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1Pe_2:9. ὑμεῖς δέ ] The apostle returns again to his readers, contrasting them with the unbelievers (not “with the people of Israel,” as Weiss thinks) he had just spoken of. The nature of believers, as such, is described by the same predicates which were originally applied to the O. T. church of God (cf. Exo_19:5-6), but have found their accomplishment only in that of the N. T. Schott justly remarks that “what in 1Pe_2:5 had been expressed in the form of an exhortation, is here predicated of the Christians as an already present condition.”
γένος ἐκλεκτόν ] after Isa_43:20 ( òÇîÌÄé áÀçÄéøÄé , LXX.: γένος μου τὸ ἐκλεκτόν ); cf. also Deu_7:6 ff.; Isa_43:10; Isa_44:1-2; Isa_45:4, etc. This first designation sets forth that the Christians, in virtue of God’s love, have been elected to be a people which no longer belongs to this world; cf. chap. 1Pe_1:1.
βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα ] after Exo_19:6, LXX. (in Hebrew îÇîÀìÆëÆú áÌÉäÂðÄéí , “a kingdom of priests”); most interpreters take it as simple combination of the two ideas: “kings and priests.” Still it is more correct to regard ἱεράτευμα as the principal idea (cf. 1Pe_2:3), and βασίλειον as a more precise definition: “a royal priesthood.” Several commentators explain: “a priesthood possessing a royal character,” inasmuch as it not only offers up sacrifices (1Pe_2:5), but exercises sway (over the world); cf. Rev_1:6; Rev_5:10 (Wiesinger). Weiss (p. 125), on the other hand: “a priesthood serving Jehovah the King, just as we speak of the royal household.” Since all the other predicates express the belonging to God, the second explanation deserves the preference, only it must be modified so far as to include in βασίλ . not only the relation of service, but that also of belonging to and participation in the glory of the king founded thereon. Schott is not justified in assuming that Peter did not intend to convey the force of the Greek, but that of the Hebrew expression: îÇîÀìÆëÆú áÌÉäÂðÄéí , namely: “a kingdom which consists of priests.” It is inadequate to understand, with Hofmann, by the term: “a priesthood of princely honours,” or βασίλειον as equal to, magnificus, splendidus (Aretius, Hottinger, etc.), or to find in it the expression of the highest freedom[126] (subject only to God) (de Wette).
ἜΘΝΟς ἍΓΙΟΝ ] in like manner after Exo_19:6, LXX. ( âÌåÉé ÷ÈãåÉùÑ ).
ΛΑῸς ΕἸς ΠΕΡΙΠΟΊΗΣΙΝ ] corresponding passages in the O. T. are Deu_7:6 ( òÇí ñÀâËìÌÈä ), Mal_3:17 ( ñÀâËìÌÈä ), and especially Isa_43:21, LXX.: ΛΑΌΝ ΜΟΥ ὋΝ ΠΕΡΙΕΠΟΙΗΣΆΜΗΝ ΤᾺς ἈΡΕΤΆς ΜΟΥ ΔΙΗΓΕῖΣΘΑΙ ( òÇíÎæåÌ éÈöÇøÀúÌÄé ìÄé úÌÀäÄìÌÈúÄé éÀñÇôÌÅøåÌ ). The words following show that the apostle had this last passage chiefly in his mind; still it must be noted that this idea is contained already in Exo_19:5 ( ΛΑῸς ΠΕΡΙΟΎΣΙΟς ). ΠΕΡΙΠΟΊΗΣΙς is strictly the acquiring (Heb_10:39); here, what is acquired, possession; neither destinatus (Vorstius) nor positus (Calovius) is to be supplied to ΕἸς , they would not correspond with the sense; ΕἸς is here to be explained from Mal_3:17, LXX.: ἜΣΟΝΤΑΊ ΜΟΙ … ΕἸς ΠΕΡΙΠΟΊΗΣΙΝ ; on ΕἾΝΑΙ ΕἸς , cf. Winer, p. 173 [E. T. 229]; in sense it is equivalent to ΛΑῸς ΠΕΡΙΟΎΣΙΟς , Tit_2:14. Schott attributes to this expression an eschatological reference, explaining: “a people destined for appropriation, for acquisition;” this is incorrect, for, understood thus, it would fall out of all analogy with the other expressions. The apostle does not here state to what the Christian church is destined, but what she already is; “her complete liberation from all cosmic powers is not,” as Brückner justly remarks, “an acquiring on God’s side, but only the final redemption of those whom He already possesses.” Schott’s assertion, that in the N. T. ΠΕΡΙΠΟΊΗΣΙς has always an eschatological reference, is opposed by Eph_1:14; cf. Meyer in loc.
Although a difference of idea founded on the etymologies of γένος , ἔθνος λαός is not to be pressed;[127] yet it must be observed that by these expressions, as also by ἱεράτευμα , Christians are spoken of as a community united together in itself, and although diverse as to natural descent, they, as belonging to God (and all the names employed by the apostle point to this), form one people, from the fact that God has joined them to Himself.
ὅπως τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐξαγγείλητε τοῦ κ . τ . λ .] ὅπως connects itself, after Isa_43:21, in the first instance with what immediately goes before, in such a way, however, that the preceding ideas point towards it as their end.
τὰς ἀρετάς ] thus the LXX. translate úÌÀäÄìÌÈä in the above-mentioned passage (in general, in the LXX., ἀρετή occurs only as the translation of äåÉã , Hab_3:3, Zec_6:13; ἀρεταί as the translation of úÌÀäÄìÌÈä , Isa_42:8; Isa_42:12; Isa_43:21, and of úÌÀäÄìÌåÉú , Isa_63:7); accordingly the Alexandrine translators understand by äåÉã and úÌÀäÄìÌÈä in the passages in question, not the “glory or praise” of God, but the object of the glory, that is, the excellence or the glorious attributes of God. Peter took the word, in this meaning of it, from them.[128]
ἐξαγγείλητε ] cf. Isa_42:12, LXX.: τὰς ἀρετὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς νήσοις ἀπαγγελοῦσι ; ἐξαγγέλλειν ; strictly, iis qui foris sunt nunciare quae intus fiunt (Xen. Anab. ii. 4. 21), is employed for the most part without this definite application; in the LXX. the translation of ñÄôÌÅø ; in the N. T. in this passage only; it is possible that Peter thought of the word here in its original force (Bengel, Wiesinger).
τοῦ ἐκ σκότους ὑμᾶς καλέσαντος ] i.e. ΘΕΟῦ , not ΧΡΙΣΤΟῦ ; ΚΑΛΕῖΝ is almost uniformly attributed to God.
ΣΚΌΤΟΥς , not equivalent to, miseria (Wahl), but is used to designate the whole unhappy condition of sin and lying in which the natural and unregenerate man is, cf. Col_1:13; here employed, no doubt, with special reference to the former heathenism of the readers.
ΕἸς ΤῸ ΘΑΥΜΑΣΤῸΝ ΑὙΤΟῦ Φῶς ] To render Φῶς by cognitio melior (Wahl), is arbitrarily to weaken the force of the word; it is rather the complete opposite of ΣΚΌΤΟς , and denotes the absolutely holy and blessed nature—as ΑὙΤΟῦ shows—of God. The Christian is translated from darkness to the light of God, so that he participates in this light, and is illumined by it.[129] Schott incorrectly understands by σκότος : “heathen humanity left to itself,” and by τὸ … αὑτοῦ φῶς : “the church;” the church lives in God’s light, but it is not the light of God.
καλεῖν is here applied, as it is by Paul, to the effectual, successful calling of God.
θαυμαστόν (cf. Mat_21:42) denotes the inconceivable glory of the φῶς Θεοῦ .
[126] Clemens Al. interprets: regale, quoniam ad regnum vocati sumus et sumus Christi sacerdotium autem propter oblationem quae fit orationibus et doctrinis, quibus adquiruntur animae, quae afferuntur Deo.
[127] Steiger draws the following distinction: γένος is the race, people of like descent; ἔθνος , a people of like customs; λαός , people as the mass. Schott thinks that ἔθνος includes within it a reference to the intellectual and moral characteristics of the people, and that λαός points to its being gathered together under one Lord. In this urging of distinctions—which are not even correctly drawn—is to be found the reason why Schott exchanges the Greek expression βασιλ . ἱεράτευμα for the Hebrew, because ἱεράτευμα is not analogous to the other three designations, whilst βασίλεια is so, as a national community.—Peter certainly, in selecting these expressions, did not reflect on the original distinction of the ideas, but made use of them simply as they were presented to him in the O. T.
[128] It is arbitrary to understand the word to mean only this or that attribute of God; nor must the meaning, as is done by Gerhard, be limited to the virtutes Dei, quae in opere gratuitae vocationis et in toto negotio salutis nostrae relucent. Schott’s interpretation is linguistically incorrect: αἱ ἀρεταί equal to τὰ μεγαλεῖα τ . Θ . (Act_2:11), “the great deeds of God.” Cornelius a Lapide entirely misses the point in explaining: virtutes, quas Christus in nobis operatur, humilitatem, caritatem, etc.; and Salmeron: virtutes Christi, quas in diebus carnis suae exhibuit.
[129] Wiesinger disputes this interpretation, holding that what is meant is “that light which has appeared to the world in Christ;” but is not this light the light of God?—Certainly φῶς is here not i. q. Χριστός . According to de Wette, αὑτοῦ designates the light as the work of God, and consequently a different thing from the φῶς which He is Himself.