Come to the Lord is literally “coming to him” with “him” clearly referring back to the Lord in 2.3, a fact which the Good News Translation has made explicit. The Greek word for “coming” (proserchomai) is used generally of a person’s approach to God and specifically of a priest’s approach to the altar of sacrifice. Other ways of translating the word are “draw near” (Knox); “set yourselves close” (Jerusalem Bible); “come close” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Since “coming” is a present participle in the Greek, some scholars take it as indicative, with the main idea that the Christian does not come only once to Christ, but keeps coming to him. Most translations, however, take it as imperative.
There is a change of metaphor here from the previous passage: from nourishment (milk) to that of a building. The Lord is described here as the living stone. Previously, Peter had used the adjective living with hope (1.3), and with word (1.23). Here, the adjective may be understood either as a reference to the resurrection, that is, that Christ is the risen Lord, or as “life-giving,” that is, that Christ is able to give life to those who trust in him. Some scholars see in living stone a reference to the altar of sacrifice, but even though this may be a valid assertion, it just does not seem possible to make it explicit in translation.
The figurative expression the living stone as a descriptive title for the Lord involves a number of semantic difficulties in some languages, particularly since stones are not regarded as animate. Furthermore, it seems strange to speak of the Lord as being a stone. The relationship can be made somewhat more explicit in some instances by translating “the Lord who is like a stone which is alive.” Even in this form the figurative expression inevitably stretches one’s semantic categories.
Rejected … as worthless but chosen … as valuable is a reference to Psalm 118.22, which is quoted fully in verse 7. In its Old Testament context, “stone” refers either to the temple or Mount Zion. Mount Zion itself could refer to many things: (1) A hill outside Jerusalem, upon which “David’s City” was built; (2) the hill upon which the temple was built; (3) the city of Jerusalem; and (4) the people of Jerusalem, and in an extended sense, the people of Israel. If taken in this fourth sense, then “builders” would logically refer to the rulers of the nations around Israel who did their best to defeat and destroy her. This verse very early in the Christian tradition came to be understood as a prophecy regarding Christ’s suffering and subsequent exaltation; the Gospel writers even record that Jesus himself used it in this way (compare Mark 12.10; Matt 21.42; Luke 20.17). The change of “builders” in the quotation to “man” (verse 4) may have the purpose of signifying that it is not only the Jewish leaders, or the Jewish people who have rejected Christ, but mankind in general, that is, people who do not believe the gospel which is proclaimed to them.
The word for stone (lithos) here and in verse 5 refers not to a rock or boulder, but to a stone which is already prepared to be used in the building itself. It should not be confused with the cornerstone in verse 6 (Greek akrogonaion).
Rejected and chosen represent the contrast between the attitude of people and that of God towards the living stone. The Good News Translation has made this antithesis clear by its rendering: rejected by man as worthless, but chosen by God as valuable (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “whom men have thrown away as useless, but for God he is the most valuable stone”). The word for chosen is already used of the readers in 1.2 (compare 2.9 below). The last part of the verse is literally “chosen (and) precious”; however, it is clear that “chosen” describes an act of God, and “precious” his attitude towards the stone, and the Good News Translation has restructured the expression to make this meaning clear (compare Jerusalem Bible “chosen by God and precious to him”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “a selected stone of much value”).
Rejected may be rendered either in terms of some physical act, for example, “throw away,” or as a mental act, for example, “people decided it was worthless” or “… had no value.” Conversely, the passive expression chosen by God as valuable may be rendered as “God selected it as being valuable” or “God decided that it was a valuable stone.”
The whole verse, then, uses a metaphor based on Isaiah 28.16 and Psalm 118.22. It is used here to describe the rejection of Christ initially by the Jews in crucifying him. It also describes all others who rejected the message about him. In addition, it expresses Christ’s subsequent vindication and exaltation by God, who raised him from death and gave him praise and honor.
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The First Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .