1Pe 2:4, 6, 8 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 4. To whom coming , as unto a living stone ] This is a reference to : Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation . Jesus Christ is, in both the prophet and apostle, represented as the foundation on which the Christian Church is built, and on which it must continue to rest: and the stone or foundation is called here living , to intimate that he is the source of life to all his followers, and that it is in union with him that they live, and answer the end of their regeneration; as the stones of a building are of no use but as they occupy their proper places in a building, and rest on the foundation. Disallowed indeed of men ] That is, rejected by the Jews. This is a plain reference to the prophecy, : The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner . Chosen of God ] To be the Saviour of the world, and the Founder of the Church, and the foundation on which it rests; As Christ is the choice of the Father, we need have no doubt of the efficacy and sufficiency of all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of a lost world. God can never be mistaken in his choice ; therefore he that chooses Christ for his portion shall never be confounded. Precious ] εντιμον. Honourable . Howsoever despised and rejected by men, Jesus, as the sacrifice for a lost world, is infinitely honourable in the sight of God; and those who are united by faith to him partake of the same honour, being members of that great and glorious body of which he is the head , and stones in that superb building of which he is the foundation .

‏ 1 Peter 2:4

Verse 4. To whom coming, as unto a living stone] This is a reference to Isa 28:16: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. Jesus Christ is, in both the prophet and apostle, represented as the foundation on which the Christian Church is built, and on which it must continue to rest: and the stone or foundation is called here living, to intimate that he is the source of life to all his followers, and that it is in union with him that they live, and answer the end of their regeneration; as the stones of a building are of no use but as they occupy their proper places in a building, and rest on the foundation.

Disallowed indeed of men] That is, rejected by the Jews. This is a plain reference to the prophecy, Ps 118:22: The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

Chosen of God] To be the Saviour of the world, and the Founder of the Church, and the foundation on which it rests; As Christ is the choice of the Father, we need have no doubt of the efficacy and sufficiency of all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of a lost world. God can never be mistaken in his choice; therefore he that chooses Christ for his portion shall never be confounded.

Precious] εντιμον. Honourable. Howsoever despised and rejected by men, Jesus, as the sacrifice for a lost world, is infinitely honourable in the sight of God; and those who are united by faith to him partake of the same honour, being members of that great and glorious body of which he is the head, and stones in that superb building of which he is the foundation.

‏ 1 Peter 2:6

Verse 6. Behold, I lay in Sion] This intimates that the foundation of the Christian Church should be laid at Jerusalem; and there it was laid, for there Christ suffered, and there the preaching of the Gospel commenced.

A chief corner stone] This is the same as the foundation stone; and it is called here the chief corner stone because it is laid in the foundation, at an angle of the building where its two sides form the ground work of a side and end wall. And this might probably be designed to show that, in Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles were to be united; and this is probably the reason why it was called a stone of stumbling, and rock of offence; for nothing stumbled, nothing offended the Jews so much as the calling of the Gentiles into the Church of God, and admitting them to the same privileges which had been before peculiar to the Jews.

Elect, precious] Chosen and honourable. See Clarke on 1Pe 2:4.

Shall not be confounded.] These words are quoted from Isa 28:16; but rather more from the Septuagint than from the Hebrew text. The latter we translate, He that believeth shall not make haste-he who comes to God, through Christ, for salvation, shall never be confounded; he need not haste to flee away, for no enemy shall ever be able to annoy him.

‏ 1 Peter 2:8

Verse 8. A stone of stumbling] Because in him all Jews and Gentiles who believe are united; and because the latter were admitted into the Church, and called by the Gospel to enjoy the same privileges which the Jews, as the peculiar people of God, had enjoyed for two thousand years before; therefore they rejected the Christian religion, they would have no partakers with themselves in the salvation of God. This was the true cause why the Jews rejected the Gospel; and they rejected Christ because he did not come as a secular prince. In the one case he was a stone of stumbling-he was poor, and affected no worldly pomp; in the other he was a rock of offence, for his Gospel called the Gentiles to be a peculiar people whom the Jews believed to be everlastingly reprobated, and utterly incapable of any spiritual good.

Whereunto also they were appointed.] Some good critics read the verse thus, carrying on the sense from the preceding: Also a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence: The disobedient stumble against the word, (or doctrine,) to which verily they were appointed.-Macknight.

Mr. Wakefield, leaving out, with the Syriac, the clause, The stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, reads 1Pe 2:7, 8 thus: To you therefore who trust thereon, this stone is honourable; but to those who are not persuaded, (απειθουσι,) it is a stone to strike upon and to stumble against, at which they stumble who believe not the word; and unto this indeed they were appointed; that is, they who believe not the word were appointed to stumble and fall by it, not to disbelieve it; for the word of the Lord is either a savour of life unto life, or death unto death, to all them that hear it, according as they receive it by faith, or reject it by unbelief. The phrase τιθεναιτιναειςτι is very frequent among the purest Greek writers, and signifies to attribute any thing to another, or to speak a thing of them; of which Kypke gives several examples from Plutarch; and paraphrases the words thus: This stumbling and offence, particularly of the Jews, against Christ, the corner stone, was long ago asserted and predicted by the prophets, by Christ, and by others; compare Isa 8:14, 15; Mt 21:42, 44; Lu 2:34; and Ro 9:32, 33. Now this interpretation of Kypke is the more likely, because it is evident that St. Peter refers to Isa 8:14, 15: And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, &c. The disobedient, therefore, being appointed to stumble against the word, or being prophesied of as persons that should stumble, necessarily means, from the connection in which it stands, and from the passage in the prophet, that their stumbling, falling, and being broken, is the consequence of their disobedience or unbelief; but there is no intimation that they were appointed or decreed to disobey, that they might stumble, and fall, and be broken. They stumbled and fell through their obstinate unbelief; and thus their stumbling and falling, as well as their unbelief, were of themselves, in consequence of this they were appointed to be broken; this was God's work of judgment. This seems to be the meaning which our Lord attaches to this very prophecy, which he quotes against the chief priests and elders, Mt 21:44. On the whole of these passages, see the notes on Mt 21:42-44.