1 Peter Chapter 2

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
Living Stones
  1. Therefore, having set aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisy, and jealousies, and all slanders,
  2. like newborn babies, yearn for rational and pure milk, so that by it you might grow up in your salvation,
  3. if you tasted that the Lord is benevolent.fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 34:8
  4. To whom we’re approaching, a living stone that has indeed been rejected by men, but it’s chosen and precious in God’s sight.fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 28:16
  5. And as living stones, you yourselves are being built as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus the Anointed.
  6. Therefore, it’s contained in scripture: “Behold, I establish a stone in Zion; a chosen, precious cornerstone and the man believing on Him definitely won’t be put to shame.fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 28:16
  7. Therefore the honor is to you, the men believing.  But to disbelieving men, “The stone that the men building rejected, this became the head corner stone,”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 118:22
  8. and “A stumbling stone, and a rock of offense.”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 8:14  Men who stumble by disbelieving the word, and they were appointed to that stumbling.
  9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession,fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 19:5-6, though in a different order so you might publicly proclaim the moral excellence of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
  10. You who once weren’t a people, but now are the people of God; men who hadn’t received mercy, but now have received mercy.fnquotation/allusion to Hosea 2:23
  11. Beloved, I urge you as strangers and sojourners to trade away the fleshly cravings which wage war against the soul,
  12. keeping your conduct among the gentiles noble, so that in whatever they slander you as evildoers, from observing your noble deeds they might glorify God in the day of the visitation of judgement.fn“visitation of judgement” is one word in Greek. It can refer to most any kind of visitation, but can especially refer to a visitation of judgement.  However, while the idea of judgement is implied, it’s only implied.  Therefore “of judgement” was italicized to indicate a translator clarification.
Submission to Authorities
  1. Be submitted to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme,
  2. or to governors as sent by him for just vengeance against evildoers, but praise of men doing good,
  3. because this is the will of God, to silence the ignorance of foolish men through doing good
  4. as free men, and not using freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God.
  5. Honor all, ^love the brotherhood, reverently fear God, and honor the king.
  6. Household servants, be submitting to your masters in all reverent fear, not only to the good and reasonable, but also to the perverse.
  7. For this bestows favor, if someone suffering unjustly endures grief for the sake of conscience towards God.
  8. For what credit is there if you’ll endure even being punched because of sinning?  But if you’ll even endure suffering because of doing good, this bestows favor in the sight of God.
  9. For you were called into this because the Anointed also suffered for your sake, leaving behind an example for you so you might closely follow His footsteps.
  10. He who didn’t commit sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”fnquotation allusion to Isaiah 53:9
  11. Who while being reviled wasn’t reviling in return, while suffering he wasn’t uttering threats, but was handing Himself over to the One judging justly.
  12. He who carried away our sinsfnquotation allusion to Isaiah 53:4 in His body on the crossfn“cross” the Greek word here literally means “wood”, but can also refer to anything made of wood., so that after having become dead to sins, we might live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed.fnquotation allusion to Isaiah 53:5
  13. For you were like sheep wandering astray,fnquotation allusion to Isaiah 53:6 but now you were returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 

Next: 1 Peter chapter 3

Previous: 1 Peter chapter 1

Up: The Book of 1 Peter

Up: BOS Bible Index

 

Note: If you think a word, phrase, or passage could be better translated - or is wrong - then Please Say Something. This is an open source Bible that's accountable to all Christians. See this link for details.

Legal Use: Please feel free to quote the BOS Bible, but follow the guidelines on the Legal Use page when doing so. They are easy and mostly common sense.