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1 Peter 2

KJV · Chapter 2/5

1Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

6Wherefore 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.

7Unto 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,

8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

9But 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:

10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

11Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

12Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

13Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

20For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Peter describes Christians as living stones forming a spiritual house, and as a royal priesthood and holy nation. He instructs respectful submission to authorities and masters, pointing to the example of Christ, who suffered unjustly without retaliating.

Explanation

The image of Jesus as the 'cornerstone' rejected by the builders but chosen by God comes from Psalm 118 and is also quoted by Jesus in the Gospels, connecting the church's identity to Christ's own identity as its foundation. The instructions about submission to authorities and masters reflect the social context of the Roman Empire, where Christians, often viewed with suspicion, needed to demonstrate good civic behavior as a witness, without this meaning acceptance of all injustice. Christ's example, who suffered without threatening, is presented not as passive acceptance of evil, but as trust that God judges justly in his own time. Today's application is that spiritual identity (living stone, royal priesthood) should shape how one lives in everyday social relationships, even in difficult circumstances.

Fun facts

  • The expression 'royal priesthood' and 'holy nation' (2:9) is an almost direct quotation of Exodus 19:6, where God describes Israel at Sinai — Peter applies this same collective identity of Israel to the church formed by Jews and Gentiles.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Peter 2:1Before talking about growing in the faith, the text calls for a cleanup: putting away behaviors that poison life in community, like hypocrisy, envy, and gossip.
  2. 1 Peter 2:2Compares the desire for the word of God to a newborn’s natural hunger for milk — an instinctive, constant appetite, not a forced effort, in order to grow in the faith.
  3. 1 Peter 2:3Echoes a psalm (34:8) inviting readers to “taste and see that the LORD is good” — the personal experience of having already felt this goodness is what should feed this spiritual hunger.
  4. 1 Peter 2:4Introduces the central image of the chapter: Christ as a stone rejected by people, but chosen and precious to God — a contrast between human judgment and divine judgment.
  5. 1 Peter 2:5The image of “lively stones” forming “a spiritual house” reuses the metaphor of the rejected stone cited just before, from Psalm 118 — readers themselves are described as part of the building, not merely occupants of it, with the role of exercising “an holy priesthood.”
  6. 1 Peter 2:6Cites Isaiah 28 to back up the image of the stone: God Himself lays this “chief corner stone” in Sion, and promises that whoever trusts in it shall not be confounded.
  7. 1 Peter 2:7The same stone has the opposite effect depending on who looks at it: precious to those who believe, yet it still becomes the most important piece of the building, even after being rejected by the builders.
  8. 1 Peter 2:8For those who reject the message, the same stone becomes an obstacle — the text acknowledges that this stumbling reaction was already part of what was foreseen, without removing responsibility from those who choose disobedience.
  9. 1 Peter 2:9Calling readers “a royal priesthood” joins two Old Testament ideas: kingship, normally tied to the line of David, and priesthood, tied to the tribe of Levi, roles that had previously been separate. The letter assigns both functions to the Christian community as a whole, without establishing here any specific structure of offices.
  10. 1 Peter 2:10Describes a complete change of identity: from people with no fixed place to “the people of God,” quoting language also used by the prophet Hosea about the restoration of Israel.
  11. 1 Peter 2:11Calls readers “strangers and pilgrims” — living as foreigners where they are — and asks that they not be carried away by desires that, according to the text, war against the soul itself.
  12. 1 Peter 2:12Calls for exemplary conduct even while being spoken against by those who do not share the faith — the hope is that good works will end up speaking louder than accusations, in the end.
  13. 1 Peter 2:13The instruction to submit to “every ordinance of man,” including the king, needs to be read in the context of a small, vulnerable community within the Roman Empire — the text recommends behavior that avoids attracting unnecessary persecution, without addressing the limit of that obedience in cases of direct conflict with the faith.
  14. 1 Peter 2:14Continues the instruction about submitting to authorities, explaining the role they were meant to fulfill: punishing wrongdoers and praising those who do good.
  15. 1 Peter 2:15Gives a practical reason for good behavior: consistently doing good is the best response to unfair or prejudiced accusations against Christians.
  16. 1 Peter 2:16Warns against using Christian liberty as an excuse to do whatever one wants: true liberty, the text says, is expressed by serving God, not by escaping all responsibility.
  17. 1 Peter 2:17Sums up in four short, direct instructions how to balance different relationships: general respect for everyone, special love for brothers in the faith, reverence for God, and respect for civil authorities.
  18. 1 Peter 2:18Addresses servants specifically (many of them enslaved, common at the time), asking for respect even toward unjust masters — the next verse explains the reason behind this difficult instruction.
  19. 1 Peter 2:19Explains the logic behind the previous request: enduring injustice for conscience toward God has real value — not because injustice is good, but because of the character of someone who endures without striking back.
  20. 1 Peter 2:20Makes an important distinction: suffering as a consequence of one’s own wrongdoing has no merit at all; suffering unjustly for doing good, that is the kind of suffering the text values.
  21. 1 Peter 2:21Describing Christ as someone who suffered while leaving an example ties Jesus’ suffering to the experience of servants mistreated unjustly, a theme addressed in the previous verses — the letter uses Christ’s passion as a model for reacting to injustice, not as a justification for it.
  22. 1 Peter 2:22Describes Christ as the perfect model of this unjust suffering: He was guilty of nothing, not even a single lie, and yet He suffered — the reference is to Isaiah 53.
  23. 1 Peter 2:23Shows how Jesus reacted to unjust suffering: without returning insults or threatening back, but entrusting himself to God, the one who judges righteously — the direct example for anyone who suffers injustice.
  24. 1 Peter 2:24The phrase “by whose stripes ye were healed” echoes a passage from Isaiah 53 about a suffering servant, an Old Testament text the early Christians associated with Jesus’ death — here applied directly to describe the spiritual healing brought by the cross.
  25. 1 Peter 2:25Closes the chapter with an image of rescue: readers were like sheep going astray, without direction, and now have found in Christ a shepherd who cares for and watches over their souls.

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