peace (inner peace)

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The Hebrew and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:

In American Sign Language it is signed with a compound sign consisting of “become” and “silent.” (Source: Yates 2011, p. 52)


“Peace” in American Sign Language (source )

See also peace (absence of strife) and this devotion on YouVersion and this one on Bible Gateway .

Sung version of 2 Peter 3

Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).

For more information, see here .

complete verse (2 Peter 3:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Peter 3:14:

  • Uma: “And so, relatives whom I love, while you are waiting for that day, exert effort to make your behavior good, so that your connection with God is good, and so that you will be without fault or embarrassment when you arrive before him.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore my friends, while you are waiting for that day, really strive so that there is no evil/bad (incl.) you or fault (incl.) you in God’s sight and/so that God is pleased with you.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “So, brethren, since we (incl.) are still waiting for that day, we must thoroughly regulate our behaviour so that there will be nothing for God to scold us for and so that the relationship of each one of us to Him will be peaceful.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore friends, since this is what you are waiting for, put-forth your efforts (lit. ability) in order that you will be clean with your having no faults/lacks in God’s sight and in order that your companionship with him will be good.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore my dear ones, while you wait for this, persevere to live lives really in harmony with the will of God. Persevere so that there is no longer anything which can stain(fig.) the body and be criticized-negatively by others, so that our mind/inner-being will be peaceful when we come into his presence.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Therefore now, my dear brethren, while you are awaiting these new things, earnestly see to it that God will not find in you any evil. Do that which God will not be angry at.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Japanese benefactives (miidashite )

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, miidashite (見出して) or “find” is used in combination with itadaku (いただく), a humble form of the benefactive morau (もらう). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on 2 Peter 3:14

Therefore connects this verse with the verses before it, primarily with the thought of the day of the Lord and the resulting end of the existing creation. For comments on beloved see Jude JUD.1.3.

Since you wait for these translates a participial phrase that can be interpreted either in a temporal sense, as in Good News Translation “as,” or as expressing reason, since, as in Revised Standard Version and New International Version. Some translations can be understood in an ambiguous way, like New English Bible “With this to look forward to.” For wait see comments on verse 12. These is translated “that Day” by Good News Translation rather than as “these things.” Either interpretation is possible in this context. These things will happen on the day when God judges the world.

Be zealous is the same verb translated “hastening” in verse 12. It may also be “do your best” (Good News Translation), “make every effort,” “do your utmost,” “make certain,” “strive,” “be diligent.” The word speaks of intense effort. For further comment see 1.10.

To be found translates a verb which is the basis of “may be found” in verse 10. Some take this as an argument for regarding “may be found” as the preferred reading in that verse; however, this is not as decisive as it looks, since it is possible that the present verse may have been read back into verse 10. To be found may also be expressed as “that God may find you…” or “that God may see that you are….”

By him may also be translated as “in him,” “in his sight,” or “with him.” The phrase can refer to Christ, but more likely God is meant, as in Good News Translation “in God’s sight.”

Without spot or blemish is taken from the vocabulary of the Jewish sacrificial system. These are the characteristics of animals that are acceptable as sacrifices. For without spot, see comments on Jude 24. This form of the word for without … blemish is used only here in the New Testament; in ordinary Greek it is used in an ethical sense, hence “morally blameless.” The two terms taken together compare Christians to perfect sacrificial animals and characterize Christian life as morally faultless and ethically irreproachable.

Peace may be interpreted as a state characterized by serenity, tranquility, contentment and freedom from trouble, or right relationship with one another, or more likely, right relationship with God. The third interpretation is reflected in Good News Translation (so also New English Bible, New International Version).

The Greek words in this clause (literally, “strive to be spotless and blameless in him [or, by him] to be found in peace”) can be put in different orders, depending on the meaning that the translator wants to bring out. Among the possibilities are the following:

1. “Strive to be found by him spotless and blameless and in peace.” This is the meaning reflected in Revised Standard Version.

2. “Strive to be found at peace with him, spotless and blameless in his sight.” This is the meaning reflected in Good News Translation.

3. “Strive to be spotless and blameless, so that you will be found by him to be at peace.” This is the meaning reflected in Jerusalem Bible, “do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.”

Alternative translation models for this verse, following the three possible interpretations mentioned above, are:
• Therefore, my friends, as you wait for the day when God will judge the world, you must do your best to have him find you pure and faultless and with peaceful hearts.

Or:
• Therefore, my friends … you must do your best to have him find you pure and faultless and at peace with him.

Or:
• Therefore, my friends … you must do your best to be pure and faultless, so that God sees that you are living at peace (or, with peaceful hearts) when he comes.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Second Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:14

Paragraph 3:14–16

In this paragraph and the following one, Peter told the people to whom he wrote this letter that while they waited for the day when Christ would return, they should try very hard in every way to behave in a manner which pleases God and to carefully guard themselves against those people who would cause them to doubt what they believed.

3:14a

beloved: See note on 3:1a.

these things: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek pronoun as these things because the form in Greek is plural. Most scholars think it refers to the new heavens and the new earth, but it could also refer to all the events that Peter, in the verses immediately preceding this one, had said would happen on the Day of the Lord. These events will include God’s creation of new heavens and a new earth after he has destroyed the old ones.

3:14b

to be found at peace—spotless and blameless: The verb to be found applies to at peace and spotless and blameless. Peter was telling his readers that they were to do their best so that when Christ returned, God would find them pure, blameless, and at “peace” with him.

to be found…spotless: This means “that God may see that you are pure,” or “that you may be pure in God’s sight.” Most scholars think that this refers to being in this pure condition when Christ returns. But some people think it means being pure now and always. Whatever it means, in order to be sure that God will consider a person pure when Christ returns, that person needs to try hard to remain spotless at all times.

spotless and blameless: These two words are very similar in meaning. People often used them to describe a perfect animal which was fit to sacrifice to God. When people used these words about an animal they were going to sacrifice, they were referring to the physical condition of the animal, but here Peter was referring to the spiritual condition of the people to whom he was writing. He wanted them to guard themselves so that they would not do wrong in any way.

If it is difficult in your language to find two words with this meaning, you could use only one and strengthen it by using “very” or “completely.” For example:

completely pure

in His sight: The Greek word that Berean Standard Bible translates as in His sight could also mean “to him” or “by him.” Because the order of the words in Greek is ambiguous, it is not certain which other part of the sentence this phrase belongs to. Some scholars think that it goes with “at peace,” while others think that it goes with “to be found” or with “spotless and blameless.” So there are the following interpretations:

(1) “at peace with him,” or, in other words, at peace with God.

(New International Version (2011 Revision) and New Living Translation (2004 Revision) translate it in this way.)

(2) “to be found by him,” or, in other words, he sees them in this condition.

(New Revised Standard Version and The Jerusalem Bible translate it in this way.)

(3) “spotless and blameless to him,” or, in other words, in his sight.

(Berean Standard Bible translates it in this way.)

According to the second and third interpretations, Peter did not say with whom the readers should be at peace. He was probably talking about peace with God, but he may have been talking about peace with their neighbors and fellow Christians, too.

Some versions seem to combine (1) and (3). For example:

to be pure and blameless in God’s sight and to be at peace with him. (Good News Translation)

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