King James Version
1 Peter 1
25 verses with commentary
Greeting
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
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<strong>Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.</strong> This epistle opens with Peter identifying himself not by his former name Simon, but by the name Christ gave him—<em>Petros</em> (Πέτρος, "rock"). The designation "apostle" (<em>apostolos</em>, ἀπόστολος) means "one sent with authority," establishing Peter's cre...
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(1) **Peter, an apostle**.—The authoritative tone of this Epistle is shown at the outset. The writer assumes his full titles; not (as in the Second Epistle) his merely human name of Simeon, nor his humble capacity of “servant,” but the Rock-name which Christ had given him, and the official dignity of an “Apostle of Jesus Christ”—*i.e., *one charged with full legatine authority from Christ (John 17...
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**7. I come--**rather, "I am come" (see on He 10:5). "Here we have the creed, as it were, of Jesus: 'I am come to fulfil the law,' Mt 5:17; to preach, Mr 1:38; to call sinners to repentance, Lu 5:32; to send a sword and to set men at variance, Mt 10:34, 35; I came down from heaven to do the will of Him that sent me, Joh 6:38, 39 (so here, Psa 40:7, 8); I am sent to the lost sheep of the house of I...
Read full commentary →Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
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<strong>Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.</strong> This magnificent verse unveils the Trinitarian nature of salvation. The "elect" (<em>eklektois</em>, ἐκλεκτοῖς) are chosen ones, selected by God for salvation. Their election is "accordin...
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(2) **Elect.**—A *true* chosen people. This word marks them off from the rest of the Jewish settlers in those parts. It is an evasion of the difficulty to say that they were elect only in the mass, as a body. The election was individual and personal. God selected these particular Hebrews out of the whole number, and made them Christians; but *what* He elected them *to* is abundantly shown in the n...
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**8. he--**Christ.
**Sacrifice, &c.--**The oldest manuscripts read, "Sacrifices and offerings" (plural). This verse combines the two clauses previously quoted distinctly, He 10:5, 6, in contrast to the sacrifice of Christ with which God was well pleased.
Born Again to a Living Hope
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, abundant: Gr. much
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This doxology erupts in praise for God's transformative work in regeneration. "Blessed be" (<em>eulogētos</em>, εὐλογητός) is the language of worship, ascribing glory to God for His saving acts. The phrase "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" affirms both Christ's deity and His incarnate sonship, establishing the Trinitarian foundation of salvation. The core truth is that God "hath begotten u...
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(3-12) PANEGYRIC OF THE GOSPEL FROM A HEBREW POINT OF VIEW.—The Apostle thanks God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That fact is a regeneration of us, and a pledge of future glory, in view of which such afflictions as beset the Asiatic Hebrews were seen to serve a purpose, and that purpose the very “salvation” which had formed the theme of the Old Testament.
(3) **Blessed.**—A form consecrate...
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**9. Then said he--**"At that time (namely, when speaking by David's mouth in the fortieth Psalm) He hath said." The rejection of the legal sacrifices involves, as its concomitant, the voluntary offer of Jesus to make the self-sacrifice with which God is well pleased (for, indeed, it was God's own "will" that He came to do in offering it: so that this sacrifice could not but be well pleasing to Go...
Read full commentary →To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, for you: or, for us
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Peter shifts from believers' regeneration (v.3) to their inheritance, employing three negative adjectives to describe its excellence. "To an inheritance" (<em>eis klēronomian</em>, εἰς κληρονομίαν) uses terminology from property law—a secured legacy passing from parent to child. It is "incorruptible" (<em>aphtharton</em>, ἄφθαρτον)—unable to decay, immune to corruption, unlike earthly possessions ...
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(4) **To an inheritance.**—This is structurally parallel to and explanatory of, the clause “into a living hope” We are, as the saying is, born to an estate. This notion of an “inheritance,” or property, that we have come in for, is particularly Hebrew, occurring very frequently in the Old Testament. The Pontine dispersion had lost their “inheritance” in Palestine, but there is a better in store fo...
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**10. By--**Greek, "In." So "in," and "through," occur in the same sentence, 1Pe 1:22, "Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit." Also, 1Pe 1:5, in the Greek. The "in (fulfilment of) which will" (compare the use of in, Ep 1:6, "wherein [in which grace] He hath made us accepted, in the Beloved"), expresses the originating cause; "THROUGH the offering ... of Christ," the ...
Read full commentary →Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
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This verse shifts from the inheritance's security to the believer's security, providing divine assurance of perseverance. "Who are kept" (<em>tous phrouroumenous</em>, τοὺς φρουρουμένους) employs military terminology—<em>phroureō</em> means to guard with military garrison, protect with armed force. The present passive participle indicates continuous action: believers are continuously being guarded...
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(5) **Who are kept**.—This explains the word “you:” “those, I mean, who are under the guardianship of God’s power.” Bengel says, “As the inheritance hath been preserved, so are the heirs guarded; neither shall it fail them, nor they it.”
**Through faith.**—The Apostle is fearful lest the last words should give a false assurance. God can guard none of us, in spite of His “power,” unless there be a ...
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**11. And--**a new point of contrast; the frequent repetition of the sacrifices.
**priest--**The oldest manuscripts read, "high priest." Though he did not in person stand "daily" offering sacrifices, he did so by the subordinate priests of whom, as well as of all Israel, he was the representative head. So "daily" is applied to the high priests (He 7:27).
**standeth--**the attitude of one minis...
Read full commentary →Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
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Peter addresses the paradox of Christian experience: simultaneous rejoicing and suffering. "Wherein ye greatly rejoice" (<em>en hō agalliasthe</em>, ἐν ᾧ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε) uses the present tense to indicate continuous joy—not occasional happiness but abiding gladness rooted in salvation's realities (verses 3-5). The phrase "though now for a season" (<em>oligon arti</em>, ὀλίγον ἄρτι) acknowledges presen...
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(6) **Wherein ye greatly rejoice**.—“His scope,” says Leighton, “is to stir up and strengthen spiritual joy in his afflicted brethren; and therefore having set the matter of it before them in the preceding verses, he now applies it, and expressly opposes it to their distresses.” There is a little doubt as to the antecedent of the word “wherein.” At first sight it would seem to be “in the last time...
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**12. this man--**emphatic (He 3:3).
**for ever--**joined in English Version with "offered one sacrifice"; offered one sacrifice, the efficacy of which endures for ever; literally. "continuously," (compare He 10:14). "The offering of Christ, once for all made, will continue the one and only oblation for ever; no other will supersede it" [Bengel]. The mass, which professes to be the frequent repe...
Read full commentary →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:
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Peter explains the purpose of trials mentioned in verse 6, employing gold refining as metaphor for faith's testing. "That the trial of your faith" (<em>to dokimion hymōn tēs pisteōs</em>, τὸ δοκίμιον ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως) uses <em>dokimion</em>, meaning the proving or testing that demonstrates genuineness. God tests faith not to discover its quality (He knows) but to display and strengthen it. The com...
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(7) **That the trial of your faith.**—This depends grammatically on “having been grieved.” The purpose of God’s providence in sending the griefs is “that the trial of your faith might be found unto praise.” The word “trial” here does not mean exactly the same as in the passage of St. James; in that passage it signifies the active testing of faith, *here* it has rather the meaning of the cognate wo...
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**13. expecting--**"waiting." Awaiting the execution of His Father's will, that all His foes should be subjected to Him. The Son waits till the Father shall "send Him forth to triumph over all His foes." He is now sitting at rest (He 10:12), invisibly reigning, and having His foes virtually, by right of His death, subject to Him. His present sitting on the unseen throne is a necessary preliminary ...
Read full commentary →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:
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Peter describes the paradoxical nature of Christian faith and joy in Christ. "Whom having not seen, ye love" (<em>hon ouk idontes agapate</em>, ὃν οὐκ ἰδόντες ἀγαπᾶτε) employs the aorist participle <em>idontes</em> (having seen) to indicate Peter's readers never personally encountered the incarnate Christ—unlike Peter himself who walked with Jesus for three years. Yet they "love" (<em>agapate</em>...
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(8) **Whom, having not seen.**—Said in contrast to the word “revelation” in the last verse: “whom you love already, though He is not yet revealed, so that you have not as yet seen Him.” There seems to be a kind of tender pity in the words, as spoken by one who himself had seen so abundantly (Acts 4:20; Acts 10:41; 2Peter 1:16). In this and the following verse we return again from the sorrow to the...
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**14. For--**The sacrifice being "for ever" in its efficacy (He 10:12) needs no renewal.
**them that are sanctified--**rather as Greek, "them that are being sanctified." The sanctification (consecration to God) of the elect (1Pe 1:2) believers is perfect in Christ once for all (see on He 10:10). (Contrast the law, He 7:19; 9:9; 10:1). The development of that sanctification is progressive.
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
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Peter identifies the goal toward which believers' faith and joy tend. "Receiving" (<em>komizomenoi</em>, κομιζόμενοι) is a present middle participle indicating continuous action: believers are presently receiving, obtaining, carrying away what is theirs. This suggests both present and future aspects of salvation—believers currently experience salvation's benefits while awaiting its consummation. T...
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(9) **Receiving the end of your faith.**—The “*end* of our faith” means, the *object* to which our faith is directed, the thing we believed *for.* And “faith” catches up the “believing” of last verse, so that, in reading, the accent of the sentence falls on “end,” not on “faith;” and the whole clause is added to justify the statement that we rejoice with a joy which has already attained its full p...
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15. The Greek, has "moreover," or "now."
**is a witness--**of the truth which I am setting forth. The Father's witness is given He 5:10. The Son's, He 10:5. Now is added that of the Holy Spirit, called accordingly "the Spirit of grace," He 10:29. The testimony of all Three leads to the same conclusion (He 10:18).
**for after that he had said before--**The conclusion to the sentence is in He 10...
Read full commentary →Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
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Peter introduces the salvation theme's historical depth, revealing Old Testament prophets' intense interest in New Covenant blessings. "Of which salvation" (<em>peri hēs sōtērias</em>, περὶ ἧς σωτηρίας) connects to verse 9, indicating the salvation believers receive was object of prophetic inquiry. The verbs "enquired and searched diligently" (<em>exezētēsan kai exēraunēsan</em>, ἐξεζήτησαν καὶ ἐξ...
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(10) Now St. Peter brings his doctrine home to the hearts of his readers of the Dispersion, by showing them how scriptural it is. Surely they will not “draw back” (Hebrews 10:39), but believe on to the purchasing of their souls, when they consider that all the prophets looked forward with envy to the prize now in their hands.
(10) **Of which salvation.**—The “of” stands for “concerning,” “with reg...
Read full commentary →Searching what , or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow .
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Peter details the prophets' specific search focus: timing and manner of Messiah's coming. "Searching what, or what manner of time" (<em>eraunōntes eis tina ē poion kairon</em>, ἐραυνῶντες εἰς τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρόν) uses <em>eraunaō</em> (search carefully) with two questions: "what" (<em>tina</em>, which specific time) and "what manner" (<em>poion</em>, what kind/character of time). Prophets pondered...
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(11) **Searching.**—This further explains the “inquired and searched” above; it particularises the object of the inquiry. They knew that they spoke “concerning a salvation,” but they did not know the *details.* The present passage is perhaps the most striking in the whole New Testament in regard to the doctrine of prophetic inspiration. Assuming that the prophets did not speak simply of their own ...
Read full commentary →Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
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Peter reveals the prophets' unique position in redemptive history. "Unto whom it was revealed" (<em>hois apekalyphthē</em>, οἷς ἀπεκαλύφθη) indicates divine disclosure—God revealed to prophets crucial information about their prophecies' fulfillment. The content: "that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister" (<em>hoti ouch heautois hymin de diēkonoun auta</em>, ὅτι οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς ὑμῖν δὲ δ...
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(12) **Unto whom it** **was revealed.**—As 1Peter 1:11 expanded and expounded the words “inquired and searched,” so the first part of 1Peter 1:12 expounds the words “prophesied of the grace in reserve for you.” That is to say, the revelation here spoken of is not a special revelation sent in answer to their laborious musings, but rather the very thing which occasioned them; the perplexity consiste...
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**18. where remission of these is--**as there is under the Gospel covenant (He 10:17). "Here ends the finale (He 10:1-18) of the great tripartite arrangement (He 7:1-25; 7:26-9:12; 9:13-10:18) of the middle portion of the Epistle. Its great theme was Christ a High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. What it is to be a high priest after the order of Melchisedec is set forth, He 7:1-25, ...
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Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; to the end: Gr. perfectly
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Peter transitions from indicative (what God has done) to imperative (how believers should respond). "Wherefore" (<em>dio</em>, διό) connects commands to preceding truths about salvation's magnificence. The first command: "gird up the loins of your mind" (<em>anazōsamenoi tas osphyas tēs dianoias hymōn</em>, ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν) uses imagery from Palestinian culture where men ...
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(13-25) GENERAL APPLICATION OF THE FOREGOING.—This salvation being so magnificent, the Asiatic Hebrews must cling to it tenaciously, in holiness, in reverence caused by consideration of the cost of it, and in charity: the gospel they have received cannot be improved upon.
(13) **Gird up the loins of your mind.**—A metaphor from persons gathering up the flowing Oriental dress (which had been let do...
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19. Here begins the third and last division of the Epistle; our duty now while waiting for the Lord's second advent. Resumption and expansion of the exhortation (He 4:14-16; compare He 10:22, 23 here) wherewith he closed the first part of the Epistle, preparatory to his great doctrinal argument, beginning at He 7:1.
**boldness--**"free confidence," grounded on the consciousness that our sins hav...
Read full commentary →As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
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Peter develops the holiness theme, first addressing identity: "as obedient children" (<em>hōs tekna hypakoēs</em>, ὡς τέκνα ὑπακοῆς)—literally "children of obedience," a Hebraism indicating those characterized by obedience. This contrasts with former identity as "children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). Believers' new nature as God's children produces obedient response to Father's will. The nega...
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(14) **As obedient children**.—Literally, *as children of obedience*—children, *i.e., *in the sense of relationship, not of age. It is characteristic of the writer to keep one thought underlying many digressions, and so here, the appeal to them as “children” is based on the “begotten again” of 1Peter 1:3, and “inheritance” of 1Peter 1:4; it comes up again in 1Peter 1:17, “the Father”; in 1Peter 1:...
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**20. which, &c.--**The antecedent in the Greek is "the entering"; not as English Version, "way." Translate, "which (entering) He has consecrated (not as though it were already existing, but has been the first to open, INAUGURATED as a new thing; see on He 9:18, where the Greek is the same) for us (as) a new (Greek, 'recent'; recently opened, Ro 16:25, 26) and living way" (not like the lifeles...
Read full commentary →But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
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Peter presents the positive command contrasting verse 14's prohibition. "But as he which hath called you is holy" (<em>alla kata ton kalesanta hymas hagion</em>, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν καλέσαντα ὑμᾶς ἅγιον) establishes the standard: God who called believers is "holy" (<em>hagion</em>, ἅγιον)—utterly pure, morally perfect, separated from all evil. "Called" (<em>kalesanta</em>, καλέσαντα, aorist participle) ...
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(15) **But as he which hath called you is holy.**—More correctly, *But according to* (or, *after, i.e., *in the likeness of: see Ephesians 4:24, “after God”) *the Holy One who called you.* The “calling” is mentioned because of the obligation it imposes upon us. Bengel notices how fond St. Peter is of the words “call,” “calling.” (See 1Peter 2:9; 1Peter 2:21; 1Peter 3:9; 1Peter 5:10; 2Peter 1:3; 2P...
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**21. high priest--**As a different Greek term (archiereus) is used always elsewhere in this Epistle for "high priest," translate as Greek here, "A Great Priest"; one who is at once King and "Priest on His throne" (Zec 6:13); a royal Priest, and a priestly King.
**house of God--**the spiritual house, the Church, made up of believers, whose home is heaven, where Jesus now is (He 12:22, 23). Thus,...
Read full commentary →Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
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Peter grounds the holiness command in Scripture's authority. "Because it is written" (<em>dioti gegraptai</em>, διότι γέγραπται) uses the perfect tense <em>gegraptai</em> indicating action completed in past with enduring results: Scripture was written and remains authoritative. This formula introduces Old Testament quotations throughout New Testament, affirming Hebrew Scriptures' binding authority...
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(16) **Be ye holy; for I am holy.**—The better reading here is, *Ye shall he holy;* it is still, however, a command, not a promise—except that all God’s commands are promises. The command comes some five or six times in the Book of Leviticus, addressed not only to the Levites, but to all the people. It would, therefore, apply twice over to the recipients of this letter by virtue of their twofold c...
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22. (He 4:16; 7:19.)
**with a true heart--**without hypocrisy; "in truth, and with a perfect heart"; a heart thoroughly imbued with "the truth" (He 10:26).
**full assurance--**(He 6:11); with no doubt as to our acceptance when coming to God by the blood of Christ. As "faith" occurs here, so "hope," and "love," He 10:23, 24.
**sprinkled from--**that is, sprinkled so as to be cleansed from.
...
Read full commentary →And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
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Peter addresses believers' conduct during earthly sojourn, grounding it in God's character as impartial judge. The conditional "And if ye call on the Father" (<em>kai ei patera epikaleisthe</em>) assumes believers do call on God as Father—this is definitional of Christianity. The participial phrase "who without respect of persons judgeth" (<em>ton aprosōpolēmptōs krinonta</em>) uses <em>aprosōpolē...
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(17) **And if**.—The “if” casts no doubt, but, on the contrary, serves to bring out the necessary logical connection between invoking the Father—and such a Father—and fear. (See Note on 1Thessalonians 4:14.)
**Ye call on the Father.**—We might paraphrase by “if you use the Lord’s Prayer.” (Refer again to 1Peter 1:3; 1Peter 1:14.) The word seems not only to mean “if you *appeal* to the Father,” but...
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23. (He 3:6, 14; 4:14.)
**profession--**Greek, "confession."
**our faith--**rather as Greek, "our hope"; which is indeed faith exercised as to the future inheritance. Hope rests on faith, and at the same time quickens faith, and is the ground of our bold confession (1Pe 3:15). Hope is similarly (He 10:22) connected with purification (1Jo 3:3).
**without wavering--**without declension (He 3:1...
Read full commentary →Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
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Peter grounds holiness in redemption's costly nature. "Forasmuch as ye know" (<em>eidotes hoti</em>) indicates settled knowledge—believers definitively know what follows. "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things" (<em>ou... elythrōthēte phtharetois</em>) uses <em>lytroō</em>, the marketplace term for purchasing slaves' freedom by paying ransom price. Believers were enslaved to sin; Christ pai...
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(18) **Forasmuch as ye know.**—This correctly paraphrases the simple original *knowing.* Security, which is the opposite of the fear of the Father, is incompatible with knowing by whose and what anguish alone the inheritance could be purchased for us.
**Corruptible things.**—St. Peter’s contempt for *“*silver and gold” is shown early in his history (Acts 3:6; comp. 1Peter 3:4). Gold and silver wil...
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24. Here, as elsewhere, hope and love follow faith; the Pauline triad of Christian graces.
**consider--**with the mind attentively fixed on "one another" (see on He 3:1), contemplating with continual consideration the characters and wants of our brethren, so as to render mutual help and counsel. Compare "consider," Psa 41:1, and He 12:15, "(All) looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of G...
Read full commentary →But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
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Having stated what was NOT redemption's price (silver/gold, v.18), Peter declares what WAS: "But with the precious blood of Christ" (<em>alla timiō haimati Christou</em>). "Precious" (<em>timiō</em>) means costly, valuable beyond measure—not just expensive but infinitely worthy. "Blood" (<em>haimati</em>) represents life poured out in violent death—not natural death but sacrificial slaughter. "Of ...
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(19) **With the precious blood of Christ.**—“Precious” means, not “much prized by us,” but *costly, *precious in itself; opposed to the perishableness of gold and silver. Notice that it is not “Jesus,” but “Christ,” *i.e., *the Messiah. No price short of the “blood,” *i.e., *the death, of the Messiah could free the Jews from the thraldom of their “vain conversation.” (Comp. 1Peter 1:2 and Note.) H...
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**25. assembling of ourselves together--**The Greek, "episunagoge," is only found here and 2Th 2:1 (the gathering together of the elect to Christ at His coming, Mt 24:31). The assembling or gathering of ourselves for Christian communion in private and public, is an earnest of our being gathered together to Him at His appearing. Union is strength; continual assemblings together beget and foster lov...
Read full commentary →Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
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Peter reveals Christ's eternal role in redemption. "Who verily was foreordained" (<em>proegenōsmenou men</em>) uses perfect passive participle indicating completed action with lasting results—Christ was foreknown/foreordained by God and remains so. "Before the foundation of the world" (<em>pro katabolēs kosmou</em>) places divine decree before creation—redemption wasn't divine afterthought but ete...
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(20) **Who verily was foreordained.**—There is a sharp contrast intended between the two clauses of this verse, and in the Greek the tenses are different. “Who *had been foreknown, *indeed, before the foundation of the world, but for your benefit *was *(*only*)* pointed out* at the end of the times.” St, Peter is returning once more to the great argument of 1Peter 1:10-12, “Do not treat your share...
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26. Compare on this and following verses, He 6:4, &c. There the warning was that if there be not diligence in progressing, a falling off will take place, and apostasy may ensue: here it is, that if there be lukewarmness in Christian communion, apostasy may ensue.
**if we sin--**Greek present participle: if we be found sinning, that is, not isolated acts, but a state of sin [Alford]. A violat...
Read full commentary →Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
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Peter describes believers' new relationship to God through Christ. "Who by him do believe in God" (<em>tous di' autou pistous eis theon</em>)—Christ is the means/mediator through whom believers access faith in God. No one comes to the Father except through Christ (John 14:6). The dual description of God follows: He "raised him up from the dead" (<em>ton egeiranta auton ek nekrōn</em>)—God the Fath...
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(21) **Who by him do believe in God.**—The sentence is joined on to the foregoing verse just as in 1Peter 1:5, “Who are kept.” The “who” might be rendered by “and you;” and the clause adds a kind of proof of the foregoing statement, drawn from the result of God’s manifestation of Christ to them. “This Christian doctrine is no innovation, nothing to lead you away from the God of our fathers. That s...
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**27. a certain--**an extraordinary and indescribable. The indefiniteness, as of something peculiar of its kind, makes the description the more terrible (compare Greek, Jas 1:18).
**looking for--**"expectation": a later sense of the Greek. Alford strangely translates, as the Greek usually means elsewhere, "reception." The transition is easy from "giving a reception to" something or someone, to "...
Read full commentary →Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter transitions to brotherly love as sanctification's fruit. "Seeing ye have purified your souls" (<em>tas psychas hymōn hēgnikotes</em>) uses perfect participle indicating past completed action with ongoing results—believers were purified at conversion and remain pure. This purification occurred "in obeying the truth" (<em>en tē hypakoē tēs alētheias</em>)—through responding to gospel with fait...
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(22) **Purified your souls in obeying.**—Bengel well points us to 2Peter 1:5-7, where, in like manner, St. Peter delights to exhibit gradations of grace. “Obeying the truth” here will correspond to “knowledge” there, with its immediate consequences of “self-mastery,” “endurance,” and “reverence;” after which we pass on to “love of the brethren,” and thence, as to a higher grace, to “love” or “char...
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28. Compare He 2:2, 3; 12:25.
**despised--**"set at naught" [Alford]: utterly and heinously violated, not merely some minor detail, but the whole law and covenant; for example, by idolatry (De 17:2-7). So here apostasy answers to such an utter violation of the old covenant.
**died--**Greek, "dies": the normal punishment of such transgression, then still in force.
**without mercy--**literally...
Read full commentary →Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter grounds imperishable love in imperishable new birth. "Being born again" (<em>anagegennēmenoi</em>) repeats verse 3's regeneration theme—new birth is Christianity's foundation. The contrast: "not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible" (<em>ouk ek sporas phthartēs alla aphthartou</em>)—natural birth uses perishable seed producing mortal life; spiritual birth uses imperishable seed producin...
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(23) **Being born again.**—Rather, *Having been begotten again.* It is not part of the exhortation, as though they had still to be thus begotten, but assigns the moral grounds for the exhortation. It is logically parallel with “seeing ye have purified,” and might be rendered, *seeing that ye have been begotten again.* For the meaning of the word, refer back to 1Peter 1:3.
**Not of corruptible seed...
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**29. sorer--**Greek, "worse," namely, "punishment" (literally, "vengeance") than any mere temporal punishment of the body.
**suppose ye--**an appeal to the Hebrews' reason and conscience.
**thought worthy--**by God at the judgment.
**trodden under foot the Son of God--**by "wilful" apostasy. So he treads under foot God Himself who "glorified His Son as an high priest" (He 5:5; 6:6).
**an ...
Read full commentary →For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: For: or, For that
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 to contrast humanity's frailty with God's word's permanence. "For all flesh is as grass" (<em>dioti pasa sarx hōs chortos</em>)—all humanity resembles grass in its temporary nature. "And all the glory of man as the flower of grass" (<em>kai pasa doxa anthrōpou hōs anthos chortou</em>)—human achievement, beauty, strength, fame—all human glory resembles wildflowers: beauti...
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(24) **For all flesh is as grass.**—The citation is from Isaiah 40:6-8, and varies between the Hebrew and the LXX. in the kind of way which shows that the writer was familiar with both. But the passage is by no means quoted only to support the assertion, in itself ordinary enough, that the Word of the Lord abideth for ever. It is always impossible to grasp the meaning of an Old Testament quotation...
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**30. him--**God, who enters no empty threats.
**Vengeance belongeth unto me--**Greek, "To Me belongeth vengeance": exactly according with Paul's quotation, Ro 12:19, of the same text.
**Lord shall judge his people--**in grace, or else anger, according as each deserves: here, "judge," so as to punish the reprobate apostate; there, "judge," so as to interpose in behalf of, and save His people (...
Read full commentary →But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter concludes the contrast with triumphant affirmation: "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever" (<em>to de rēma kyriou menei eis ton aiōna</em>)—while grass withers and flowers fall, God's word remains eternally. "Endureth" (<em>menei</em>) means remains, abides, stays permanent—unchanging and reliable. Then Peter identifies this eternal word: "And this is the word which by the gospel is pr...
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(25) **The word which by the gospel is preached**.—An incorrect rendering of the original tense. It literally runs, *And this is the word which was preached unto you.* The whole magnificent peroration of this paragraph, as of the last, leads up to this: that, in the opinion of St. Peter, the Gospel, as delivered by St. Paul and his followers—the Gospel of equality, or rather of unity between Jew a...
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**31. fearful ... to fall into the hands--**It is good like David to fall into the hands of God, rather than man, when one does so with filial faith in his father's love, though God chastises him. "It is fearful" to fall into His hands as a reprobate and presumptuous sinner doomed to His just vengeance as Judge (He 10:27).
**living God--**therefore able to punish for ever (Mt 10:28).