

watching over them: The Greek word that the BSB translates as watching over is another term describing the work of church leaders and is similar in meaning to “shepherd.”

There is a textual problem here:

1. Some Greek manuscripts contain the word translated as watching over. For example:

   exercising oversight (NASB) (BSB, KJV, NIV, NRSV, NET, NLT, NCV, NASB)

2. Some Greek manuscripts do not contain the word translated as watching over. For example:

   do it… (REB) (RSV, CEV, NJB, GW, REB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), since the majority of modern versions include this word.It is present in the UBS Greek text in square brackets with a C rating, indicating considerable uncertainty. Some commentators think that the word was omitted in some ancient manuscripts because it seemed to confuse the later church distinctions between elders and bishops.

not out of compulsion: In Peter’s day, church members sometimes chose their own overseers and sometimes the apostles appointed them. People did not just volunteer to be overseers. So Peter was telling the people who were chosen not to serve out of a sense of obligation, as if they had no choice. Some other ways to translate this phrase include, negatively and positively:

Don’t do this because you have to (GW)

do it voluntarily (CEB)

5:2c

but: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as but introduces a contrast to the words “not because you must” in the previous verse part. Express this contrast in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Instead (NIRV)

because it is God’s will: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as because it is God’s will is literally “willingly according to God.” Peter is telling the elders to serve willingly because this is what God wants them to do. For example:

Watch over it willingly…because you are eager to serve God (NLT)

Other ways of translating these words include:

Do it willingly in order to please God (CEV)

because you are willing, as God wants you to be (NIV)

it is God’s will: There is a textual problem with the Greek phrase that the BSB translates as it is God’s will, which is literally “willingly according to God”:

1. Some Greek texts have the words “according to God.” For example:

   willingly, as God would have you (ESV) (BSB, NIV, NET, GNT, NRSV, NJB, NCV, CEV, REB, NASB)

2. Some Greek texts do not have the words “according to God.” (RSV, KJV, GW, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), with the majority of English versions.The words κατ θεόν, “according to God,” do not occur in some manuscripts. They are included in the UBS Greek NT with a {C} rating, indicating difficulty in deciding whether to place them in the text.

Other ways of translating these words include:

because you are willing, as God wants you to be (NIV)

because you want…. That is how God wants it (NCV)

5:2d

out of greed: The word that the BSB translates with the phrase out of greed is an adverb that combines the words for “shame” and “gain.” It describes a motivation that is shameful: wanting to make as much money as possible. Peter was not forbidding church leaders to receive wages. He was saying that they should not become leaders for the sake of the money they could receive. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

not for what you will get out of it (NLT)

not for shameful gain (ESV)

out of eagerness: The Greek word that the BSB has translated with the phrase out of eagerness is literally “eagerly.” If your language would not naturally use an abstract noun such as eagerness, you could translate this as “eagerly,” as several English versions do (ESV, NET, NKJV, NRSV). It may also be helpful in your language to say what Peter wants the elders to do out of eagerness. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

eager to serve (NIV)

happy to serve (NCV)