Sermon & translation by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church Manhattan KS, 17 May 2015
1:1 From Peter, Jesus Christ’s apostle.
To elect pilgrims scattered at Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
1:2 according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father in the holiness of the Spirit
toward the goal of obedience and sprinkling of Jesus Christ’s blood,
grace and peace fulfilled in y’all.
1:3 Blessed is God, even the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
who, in accordance with His [having] a bunch of mercy,
re-birthed us into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead
1:4 into an imperishable and undefiled
and unfading inheritance
which has been preserved in the heavens for y’all’s disposal -
1:5 y’all who are protected by God’s
power through faith
for the purpose of a prepared salvation to be revealed during the final time.
6 In this y’all are leaping for joy a little now
since it is vitally necessary to be grieved by various trials
7 so that the refining of y’all’s faith
– a bunch more valuable than gold which perishes though it is refined through fire– might result in praise and glory and value during Jesus Christ’s unveiling.
8 Whom y’all love, not having seen,
and in whom y’all now trust while not seeing.
Y’all are jumping up and down with unutterable and glorified joy
9 while obtaining the goal of your faith: salvation of souls!
· Last week we looked at how the first five verses of 1 Peter unfold a wonderful plan developed by God to save us:
o v.2 “elect/chosen... for the purpose of obedience and sprinkling by His blood”
o v.3 “God the Father...re-birthed us into a living hope”
o v.4 “in order to obtain an inheritance...”
o v.5 “for the purpose of a salvation...”
· And we saw that we can respond to God’s plan by
o obedience - v.2 “Obey”
o Blessings (Speaking good things about) God - v.3
o and placing faith/confidence in God - v.5
· Now, I want to look at verses 6-9 at the process God uses to mature our joy in His salvation, particularly how He uses suffering, trials, and faith-stretching circumstances.
o As usual, the material in this sermon really challenges me. I am not a naturally happy or joyful person.
o I tend to look at the dark turbulence in the clouds instead of the silver linings.
o I tend to get tied up in knots over stresses in relationships rather than just enjoying and loving people.
o So I have a lot of maturing to do, and I hope I can exposit this text as a fellow pilgrim.
· He describes the joy as jumping for joy/greatly rejoicing a little now (ὀλίγον ἄρτι)
o Theologically we could say that the time of grief and suffering will be a relatively short time, as Peter wrote later in chapter 5:10, “But the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”[1]
o But I think that the Greek grammar of 1 Peter 1:6 indicates that this “little/season” refers to a short time of rejoicing, perhaps during a time of political freedom shortly followed by social persecution.
o Now is a time for rejoicing. This is graduation week, and what do you do when your graduate’s name is called out and he or she walks across the stage to receive the diploma? You jump up and cheer, right? They posted signs all around Bramlege this year saying that “non-natural noisemakers were prohibited” at the graduation ceremony, but I still heard cowbells and airhorns when certain names were called! You just can’t hold back when you’re so excited you want to leap for joy!
o The Greek word for “rejoice” here (ἀγαλλιᾶσθε) is a compound of the Greek word for “again” and the Greek word for “jump” – it pictures being so excited you’re jumping up and down.
o People throughout the Bible got just that excited when they saw Jesus:
§ John 8:56 “...Abraham jumped for joy to see My day; he saw it and was glad.”
§ David saw the Lord before him and he jumped for joy, according to Acts 2:26.
§ Mary, when she understood that she really was pregnant with the Messiah said, “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit jumped for joy in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)
§ And when the Phillipian jailer heard about Jesus’ salvation from Paul and Silas he too jumped for joy (Acts 16:34).
o Interestingly, Jesus also jumped for joy, and that was when He saw His followers engaged in fruitful ministry: The seventy returned from their first mission trip saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name,” and Luke 10:21 tells us that “Jesus jumped for joy.” “Yes! Payback time!”
o In the sermon on the mount, Jesus encouraged His followers to continue with this kind of excitement because of the reward we will enjoy in heaven: Matthew 5:11-12, “Y’all are being blessed whenever liars reproach you and hunt [you] down and speak every evil against you for my sake. Keep rejoicing and leaping for joy, because your reward is bountiful in heaven, for they hunted down the prophets before you in the same way.” (NAW)
o This resonates with what Peter says later on in his own epistle: 1 Peter 4:13 “...to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory is revealed, you may also jump for joy.”
o And we see the fulfillment of that in the book of Revelat’n 19:7, “Rejoice, leap for joy, and glorify Him, for the marriage-feast of the Lamb has arrived, and His bride is ready” (NAW).
o And that, by the way, is every occurrence of this word in the New Testament. The same theme can be found in the Old Testament, as David, Isaiah, and Habakkuk “leapt for joy” in the Lord. There is nothing more exciting than seeing Jesus!
· But the next phrase tells us what matures that joy: “since it is necessary (εἰ δέον ἐστὶν[2]) to be grieved by various trials”
o The Greek grammar (ei + present tense verb) indicates that Peter believes this condition to actually be true. His readers really do have to experience “grief/distress/ heaviness.” “To this we were appointed,” wrote Paul in 1 Thess 3:3.
o Furthermore, the Greek grammar behind our English translations of the word “necessary” is emphatic; I think Peter is saying that suffering is not merely inevitable – to be grudgingly endured – but rather vitally necessary for the maturing of our faith!
o When “heavy” things come our way, white-knuckling through them with a bad attitude is not God’s will. He wants us to welcome the opportunity to trust Him more completely and to grow through the experience and become more joyful.
o In John 16:20, Jesus said, “Truly, truly I’m telling y’all that y’all will weep, yes, as for you, you will mourn, and the world will rejoice while you are grieved. However, your grief will turn into joy... and no one will be able to take that joy away from you then!” (NAW)
· At the end of v.6, Peter says that is grief will come “during various trials” (ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς)
o Now, when I think of the trials of first-century Christians, my thoughts naturally turn to being boiled in oil, or scourged, or burnt at the stake, or fed to lions, and I find myself feeling like I can’t really relate to what Peter is talking about, or else I compare my trials to these things and think my faith is so wimpy I might as well give up.
o Now, these kinds of things did happen in New Testament times (Mat. 26:37), but when I looked up every instance of the words “grieved” and “trials” so see what kind of griefs and trials Peter was likely talking about, I was in for a surprise. Most of these things were actually things I could relate to!
o Times when people in the New Testament experienced “grief” include: the anger of seeing other people commit injustice (Mat. 18:31), having a falling out with another Christian (Rom. 14:15), having to part with some of your possessions (Mat. 19:22), being dishonored and left in obscurity (2 Cor. 6:10), being confronted with a sin you’ve committed (Mat. 26:22, John 21:17, 2 Cor. 2:2), or being parted from a dear friend (John 16:20). Man alive, these are the kinds of things we face today too! Can it be that grief is designed by God to mature our joy?!
o In addition to “griefs/distresses/heaviness,” there are “various trials” (or “temptations,” as the KJV terms them). Once again these are not necessarily the stuff of epic films. These peirasmois trials are mentioned in the Bible as temptations to: do evil or to follow the leadership of the Evil One (Matt 6:13, Luke 4:13), to fall asleep when it’s really time to be praying or to abandon faith in Jesus when it looks like He’s not doing you any good (Mat. 26:41), to show off or to be selfish (Luke 4:13), or it may be a test of how you respond to harsh criticism or ridicule (Luke 22:28, Acts 20:19). It may be temptation to commit sexual sin (1 Cor 10:13), or it may come in the form of some physical infirmity that God has given you that makes life extra-difficult – or a physical infirmity God has given someone else that makes it more difficult to love them (Gal 4:14), or it could be the reverse – the kind of temptation that comes with wealth and health and peace to orient your life around the things you can buy with money (1 Tim 6:9).
o Every trial is essentially a circumstance in which you could take your eyes off of Christ.
o But the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 10:13, “...God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tested above what you are able, but rather He will make together with the test also the way out for the ability to undergo [it].”
o And just as there are “various kinds of trials” and things which cause grief, Peter says later on in chapter 4 that there are various kinds of grace! There is all kinds of grace from God to meet every kind of trial you encounter. In 1 Peter 4:10-11, it mentions the “varieties of grace” by which other Christians “speak” encouraging words to you and by which other Christians help you through “acts of service” “so that God is glorified.[3]”
· This suffering and testing matures you to have more joy than you ever would otherwise.
· The phrase “various trials” from the end of v.6, as well as the Greek noun dokimon at the beginning of verse 7, translated “refining/trial/genuineness/ proof” are only found in one other place in the Greek NT, and that is James 1:3, which, like Peter’s epistle, was addressed to those who were “scattered abroad” (Jas. 1:1), “...count it all joy when you fall into various trials [πειρασμοις[4]], knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:1-4, NKJV)[5]
· The participle dokimazome'nou, translated “refined/tried/tested” in the middle of the verse, comes from the same Greek root. It has to do with drawing conclusions about something after using a scientific process[6]. Here are a few ways the verb form is used in the NT:
o Hebrews 3:9 “your fathers tested [peirazw] me [God], tried me, and saw my works forty years. (NKJV)
o 1 Timothy 3:10 “let these [deacon candidates] first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, when they haven’t been called down for anything.” (NAW)
o Luke 12:56 “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?” (NKJV)
o Luke 14:19 And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them...” (NKJV)
o 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 “the work of each will become apparent, for the day will show that by fire it is revealed, and the fire will test the work of each one, as to what quality it is. If the work of someone remains which he has built up, he will receive a reward; if the work of someone gets burned down, he will suffer loss...” (NAW)
o 1 Corinthians 11:28 “Now a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” (NAW)
· Here in v.7, the process regarding the faith of Christians is compared to the process of refining gold. The KJV and ESV bring this out by using the same word to describe both processes (trial/tested) which is what the Greek text does:
o Gold is melted down so it doesn’t even look like a beautiful piece of jewelry anymore. In a sense, even the refining process makes what it was perish[7]. In the crucible, it just looks like a grey, shapeless puddle of slag. In a similar way, you may undergo changes in life circumstances which make you feel like everything that once defined you has been stripped away from you and you are not who you thought you were anymore. This is the first step in the process of maturing your joy.
o Gold is held over a fire that is superheated by bellows blowing extra oxygen into it so that it burns hotter than the fire in your fireplace or your gas heater, but that intense heat is the only way to burn out the impurities so that you get that beautiful golden shine that we love about gold. Likewise, God holds us over the fire, so to speak, using circumstances that cause us to suffer as a means to bring to the surface sins in our hearts and minds that He wants to get rid of. As much as we may crave stability and comfort, we don’t seem to mature and grow in joy without stress. It is God’s design that we grow and mature.
o And gold, when it has been worked by a master jeweler, turns into something beautiful. In the old days, a jeweler would bring his work of art directly to his patron all shined up and stored in a box with a velvet lining, and then he would open the box, and there it would be revealed in all its glory for the purchaser to admire. In a similar way, Ephesians 5 tells us that Jesus is working on the church to make her more and more beautiful to him, and there will be a day when He finally comes for His church, when He throws off His cloak of humble humanity and reveals Himself as the glorious second person of the Godhead, and he will proudly parade you – you – before the throne of God and say, “Isn’t she beautiful! These are the people I saw so much value in that I offered to die for them! Well done, good and faithful servants!”
o The way this verse is worded, I really think that the praise, glory, and honor, are God praising, glorifying, and honoring us. In the Greek, the word “valuable/precious/ greater worth,” which is used to describe the gold, is one of the three words used to describe the “value/honor” you will “receive at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Can you believe it? Of course we will praise, glorify, and honor God, but we are doing that already here on earth. One day, somehow, it will be mutual (Rom. 2:10, 1 Cor. 15:42-49, Phil. 3:21). The praise, glory, and honor He has worked into you through His crucibles in this life will shine in you on that day and through eternity. This will be worth any amount of hardship in this world.
o Trials are especially endurable when you don’t see them as pointless, but instead you know there is a reward waiting on the other end.
§ It’s like when a woman gives birth to a baby. There is a lot of discomfort involved in pregnancy and labor. Nobody would volunteer to go through all that pain just to have the experience of having developed a large tumor. (“My tumor was 6 pounds!” “Oh yeah? My tumor was 8 pounds.” “I’m going to try again and see if I can get to 10!”) But we can endure it when we know that our own son or daughter will be revealed at the end of that painful process.
· And yet there is an incomparable-ness brought out at the same time. There is no comparison between the value of refined gold and the value of our faith.
o Our faith is worth way more than gold. It is a relationship with the most important person in the universe, not with a created thing.
o Our faith lasts way longer than gold. Gold is perishable; faith is eternal.
o Our faith yields a much better result on judgment day too. Gold might offer a decent return on investment these days, but on Judgment Day, no amount of gold will be enough to bribe Jesus to let you into heaven. Justice will be done on that day, and only faith in Jesus’ satisfaction of God’s judgment against sin on the cross will be accepted as the grounds upon which you – who have been born in sin – will be allowed into heaven.
· Joy grows more intense through grief. Joy grows more mature through refining. Now the third principle:
· The “whom” and the “him” of verse 8 refer back to Jesus Christ, who was mentioned at the end of verse 7.
· Like you who are here today, the people to whom Peter wrote had never met Jesus.
o They had only heard about Him through people who told them about Him.
o But, like you, they began to love the Lord God with all their “heart and soul and mind and strength.” This, however, did not make God magically appear, like a genie in a bottle.
o Even while they believed the good news that Jesus took our sins upon Himself and died on the cross to bear God’s punishment for those sins and switched His record of perfect obedience to God with ours in order to make us right with God – even while believing this, we still can’t see God. He is invisible and He is in heaven.
o Of course, He will be revealed one day when He returns from heaven (as the end of v.7 says), but for now, we live by faith, trusting in a God we have never seen before.
o Hebrews 11 tells us that “faith is the evidence of things not seen” and “without faith it is impossible to please God.” This too is part of our maturing process. God is growing faith in us. (cf. John 20:29)
· Now Peter circles back to his statement in v.6 that these believers are rejoicing – even jumping up and down with joy, and he gives two reasons:
o One: they possess an unutterable and glorious joy -
§ In case you’re wondering, the word “glory” matches the word “joy” not the word “you” in the Greek wording of this verse,[8] so it’s not the people that have been made glorious (although they will be some day), it is the joy which is full of glory.
§ Furthermore it is a joy which is beyond words; it is “unspeakable/inexpressible.” (cf. 2 Cor. 9:15) Now God certainly values words – He even calls Jesus “the Word,” so there is nothing spiritual about avoiding the use of words by spouting unintelligible words or taking a vow of silence, but sometimes words are not enough. Sometimes you are so happy that talking about it would just spoil the moment, and posting it on Facebook would cheapen it. This is a joy that is matured by grief, trials, refining, patient endurance, faithful waiting and trusting. It doesn’t come cheaply like the thrill of a 25-cent carnival ride.
o Now verse 9 tells us the second reason to leap for joy, and that is: “receiving/obtaining the τέλος/ end/outcome/goal of faith.”
§ Once again, this is speaking of the here-and-now, we can currently be obtaining salvation – in the present tense (κομιζόμενοι). Rejoice, Christian, for salvation is already yours!
§ “The ‘glory’ is partly in present possession, through the presence of Christ, ‘the Lord of glory,’ in the soul; partly in assured anticipation... the body shall share in redemption hereafter; the soul of the believer is saved already: an additional proof that “receiving ... salvation” is here a thing present.” ~JFB
§ And yet it is also spoken of as something in the distance. The Greek word used here is what our word “telescope” is based on – something we’re seeing that’s far away, but it is the finishing point, the end result, the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls. Salvation is something we have in the here-and-now, and it is something that will be finally realized in the future “when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Jesus Himself is the goal of our faith.
§ As Peter says later on in chapter 5:4 “when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (NASB)
§ And in Hebrews 10:36-37, it says, “you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. (NASB)
Do you want to be jump-for-joy happy? Well, here’s God’s method:
· This feels very counter-intuative, but if you think of the opposites of these three divine methods of maturing joy, you’ll realize that joy does not come from luxury, immaturity, or predictability.
· “The intricacies of providence, more complicated than the most masterful game of chess, are too complex for us now. But someday he will make it plain to us; someday we shall understand...” ~Gordon Clark, pgs. 24-25
· “[The Christian’s] joy arises from his treasure... the glory of God and our own felicity are so connected that if we regularly seek the one we must attain the other.” ~Matthew Henry
· At bottom, it all points to a right relationship with Jesus:
o an attitude of submission to His Lordship (rather than asserting our own will against His)
o and an attitude of trusting in Him to make things right (rather than anxiously worrying about everything that could go wrong).
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GNT-V |
NAW |
KJV |
NKJV |
ESV |
NASB |
NIV |
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5 τους εν δυναμει θεου φρουρουμενους δια πιστεως εις σωτηριαν ετοιμην αποκαλυφθηναι εν καιρω εσχατω |
5 y’all who are protected by God’s power through faith for the purpose of a prepared salvation to be revealed during the final time. |
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. |
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. |
5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. |
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. |
5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until [the coming of] the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. |
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6 ἐν ᾧ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε[9] PNI, ὀλίγον ἄρτ, εἰ δέον PAP-NSN ἐστὶ[10], λυπηθέντες APP-N[11]PM ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς, |
6 In this y’all are leaping for joy a little now since it is vitally necessary to be grieved by various trials |
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, [though] now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: |
6 In this you greatly rejoice, [though] now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, |
6 In this you rejoice, [though] now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, |
6 In this you greatly rejoice, [even though] now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, |
6 In this you greatly rejoice, [though] now for a little while you [may] have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. |
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7 ἵνα τὸ δοκίμιον[12] ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως [13]πολυ τιμιωτερον χρυσίου τοῦ ἀπολλυμένουPMP-GSN διὰ πυρὸς δὲ δοκιμαζομένουPPP-GSN εὑρεθῇAPS εἰς ἔπαινον καὶ δόξαν[14] καὶ τιμὴν ἐν ἀποκαλύψει ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, |
7 so that the refining of y’all’s faith – a bunch more valuable than gold which perishes though it is refined through fire– might result in praise and glory and value during Jesus Christ’s unveiling. |
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: |
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, |
7 so that the [tested] genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. |
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; |
7 [These have come] so that your faith—of
greater worth than
gold, which perishes even though refined
by fire—[may be proved] genuine [and] may X result in praise, glory
and honor when
Jesus Christ |
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8 ὃν οὐκ [ε]ἰδότες[R[15]]AAP-NPM ἀγαπᾶτε PAI, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ[16] ὁρῶντες PAP-NPM, πιστεύοντες PAP-NPM δὲ ἀγαλλιᾶσθεPD[17]I χαρᾳ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ[18] καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ RPP-DSF, |
8 whom y’all love, not having seen, and in whom y’all now trust while not seeing. Y’all are jumping up and down with a gloriously-unutterable joy |
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: |
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, |
8 Though you have not seen [him], you love [him]. Though you do not now see [him], you believe in [him] [and] rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, |
8 [and] though you have not seen [Him], you love [Him], [and] though you do not see [Him] now, but believe in [Him], you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, |
8 Though you have not seen [him], you
love [him]; [and even] though you do not see [him] now, you believe in [him]
and are |
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9 κομιζόμενοι PMP-NPM τὸ τέλος τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν. |
9 while obtaining the goal of your faith: salvation of souls! |
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. |
9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. |
9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of [your] souls. |
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of [your] souls. |
9 |
[1] cf. 2 Corinthians 4:17 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory:” and Gen. 29:20 “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” (NKJV)
[2] The only other place in the New Testament that this form of dei appears (and there it also occurs with an estin) is Acts 19:36 “Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought [or, it is vitally necessary] to be quiet and do nothing rashly.” (NKJV) It occurs nowhere else next to a conditional as it is here.
[3] 1 Peter 4:10-11 NASB “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies...”
[4] The only other place in the Greek Bible that this form of this word occurs outside of James 1:2 and 1 Pet. 1:6 is Luke 22:28 "But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. (NKJV)
[5] It is also found once in the Greek Old Testament: Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are good words; silver which has been fire tested in the earth, purified seven times. (NAW from LXX)
[6] Vincent makes the salient point that while almost used as synonyms in this text, dokimazw is focused on proving the article genuine and worthy of being received, whereas peirazw is focused on finding bad things in the article so that they can be removed and it can be improved.
[7] I initially translated it this way, attaching the dia puros to apollumenou, but since the conjunction de is postpositive, the prepositional phrase “through fire” should be translated together with the second participle “refined” rather than with “perishes,” which is also how the standard English translations render it.
[8] Both of which are dative feminine singular, whereas the “you’s” are plural. I would further contend that it matches the word “unutterable” and is a hendiadyses where the two adjectival participles compound each other as one description of the joy rather than expressing two separate attributes to joy. That is the way I translated it, but it is a fine distinction that I don’t want to make a big deal over, especially since I am not aware of a clear test by which to be certain that a Greek text is intended as hendiadyses or not.
[9] Papyrus #72 is a bit tricky because it has several unique variations from all other Greek manuscripts in this passage, including omitting “mercy” in v. 3, omitting “God” in v.5, throwing the “rejoice” of v.6 into the past instead of the present, and substituting “multitudinous” (pollois) for “various” (poikiliois) at the end of v.6.
[10] ATR has the misleading statement, “Some MSS. have estin after deon (periphrastic construction),” but it would be more accurate to say that two manuscripts don’t have the estin (Siniaticus & Vaticanus). The estin is considered original in the Nestle-Aland critical text (26th edition=UBS 3rd edition). It doesn’t really change the meaning, merely emphasizes the presentness of the circumstance.
[11] According to The Nestle-Aland critical apparatus, there is a textual tradition – including the Sinaiticus and Angelicus – which changes one vowel to make this participle Accusative instead of Nominative. I can’t see how that would change the meaning though.
[12] P72 and a couple of miniscules render this ASM instead of NSN, leaving the sentence without a meaningful subject, so they are considered a misspelling.
[13] The critical text omits the space between the words and changes one vowel(πολυτιμότερον), but Both spellings are parsed the same and mean the same, and since neither Nestle-Aland, nor the UBS bothered to show textual support for diverging from the majority of Greek manuscripts in their critical apparati, I went with the traditional Greek text here.
[14] The Majority of Greek manuscripts (Including the 9th century Codex Porphyrianus as the oldest) include the word εις before doxan, but the majority of the oldest-known manuscripts do not, so I went with the critical text here, supported by P72, P74, א, A, B, C, etc. Since there is already an eis earlier in the phrase, it does not change the meaning.
[15] The perfect (with the augment) is supported by the Majority, with A, P, Ψ, and the Boharic version, whereas the shorter spelling is supported by P72, P74, א, A, B, C, a few Minuscules, and the Latin and Coptic versions. The perfect spelling vs. the Aorist spelling makes no difference in meaning.
[16] If you’re curious about the interplay of the two forms of the negative (ouk... me), Hannah has an explanation.
[17] A few mss have an active spelling here (B, C, 1852), but it makes no difference in meaning because a deponent can be translated active.
[18] The nu in the prefix here merely separates the alpha privative from the prepositional additive ek.