ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

1 Peter 2.6-8

Book: 1 Peter · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

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.

  1. 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 2:4-10, ASV)
WEB

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.

  1. 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 2:4-10, WEB)
KJV

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.

  1. 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 2:4-10, KJV)
YLT

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;

  1. 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 2:4-10, 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

The three-text stone catena stated in full, with the two responses it produces.

Verse 6, Isaiah 28:16. "Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed." In Isaiah the oracle is against rulers who had made a covenant with death and trusted in falsehood; the stone is God's alternative foundation. Peter's ou mē kataischynthē, will never be put to shame, speaks directly to readers whose social position is one of public shame.

Verse 7, Psalm 118:22. "The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone." Psalm 118 is a processional thanksgiving, and this line was already a Christian testimonium: Jesus applies it to Himself at the close of the vineyard parable (Mark 12:10-11), and Peter quotes it before the Sanhedrin at Acts 4:11. The rejection by the builders is the point: expert evaluation was wrong.

Verse 8, Isaiah 8:14. "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." In Isaiah the LORD Himself is the sanctuary and the stone of stumbling for both houses of Israel. Applying that text to Jesus is another instance of a YHWH passage read Christologically without comment, as at 1 Peter 3:15.

"To this doom they were also appointed." The clause is difficult and should be reported honestly. Grammatically the appointment most plausibly attaches to the stumbling that follows disobedience rather than to the disobedience itself, which is how many commentators read it; others read it as an appointment of persons. The verse is used on both sides of the predestination debate and settles neither by itself. See Predestination and Calvinism vs Arminianism vs Molinism vs Open Theism.

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.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Lexicon:

Passages:

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.