More Zingers in 1 Peter
More Zingers in 1 Peter
Last week I introduced the idea of zingers and talked about one in 1 Peter 1:3-4. This week you get a window into two more of my favorite zingers in 1 Peter, verses 6-7 and 19.
"Passing the test" - 1 Peter 1:6-7
1 Peter 1:6-7 is one of my favorite sections of Scripture. Sadly, its meaning is often not very clear in English translations. To show that the believer’s faith is more valuable than gold, Peter uses a term that can describe metal that has undergone a purification process with high levels of heat (fire). I've highlighted words in the NIV beneath which refer to this process—words that most translations do not handle clearly:
The two words in red are really the same Greek word. The Greek word, δοκίμιον, is often translated as "genuine," but it really means proven to be genuine. Blacksmiths used δοκίμιον to describe both (1) the process of purifying metal and (2) metal that has been purified (cf. Arndt et al. 2000). Greek speakers used it metaphorically to indicate when something, or someone, was genuine. In colloquial English, we might use the phrase the real deal.
I've brought out the continuity of Peter's message in my translation by using the word "test":
Part of the power of this metaphor is that Peter weaves other important points through it:
- Remember from last week's email that, in 1 Peter 1:3-4, Peter told the believers that their heavenly inheritance "will not be destroyed." Here, Peter contrasts that inheritance, which comes through trust, with the most valuable material possession someone could have: gold. The trust these believers had in God was more valuable than any inheritance they could have on earth.
- The word δοκίμιον, which I have translated "tested," also appears just a few minutes later in Peter's speech. In 1 Peter 2:4, Peter instructs the believers how they should think of themselves as they worship Jesus, "a living stone who, though he did not pass the test of humans, is chosen and precious in God's sight." By using the same word just minutes later, Peter underscores the difference between what passes human tests and what passes God's test. These believers were suffering persecution for following Jesus, but that's what they should expect. After all, Jesus himself "did not pass" human tests and promised his followers that they would not be treated any better (John 13-17).
"Precious Price" - 1 Peter 1:19
1 Peter 1:19, “but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (NIV), is one of the best-sounding sections of the Greek New Testament that I have noticed. Peter alternates between words with lots of "a" sounds, "o" sounds, and "k" sounds. To give you a glimpse of how nice it sounds, I have highlighted the similar-sounding words in three different colors beneath:
The sound play in this verse is about equally as dense as this silly English rhyme (which I’ve adapted for this application): "Peter the Piper has picked peppers for pretty females." And, just like it's easy to remember that English rhyme because it has so many similar sounds, this statement about Christ is quite easy to remember in Greek.
With this exquisitely crafted statement, Peter drives home the point that Gentile believers were "bought" for the highest price possible: the precious blood of Christ.
How am I capturing this in my translation?
I haven't yet figured out a good way to do it. I want to keep trying until we make the final recording, but this one may just stay "lost in translation."
TL;DR
If the email was too long to read, here are the main points:
- Peter uses vivid imagery from blacksmithing to tell believers that their trust in God is a better inheritance than gold. Gold will be destroyed, but their trust will result in eternal glory when Christ appears.
- Using alliteration and rhymes, Peter makes his statement about Christ's blood incredibly memorable.
Challenge for You
Think of a way to make 1 Peter 1:19 memorable, and tell me if you get something good!
References
Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.