3:25a

And: The Berean Standard Bible adds this word. It may be more natural in your language not to have And here.

you are sons of the prophets: The word you is emphatic here. If you have a way in your language to emphasize you, consider using it here. For example:

It is you who are sons of the prophets
-or-
you yourselves are sons of the prophets

As a Jew, Peter was also a “son of the prophets.” But by using the plural pronoun you, Peter focused on his audience. In many languages using the plural pronoun you here implies nothing about Peter. But in some languages using the plural pronoun you here implies that Peter excluded himself. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate using the plural pronoun you and explain what Peter meant in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

As a Jew, Peter was also an son of the prophets. But by using the plural pronoun “you,” Peter focused on his audience.

• Indicate in your translation that Peter did not exclude himself. For example:

you(plur) ⌊as well as I⌋ are heirs of the prophets
-or-
you(plur) ⌊along with us(excl)(dual)⌋ are heirs of the prophets
-or-
we(plur)(incl) are heirs of the prophets

sons of: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as sons indicates a close relationship to the original prophets, like being their son or heir. The Jewish prophets gave God’s words to the Jews. The Jews kept God’s words for many generations. In that way the Jews whom Peter spoke to were like sons or heirs.

In some languages a literal translation would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

the ones who received God’s word from
-or-
from the line/lineage of
-or-
keepers of God’s words that he gave through

3:25b

the covenant God made with: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as covenant refers to one person declaring something about future events. It might be about how that person wanted his possessions distributed after his death. It could also be a promise about what that person would do for others in the future. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the declaration that God made to
-or-
the promise God made to

your fathers: As a Jew, the forefathers of the Jews were also Peter’s forefathers. But by using the plural pronoun your, Peter focused on his audience.

In many languages using the plural pronoun your here implies nothing about Peter. But in some languages using the plural pronoun your here implies that Peter no longer considers himself a Jew. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate using the plural pronoun your and explain what Peter meant in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

As a Jew, the forefathers of the Jews were also Peter’s forefathers. But by using the plural pronoun you, Peter focused on his audience.

• Indicate in your translation that Peter did not exclude himself. For example:

your(plur) ⌊as well as my⌋ forefathers
-or-
your(plur) ⌊along with our(excl)(dual)⌋ forefathers
-or-
our(plur)(incl) forefathers

fathers: The word fathers here refers to their ancestors. God made his covenant with Abraham and later Jacob (Genesis 22:17–18; 28:13–15) about two thousand years before Jesus was born. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

forefathers
-or-
ancestors (New Jerusalem Bible)

3:25c–d

3:25d is a quote from Genesis 22:18. You may want to include this information in a footnote or a cross-reference in your translation.

Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

I will bless all people on the earth through your offspring

Through your offspring: The word Through indicates that God will use an offspring of Abraham to put this blessing into effect. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

by means of your offspring
-or-
because of what your offspring will do

This phrase is emphasized in the Greek and in the Berean Standard Bible. If possible, emphasize this phrase in your language.

offspring: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as offspring is literally “seed.” Here it refers figuratively to children, grandchildren, and descendants. It is singular but can also mean “seeds.” The English word offspring can also refer to one or many without adding the “-s” ending. Some languages have a word with the meaning that can refer to both one or many. If that is true in your language, use it here.

But in some languages the word with the correct meaning can only be singular or it can only be plural. If that is true in your language, use the singular word. For example:

descendant (God’s Word)

However, some English versions use the plural word. For example:

descendants (Good News Translation)

Jesus fulfilled this promise, but God made the promise without naming who would fulfill it.

all the families of the earth: The word families is plural to refer to people groups. These people are grouped by culture and language. For example:

all people groups on earth
-or-
All the nations of the earth (New Jerusalem Bible)

But in some languages it is more natural to use the word “people,” which is already plural. For example:

all the people on earth (Good News Translation)

be blessed: This phrase indicates that someone does something good or kind to someone else. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

be shown favor/kindness
-or-
had ⌊God⌋ be kind to him

The clause is passive. See the note on “Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed” above for another active example.

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