UTN uW Translation Notes:

1 Peter 5 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

1. How believers should interact with one another (5:1–11)
2. Conclusion (5:12–14)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Lion

Other animals are usually afraid of lions because they are fast and strong, and they eat almost every other kind of animal. They also eat people. Satan wants to make God’s people afraid, so Peter uses the simile of a lion to teach his readers that Satan can harm their bodies, but if they trust in God and obey him, they will always be God’s people, and God will care for them. (See: figs-simile)

Babylon

Babylon was the evil nation that had destroyed Jerusalem, taken the Jews away from their homes, and ruled over them. In other places in Scripture, the authors use Babylon as a metaphor for the enemies of God’s people. In 5:13 Peter uses Babylon as a metaphor for the nation that was persecuting the Christians to whom he was writing. Most scholars believe that here Peter is referring to Rome because the Romans were severely persecuting Christians there at that time. (See: evil and figs-metaphor)