UTN uW Translation Notes:

1 Peter 2 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

1. Command to love each other as a family (1:22–2:10)
2. How believers should act toward other people (2:11–3:12)

Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry in 2:10 and the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 2:6, 2:7, 2:8, and 2:22.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Stones

The Bible uses a building made of large stones as a metaphor for the church. Jesus is the cornerstone, which is the most important stone. According to Ephesians 2:20, the apostles and prophets are the foundation, which is the part of the building on which all the other stones rest. In this chapter, Christians are the stones that make up the walls of the building. (See: figs-metaphor and cornerstone and foundation)

Milk and babies

When Peter tells his readers to “long for pure spiritual milk” in 2:2, he is using the metaphor of a baby craving his mother’s milk. Peter wants Christians to crave God’s word the same way a baby craves milk. (See: figs-metaphor)

Sheep and shepherds

The Bible often speaks metaphorically of people as sheep because sheep do not see well, do not think well, often walk away from those who care for them, and cannot defend themselves when other animals attack them. In 2:25, Peter alludes to Isaiah 53:6 to describe unbelievers as sheep that wander aimlessly and do not know where they are going. God’s people are also similar to sheep in that they are weak and do foolish things like rebelling against God. In 2:25, Peter also refers to Jesus as a shepherd who takes care of believers, which is a similar idea to what Jesus said in John 10:11–18. (See: sheep and shepherd)