Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7, World English Bible
One of the interesting thigns about reading a different translation is seeing the same passage from a fresh perspective. Most translations take the above two verses and make two separate sentences out of them; the NIV, for instance, renders the above verses like this:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
This makes it seem like two separate thoughts. But the World English Bible is a more literal translation; and so in the original these are one sentence.
Now, it is true that ancient Greek seems to encourage really long sentences – much longer than editors today would allow. But I do think it’s worth asking ourselves: Is there a reason this may have been one sentence in the original? Is there any connection between the first half and the second half?
I think when you reflect on it, there obviously is. It’s been said that all of our problems in this life boil down to doubting either God’s goodness, greatness, glory, or grace. Excessive worrying is in a way an act of hubris: We think that God can’t (or won’t) do anything about the issue; but we think that we can. And on the flip side, the might that means we should humble ourselves before God is the same might that God will use to keep us safe.
So the next time you hear one of these verses quoted in isolation, remember the other half. When you hear, “Cast all your cares on him for he cares for you”, remember that you should first humble yourself under the might hand of God. And when you hear that you should humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, remember that doing so will enable you to cast your cares on him because he cares for you.