2:5a
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house: There are several ways of understanding this verse part:
(1) This is a statement about something that was happening as the believers came to Jesus Christ. The believers were being built into a spiritual house. For example:
you yourselves as living stones are built up as a spiritual house (NET Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, NET Bible)
(2) This is a command to the believers to be built into a spiritual house. For example:
like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house (New Revised Standard Version)
(New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation)
(3) This is a purpose clause. Peter wanted his readers to come to Christ so that they might be built into a spiritual house. For example:
so that you…may be built into a spiritual house (New Jerusalem Bible)
(New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), which has the support of most English versions and commentators.
you…are being built: This is a passive clause. The one who is doing the building is God. In some languages it may be necessary to translate this using an active verb and make the subject explicit:
⌊God⌋ is building you
you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you is emphasized and may also be translated as:
you yourselves (NET Bible)
like living stones: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as like introduces the role that the believers fill as God is building them into a spiritual temple, the role of living stones. Some other ways to translate this metaphor include:
• Keep the metaphor. For example:
you are living stones (Contemporary English Version)
• Translate the metaphor as a simile. For example:
You also are like living stones (New Century Version)
living stones: Peter said these Christians were living because God had caused them to be born again through his word (1:23) and given them new life through Jesus Christ rising from death (1:3).
stones: Peter described the believers as stones because in that part of the world, people built houses out of stones. Christians were like stones in the sense that God was using them to build a house for himself.
spiritual: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spiritual means “non-material” or “not physical.” It refers to something that cannot be seen by human eyes, something that is in the realm of the divine rather than the human.
house: There are two ways of interpreting the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as house here:
(1) It means house, a building where people live. For example:
And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house. (Contemporary English Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version)
(2) It means temple, a building where people worship God. For example:
And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. (New Living Translation (2004))
(New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In this context, house is a metaphor. It illustrates the spiritual truth that God dwells among his people. People who believe in Jesus Christ together form God’s house, the church, and God lives in their midst.
If the metaphor of a house is not understandable to your readers, then you may need to translate it as a simile:
You are like a…house
General Comment on 2:5a
In some languages it may be necessary to make some of the meaning of this metaphor explicit, For example:
⌊Just as a builder makes houses out of stones,⌋ so ⌊God⌋ is building a spiritual house out of you living stones.
2:5b
to be a holy priesthood: Here Peter used another metaphor to describe the Christian church.
to be: The Greek preposition that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to be is literally “unto.” In this context it communicates that:
(a) The spiritual house in 2:5a is what forms the holy priesthood. These are two metaphors describing the Christian church, made up of all believers.
(b) The spiritual house in 2:5a is for the purpose of the holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices to God (2:5c).
Some other ways this has been translated include:
and form a holy priesthood (Revised English Bible)
-or-
as a holy priesthood (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
for a holy priesthood
-or-
You are also a group of holy priests (Contemporary English Version)
holy priesthood: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as priesthood occurs only twice in the New Testament, both in this chapter (2:5, 2:9). It refers to God’s people as a whole. God made the believers as a group into an order of holy priests. Priests are people who approach God to worship him and offer sacrifices.
In your translation, try to make it clear that Peter was referring to the believers as a group, not as individuals. For example:
a group of holy priests (Contemporary English Version)
holy: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as holy refers to someone who is set apart to serve God. God has set the members of this priesthood apart to serve him. He has dedicated them to himself. Some other examples for translating are:
dedicated to God
-or-
fully serving God
2:5c
offering spiritual sacrifices: The priesthood of believers that Peter wrote about is similar to the Hebrew Old Testament priesthood in that both presented offerings to God.
spiritual: As in 2:5a, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spiritual means “non-material.” Peter’s readers were not offering animals as sacrifices. They were offering sacrifices that could not be seen.
sacrifices: In this context, the word sacrifices is a metaphor. Peter was not really talking about animal sacrifices such as the Hebrew priests offered to God during the Old Testament period. Instead, he was referring to giving praises to God and help to those in need. See also Romans 12:1 and Hebrews 13:15–16.
General Comment on 2:5b–c
2:5b–c gives the purpose for which God builds the believers into a spiritual house. English translations mark this purpose in three different places:
• Before the mention of the holy priesthood. For example, the Berean Standard Bible says:
to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices (Berean Standard Bible)
• Before the mention of the spiritual sacrifices. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible says:
as a holy priesthood to offer the spiritual sacrifices (New Jerusalem Bible)
• At both places. For example, the Revised Standard Version says:
to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices (Revised Standard Version)
In your translation, mark the purpose at the place where it is most natural in your language.
2:5d
acceptable to God: The phrase acceptable to God means that God was pleased with the spiritual sacrifices that the believers offered to him. Other ways to say this include:
God accepts your sacrifices
-or-
These sacrifices please God
through Jesus Christ: There are two ways of understanding the relationship of the phrase through Jesus Christ to the rest of 2:5c:
(1) Through Jesus Christ, the spiritual offerings were acceptable to God. God was pleased to receive these offerings because of what Jesus Christ had done. For example:
to offer the spiritual sacrifices made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (New Jerusalem Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible)
(2) The believers offered spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ. For example:
with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God (Contemporary English Version)
(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and the majority of English versions.
General Comment on 2:4–5
In the Berean Standard Bible, as in the Greek, 2:4–5 forms one long sentence. In many languages it may be natural to use several shorter sentences. For example:
You are coming to Jesus Christ, the living stone. He is the one whom people rejected but God considers valuable and chose. You are also living stones, and God is building you into a spiritual house. As a holy priesthood you offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
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