1 Peter 2:7

2:1-10 Evil-speaking is a sign of malice and guile in the heart; and hinders our profiting by the word of God. A new life needs suitable food. Infants desire milk, and make the best endeavours for it which they are able to do; such must be a Christian's desires after the word of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is very merciful to us miserable sinners; and he has a fulness of grace. But even the best of God's servants, in this life, have only a taste of the consolations of God. Christ is called a Stone, to teach his servants that he is their protection and security, the foundation on which they are built. He is precious in the excellence of his nature, the dignity of his office, and the glory of his services. All true believers are a holy priesthood; sacred to God, serviceable to others, endowed with heavenly gifts and graces. But the most spiritual sacrifices of the best in prayer and praise are not acceptable, except through Jesus Christ. Christ is the chief Corner-stone, that unites the whole number of believers into one everlasting temple, and bears the weight of the whole fabric. Elected, or chosen, for a foundation that is everlasting. Precious beyond compare, by all that can give worth. To be built on Christ means, to believe in him; but in this many deceive themselves, they consider not what it is, nor the necessity of it, to partake of the salvation he has wrought.

Though the frame of the world were falling to pieces, that man who is built on this foundation may hear it without fear. He shall not be confounded. The believing soul makes haste to Christ, but it never finds cause to hasten from him. All true Christians are a chosen generation; they make one family, a people distinct from the world: of another spirit, principle, and practice; which they could never be, if they were not chosen in Christ to be such, and sanctified by his Spirit. Their first state is a state of gross darkness, but they are called out of darkness into a state of joy, pleasure, and prosperity; that they should show forth the praises of the Lord by their profession of his truth, and their good conduct. How vast their obligations to Him who has made them his people, and has shown mercy to them! To be without this mercy is a woful state, though a man have all worldly enjoyments. And there is nothing that so kindly works repentance, as right thoughts of the mercy and love of God. Let us not dare to abuse and affront the free grace of God, if we mean to be saved by it; but let all who would be found among those who obtain mercy, walk as his people.

{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, (7) By setting the most blessed condition of the believers and triumphs over the other: and also prevents an offence which arises here, that none do more resist this doctrine of the gospel, than they who are chiefest among the people of God. In the time that Peter wrote these things, they were the priests, elders and scribes. Therefore he answers first of all, that there is no reason why any man should be astonished by their stubbornness, as though it were a strange matter, seeing as we have been foretold so long before, that it should so come to pass: and moreover, that it pleased God to create and make certain for this same purpose, that the Son of God might be glorified in their just condemnation. Thirdly, that the glory of Christ is hereby set forth greatly, whereas nonetheless Christ remains the sure head of his Church, and they that are offended by him, cast down and overthrow themselves, and not Christ. Fourthly, although they are created for this end and purpose, yet their fall and destruction is not to be attributed to God, but to their own obstinate stubbornness, which comes between God's decree, and the execution of it, or their condemnation, and is the true and proper cause of their destruction.

He is precious (ἡ τιμὴ) Wrong. Render, as Rev., For you therefore which believe is the preciousness (honor, in margin). Is made the head of the corner (ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας) Rev., correctly, "was made." The preposition εἰς, unto, carrying the idea of coming unto the place of honor, is not rendered in A. V. or Rev. Lit., it would be, was made or became unto the head, etc.

1 Peter 2:7 . Ἡ τιμὴ , the preciousness or price ) Supply ἐστὶν , exists , is well known; that is, He is precious towards (in the estimation of) you. Ἡ , that , refers to precious , 1 Peter 2:6 , note. The abstract, preciousness or price , expresses the view in which the faithful regard Christ.— λίθον — γωνίας , a stone — of the corner ) See Matthew 21:42 , note. Peter had quoted the same saying, Acts 4:11 ; and in this place he quotes it most appropriately. Λίθον , κ . τ . λ . The Syriac translator, or Greek copyist, before him, passing from λίθον to λίθος , omitted the intermediate words, as sometimes happens. But these plainly belong to the subject. Peter quotes three sayings in 1 Peter 2:6-7 : the first from Isaiah, the second from the Psalms, the third again from Isaiah. He makes allusion to the third in 1 Peter 2:8 ; but he alluded to the second and the first in 1 Peter 2:4 , even then revolving them both in his mind. Therefore the words, ἀποδεδοκιμασμένον , rejected , and ἀπεδοκίμασαν , they rejected , in 1 Peter 2:4 ; 1 Peter 2:7 , have reference to each other.

The dative, ἀπειθοῦσι , to them that are disobedient , as just before ὑμῖν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν , to you that believe , accords with the Hebrew prefix ל , with this meaning, as relates to those that believe not; and the remaining part of this verse coheres with this dative, and the construction is easy: ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας καὶ λίθος προσκόμματος , κ . τ . λ ., was made the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling, etc.; the conjoining of the two sayings (Dicta) softening the disparity of the accusative and the nominative case, εἰς κεφαλὴν — λίθος . The saying of the Psalm has a twofold agreement with this. For 1st, They who ἀπεδοκίμασαν , rejected the stone, were truly ἀπειθοῦντες , disobedient. 2d, The same persons, while they rejected the stone, were unconsciously contributing to its becoming κεφαλὴ γωνίας , the head of the corner; nor can they now prevent this, however much they may be grieved [lit. snarl at it], and they shall experience, to their great misery, that He is the head of the corner: Matthew 21:44 .— κεφαλὴν , the head) Christ is the head of the corner, especially with reference to believers, who are built upon Him; yet unbelievers experience this in another way.

Precious; the margin reads it, according to the Greek, an honour; either the abstract is put for the concrete, an honour, for honourable, or precious, ( as the text hath it), and then the sense is plain, that Christ, as he is precious in himself, and to his Father, so he is to them that believe. Or, honour may be put for the cause of honour, and when it is opposed to shame and confusion before mentioned, and the sense is: Ye that believe, shall be so far from being ashamed, or having your faith frustrated, that ye shall be honoured, and saved by Christ. And this agrees well with what follows in this and 1 Peter 2:8 . Disobedient; unbelievers, who were disobedient to the great command of the gospel concerning faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The builders; the high priests, scribes, Pharisees, and rulers of the Jews, whose duty it was to build up the church, as having not only the name, but the power then residing in them. Disallowed; rejected him, and would not acknowledge him for the promised Messiah, and the great foundation upon which the church of God was to be built. The same is made the head of the corner: Question. How is Christ to be made the Head of the corner to them that reject him? Answer. Either: 1. Something is here to be understood, viz. this is said, or spoken, which follows, the stone which the builders, &c.: q.d.

They despised him, but God hath honoured him; they would allow him no place in the building, but God hath given him the best, made him the Head-stone of the corner. Or: 2. Christ may be said to be made to the disobedient, in spite of their rejecting and opposing him, the Head of the corner; i.e. a King and a Judge to restrain and curb them in, seeing they would not be ruled by him.

1 Peter 2:7 f. The second quotation is connected with the first by means of the parenthetic interpretation: The “precious”-ness of the stone is for you who believe but for the unbelievers it is … “a stone of stumbling” . It is a stereotyped conflation of Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:14 , which are so firmly cemented together that the whole is cited here where only the latter part is in point. The same idea of the two-fold aspect of Christ occurs in St. Paul more than once; e.g., Christ crucified to Jews a stumbling-block … but to you who believe … 1 Corinthians 1:23 . The problem involved is discussed by Origen who adduces the different effects of the sun’s light.— ἡ τιμή , the τιμή involved in the use of the adjective ἔντιμον ., or rather Heb. יקרה underlying it. The play on the peculiar sense thus required does not exclude the ordinary meaning honour (for which cf. 1 Peter 1:7 ; Romans 2:10 ).— λίθος ὃν … γωνίας = Ps. l.c. (LXX)—the prophetic statement in scriptural phrase of the fact of their unbelief. The idea may be that the raising of the stone to be head of the corner makes it a stumbling-block but in any case λίθος … σκανδάλου is needed to explain this.— λίθος προσκόμματος κ . π . σκ . from Isaiah 8:14 ; LXX paraphrases the original, which St.

Peter’s manual preserves, reading καὶ οὐχ ὡς λίθῳ προσκόμματι συναντήσεσθε οὐδὲ ὡς πετρας πτώματι (common confusion of construct, with Gen.).— οἱ … ἀπειθοῦντες , description of the unbelieving in terms of the last quotation, who stumble at the word being disobedient . τῷ λόγῳ is probably to be taken with πρ . or both πρ . and ἀ . in spite of the stone being identified with the Lord. Stumbling at the word is an expression used by Jesus ( Mark 4:17 , διὰ τὸν λόγον σκανδαλίζονται ; Matthew 15:12 , ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν ; John 6:60 , τοῦτο — ὁ λόγος οὗτος — ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει ). For ἀ . cf. 1 Peter 4:17 , τῶν ἀπειθούντων τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγελίῳ .— εἰς ὃ καὶ ἐτέθησαν , whereunto also (actually) they were appointed . ἐτέθησαν comes from τίθημι (6); stone and stumbler alike were appointed by God to fulfil their functions in His Purpose. For the sake of the unlearned he only implies and does not assert in so many words that God appointed them to stumble and disobey; but his view is that of St. Paul (see Romans 9, 11, especially Romans 9:17 ; Romans 9:22 ); cf. Luke 2:34 . Didymus distinguishes between their voluntary unbelief and their appointed fall. If any are tempted to adopt such ingenious evasions of the plain sense it is well to recall the words of Origen: “If in the reading of scripture you stumble at what is really a noble thought, the stone of stumbling and rock of offence , blame yourself.

7. Application of the Scripture just quoted first to the believer, then to the unbeliever. On the opposite effects of the same Gospel on different classes, compare Joh 9:39; 2Co 2:15, 16. precious—Greek, "THE preciousness" (1Pe 2:6). To you believers belongs the preciousness of Christ just mentioned. disobedient—to the faith, and so disobedient in practice. the stone which … head of … corner—(Ps 118:22). Those who rejected the STONE were all the while in spite of themselves unconsciously contributing to its becoming Head of the corner. The same magnet has two poles, the one repulsive, the other attractive; so the Gospel has opposite effects on believers and unbelievers respectively.