Passage
1 Peter 2.4-8
Book: 1 Peter · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT
Immediate context (±2 verses)
ASV
2. as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation; 3. if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious:
4. unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, 5. ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. Because it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame. 7. For you therefore that believe is the preciousness: but for such as disbelieve, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; 8. and, A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence; for they stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
- But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10. who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:2-10, ASV)
WEB
2. as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow, 3. if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious:
4. coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. 5. You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.” 7. For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,” 8. and, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.
- But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10. who in time past were no people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:2-10, WEB)
KJV
2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. are: or, be ye 6. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, precious: or, an honour 8. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
- But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: peculiar: or, purchased praises: or, virtues 10. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:2-10, KJV)
YLT
2. as new-born babes the word's pure milk desire ye, that in it ye may grow, 3. if so be ye did taste that the Lord [is] gracious,
4. to whom coming, a living stone, by men, indeed, having been disapproved of, but with God choice, precious, 5. and ye yourselves, as living stones, are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. Wherefore, also, it is contained in the Writing: 'Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, choice, precious, and he who is believing on him may not be put to shame;' 7. to you, then, who are believing [is] the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner, 8. and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, who are stumbling at the word, being unbelieving,, to which also they were set;
- and ye [are] a choice race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light; 10. who [were] once not a people, and [are] now the people of God; who had not found kindness, and now have found kindness. (1 Peter 2:2-10, YLT)
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Setting
- Speaker: Peter the apostle, writing with the help of Silvanus (1 Pet 5:12).
- Audience: Christians described as "those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Pet 1:1), five Roman provinces in northern and central Asia Minor. The audience is largely Gentile (1 Pet 1:18, a futile way of life inherited from their forefathers; 4:3-4).
- Location: Written from "Babylon" (1 Pet 5:13), which the great majority of interpreters read as a cipher for Rome, as in Revelation 17:5.
- Time period: c. AD 62-64 on the traditional authorship, before or at the very beginning of the Neronian persecution. The hostility the letter addresses is social and local, slander, exclusion, and abuse, rather than empire-wide legal prosecution.
Theological reading
A stone catena: Peter strings together three Old Testament stone texts and applies them all to Christ.
The three quotations.
| Verse | Source | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Isaiah 28:16 | a choice and precious cornerstone laid in Zion; whoever believes will not be disappointed |
| 7 | Psalm 118:22 | the stone the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone |
| 8 | Isaiah 8:14 | a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense |
The catena is not Peter's invention. Romans 9:32-33 combines the same Isaiah 28 and Isaiah 8 texts, and Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 against the chief priests at the end of the vineyard parable (Mark 12:10). Peter himself quotes it in Acts before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:11). A shared set of stone testimonia was evidently in early Christian circulation, and this passage is one of the fullest.
The two destinies. The same stone is precious to those who believe and a stumbling block to those who disobey. Peter does not soften either side, and verse 8's "to this doom they were also appointed" is one of the letter's harder clauses. The grammar allows the appointment to attach to the stumbling rather than to the disobedience, which is how many commentators read it, but the verse is genuinely difficult and should not be presented as easy in either direction. See Predestination.
Verses 4-5 make the readers stones too. Coming to the living stone, they become living stones in a spiritual house and a holy priesthood; see 1 Peter 2.4-5. The catena is therefore not an aside about Christology but the foundation of the identity Peter is giving a marginalized church.
Key words
Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.
- G2198 - zao, zao, Strong's G2198
- G4100 - pisteuo, pisteuo, Strong's G4100
- G3056 - logos, logos, Strong's G3056
- G5547 - christos, christos, Strong's G5547
- G1096 - ginomai, ginomai, Strong's G1096
- G4314 - pros, pros, Strong's G4314
Quoted in
Arguments and defeaters:
Concepts:
Lexicon:
- G1577 - ekklesia, via 1 Peter 2.4-5
- H7218 - rosh, via 1 Peter 2.7
Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.