7Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman—though the weaker vessel, they are joint heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers.
The Greek that is translated in various ways in English but typically something like “you husbands should live with your wives in an understanding way, since they are weaker than you” is translated into Eastern Arrernte as “each one of you are to be thinking correctly about the love that belongs to married people. Remember that your wife is not physically strong like you are.”
“The Greek word charis, usually translated by English ‘grace,’ is one of the desperations of translators. The area of meaning is exceptionally extensive. Note the following possible meanings for this word in various contexts of the New Testament: ‘sweetness,’ ‘charm,’ ‘loveliness,’ ‘good-will,’ ‘loving-kindness,’ ‘favor,’ ‘merciful kindness,’ ‘benefit,’ ‘gift,’ ‘benefaction,’ ‘bounty,’ and ‘thanks.’ The theological definition of ‘unmerited favor’ (some translators have attempted to employ this throughout) is applicable to only certain contexts. Moreover, it is quite a task to find some native expression which will represent the meaning of ‘unmerited favor.’ In some languages it is impossible to differentiate between ‘grace’ and ‘kindness.’ In fact, the translation ‘kindness’ is in some cases quite applicable. In other languages, a translation of ‘grace’ is inseparable from ‘goodness.’ In San Miguel El Grande Mixtec a very remarkable word has been used for ‘grace.’ It is made up of three elements. The first of these is a prefixial abstractor. The second is the stem for ‘beauty.’ The third is a suffix which indicates that the preceding elements are psychologically significant. The resultant word may be approximately defined as ‘the abstract quality of beauty of personality.’” (Source: Nida 1947, p. 223)
Other translations include (click or tap here to see more):
Inuktitut: “God’s kindness that enables us” (source: Andrew Atagotaaluk)
Nukna: “God gave his insides to one.” (“The ‘insides’ are the seat of emotion in Nukna, like the heart in the English language. To give your insides to someone is to feel love toward them, to want what is best for them, and to do good things for them.” (Source: Matt Taylor in The PNG Experience )
Uma: “(God’s) white insides” (source: Uma Back Translation)
the Germandas Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) uses a large variety of translations, including “undeserved friendliness,” “wonderful work of God,” “loving attention,” “generous,” but also “undeserved grace” (using the traditional German term Gnade)
In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “grace” and “mercy.” (Source: Katie Roth)
For Muna, René van den Berg explains the process how the translation team arrived at a satisfactory solution: “Initial translation drafts in Muna tended to (…) use the single word kadawu ‘part, (given) share, gift,’ but this word is really too generic. It lacks the meaning component of mercy and kindness and also seems to imply that the gift is part of a larger whole. Consequently we now [translate] according to context. In wishes and prayers such as ‘Grace to you and peace from God’ we translate ‘grace’ as kabarakati ‘blessing’ (e.g. Gal 1:3). In many places we use kataano lalo ‘goodness of heart’ (e.g. Gal 1:15 ‘because of the goodness of his heart God chose me’) as well as the loan rahamati ‘mercy’ (e.g. ‘you have-turned-your-backs-on the mercy of God’ for ‘you have fallen away from grace’; Gal 5:4). In one case where the unmerited nature of ‘grace’ is in focus, we have also employed katohai ‘a free gift’ (typically food offered to one’s neighbo-1urs) in the same verse. ‘The reason-you-have-been-saved is because of the goodness of God’s heart (Greek charis, Muna kataano lalo), going-through your belief in Kristus. That salvation is not the result of your own work, but really a free-gift (Greek dooron ‘gift’; Muna katohai) of God.’ (Eph 2:8).
In Burmese, it is translated with the Buddhist term kyeh’jooh’tau (ကျေးဇူးတော်). LaSeng Dingrin (in Missiology 37/4, 2009, p. 485ff.) explains: “As regards the Christian term ‘grace,’ Judson [the first translator of the Bible into Burmese] could not have brought the Burmese Buddhists the good news about the redeeming work of Jesus Christ and its benefits (i.e., forgiveness and salvation), without employing the Burmese Buddhist term kyeh’jooh’tau (‘grace’). Deriving from Palikataññuta (“gratefulness”), kyeh’jooh’tau denotes ‘good deeds for others or benefits,’ which occur among humans. (…) When Christianized, kyeh’jooh’tau also refers to the atoning work of Jesus and its benefits, and can occur between humans and God. The word kyeh’jooh’tau looks very Burmese Buddhist, but it is Christian, too, and conveys the core of the Christian proclamation. Furthermore, kyeh’jooh’tau itself shows that translatability of Christianity cannot be imagined without reliance on Buddhism.” (See also the Burmese entry for God)
In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines “compassion” and “giving out.” (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Grace” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Peter 3:7:
Uma: “So also men/husbands, live in harmony with your wives, and consider how to help them, for their strength is not like the strength of men. But even so, your wives are just the same as you in the sight of God, because he has also given them eternal life the same as you. That is why you must honor them as like is fitting. For if you do not live in harmony with your wives, your prayers will be hindered.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Now we (incl.) also who have wives we (incl.) should live-in-harmony/be-in-agreement with our (incl.) wives. We (incl.) should remember that they are weaker than we (incl.) are, therefore we (incl.) should respect them. And we (incl.) are equally given by God life without end in heaven because of his love and mercy to us (incl.). Do this so that God will hear when you pray to him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for us (incl.) men also, it is necessary that we take good care of and we respect our wives. For even though their bodies are weaker than ours, they are like us, for God has also given them life forever. and it is necessary that we respect them so that God will listen to our prayers.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “You men also, you must esteem/respect and properly care-for your spouses, because they are weaker than you. Also esteem/respect them, because they inherit-with (nonpast) you the life that has no end that God gives. Follow these (instructions) in order that nothing will block your prayers.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well as for you men now, you must truly treat- your wife -hospitably/well. Care for them well, recognizing that as for them, they can’t equal the strength of the man, and recognizing also that you are the same, female and male, in being graced by God with life which is without ending. Therefore treat them well so that there’s no hindrance when you pray.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Also I speak to the men. Live well with your wives. Show respect to them because they are not strong like you are. Respect them because they also along with you are to be given the grace of the new life. Do this in order that when you pray to God, God will hear what you ask.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Peter now addresses the husbands, and states how they should deal with their wives. For In the same way, see 3.1. If the phrase In the same way refers specifically to the manner in which wives are to submit themselves to their husbands, it can be misunderstood in the context of verse 7, for this verse does not say that husbands should submit themselves to their wives. It may therefore be important to render In the same way as “similarly” or “in a similar way” or “in a way that is like this.”
Live with your wives is literally “living together,” with the participle having an imperative force (as in 3.1), and with wives as the implicit object. “Living together” may be understood specifically as referring to the sexual relation between the husband and the wife, but generally in a wider sense, covering their total relationship (compare New English Bible “you husbands must conduct your married life”). Live with your wives may be rendered as “live together with your wives” or “behave toward your wives.” With the proper understanding is literally “in the knowledge.” “Knowledge” may be understood in a general sense as the proper thing to do, or specifically as Christian knowledge, that is, proper understanding which is based on the gospel. The content of this understanding is twofold: that the women are the weaker sex and secondly, that they too, like their husbands, will receive … God’s gift of life. It is not shown in what way the wife is the weaker sex, whether physically, intellectually, or spiritually, but perhaps the physical and the social are intended here, that is, women were considered physically inferior to men, and during that time at least, they were of a much lower social status than men.
It may be difficult to indicate clearly the relationship between the expressions must live with your wives and with the proper understanding that they are the weaker sex. This may be expressed in some instances as “must live with your wives in such a way as to show that you realize that they are the weaker sex” or “you husbands must understand that your wives are the weaker sex and this must determine how you live with them.” The word for sex here (Greek skeuos) is literally “vessel,” or a jar, but in the New Testament it is sometimes used of people (Acts 9.15; 2 Tim 2.21), and of women in particular (1 Thes 4.4). Here perhaps this latter sense is what is intended, for to describe the women as the weaker skeuos is to imply that men are the stronger skeuos. To understand it as referring to women in this verse may give the idea that women are simply vessels or tools in the hands of men, an idea which is contrary to the spirit of the whole verse.
It may be very difficult to find a satisfactory term for sex, since any relatively close expression may suggest sexual relations rather than sex as a characteristic that contrasts women with men. Therefore, it may be better to translate they are the weaker sex as “they are weaker than men are.” In a number of instances, however, it may be better to use a negative expression such as “they are not as strong as men are,” and in the choice of a term meaning “strong” it is important to try to employ a term which will mean more than mere physical strength, for obviously social status would be a significant factor in this type of context.
Respect (literally “honor”) is usually bestowed on the strong and the powerful, but here the husbands are urged to respect their wives, for the very reason that they are weaker. But a further reason is given why the women are worthy of respect: they will also share, together with the husband, God’s gift of life (literally “joint heirs of the grace of life”). Treat them with respect may be rendered simply as “respect them” or “show them respect.”
The word “heir” is usually used of someone who inherits something after the death of his parents, and a literal translation will make this meaning primary. But here and in many parts of the New Testament, “heir” is used in an extended sense as describing someone who receives something, hence Good News Translationthey will receive, with God as the implicit giver. What they will receive is “the grace of life,” with “grace” here used in the sense of “free gift.” What Peter is saying then is that the wives, together with the husbands, will receive life from God, which is his free gift to them. Life is eternal life (1.3), or more specifically the final salvation mentioned in 1.5.
Some persons have interpreted the Greek expression rendered here as they also will receive, together with you, God’s gift of life as being specifically a reference to the joint gift of procreation, that is to say, that the man and wife together are thus granted the privilege of producing offspring. Such an interpretation, however, does not seem to be justified in view of the total context, and therefore one can perhaps best translate because they also will receive, together with you, God’s gift of life as “because you and they together will receive God’s gift of life” or “… will receive life as a gift from God” or “… because God will cause you and them together to have life; this is a gift from God.”
Do this refers to the husbands’ treatment of their wives. Do this may be rendered explicitly as “live with your wives in this manner” or “treat your wives in this way.”
In a number of languages one cannot be ambiguous with respect to the imperative statement in the final sentence of verse 7. Under such circumstances one must either say “you husbands must do this” or “you people must do this,” in which case, of course, both husbands and wives are included.
The purpose of such treatment is so that nothing will interfere with your prayers. The second person plural pronoun here may refer to husbands alone, or to both husbands and wives. Taking the former sense, Peter could mean that the husbands cannot offer proper prayers to God if they do not have good relationships with their wives. Taking this latter sense, the meaning could be that the husband and the wife cannot pray properly either separately or together, because of their broken relationship. Implicit in the statement is the idea that one’s relationship to God is somehow conditioned by or dependent on one’s relationship to others.
So that nothing will interfere with your prayers may be difficult to express in some languages, particularly since there is no qualification for the negation nothing. It may be difficult, if not impossible, to conceive of what could possibly interfere with prayers. In some languages it may therefore be useful to render so that nothing will interfere with your prayers as “so that you may be able to pray properly” or “so that you will be able to pray as you should” or “so that you will not be prevented from praying as you should.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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