1 Peter 2:11

Contextual Overview

⁴As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁴ And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁴You are riding toward Christ, who is the rock in the corner of God's house. He was thrown out by his own people, but chosen by God to do great things and have great honor. ⁴ To whom you come, as to a living stone, not honoured by men, but of great and special value to God; ⁴ To whom coming, a living stone, cast away indeed as worthless by men, but with God chosen, precious, ⁴ coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. ⁴ To whom coming as unto a living stone, rejected indeed by men, ⁴ Come to Him, the ever-living Stone, rejected indeed by men as worthless, but in God's esteem chosen and held in honour. ⁴ To whom comming as vnto a liuing Stone, disallowed in deed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I beseech: Romans 12:1, 2 Corinthians 5:20, 2 Corinthians 6:1, Ephesians 4:1, Philemon 1:9, Philemon 1:10

as: 1 Peter 1:1, 1 Peter 1:17, Genesis 23:4, Genesis 47:9, Leviticus 25:23, 1 Chronicles 29:15, Psalms 39:12, Psalms 119:19, Psalms 119:54, Hebrews 11:13

abstain: 1 Peter 4:2, Luke 21:34, Acts 15:20, Acts 15:29, Romans 8:13, Romans 13:13, Romans 13:14, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Galatians 5:16-21, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 John 2:15-17

war: Romans 7:23, Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:17, Galatians 5:24, 1 Timothy 6:9, 1 Timothy 6:10, James 4:1

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:34 - General Genesis 39:10 - or to be Genesis 39:12 - and he left Exodus 18:3 - Gershom Leviticus 15:16 - General Leviticus 15:18 - the woman Leviticus 15:24 - General Deuteronomy 27:9 - this day Proverbs 7:26 - General Isaiah 52:11 - touch Jeremiah 35:6 - Ye shall Jeremiah 35:7 - all Romans 6:12 - in the lusts 1 Corinthians 1:10 - I beseech 1 Corinthians 6:18 - Flee 1 Corinthians 9:27 - I keep 1 Corinthians 10:14 - my 2 Corinthians 10:1 - beseech Ephesians 2:3 - in the Philippians 2:12 - my beloved Colossians 3:5 - evil Titus 2:12 - denying James 1:21 - lay 1 John 2:16 - the lust of the flesh

Cross-References

Genesis 10:7
The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:7
The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:7
The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:7
The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:7
And the children of Chus: Seba, and Hauilah, and Sabthah, and Raamah, and Sabtheca.

Genesis 10:7
Cush's sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah's sons were Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:7
The sons of Cush: Seba, Hav'ilah, Sabtah, Ra'amah, and Sab'teca. The sons of Ra'amah: Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:7
Forsothe the sones of Thus weren Saba, and Euila, and Sabatha, and Regma, and Sabatacha. The sones of Regma weren Saba, and Dadan.

Genesis 10:7
And the sonnes of Cush, Seba, and Hauilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sonnes of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan.

Genesis 10:7
And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Dearly beloved, I beseech you,.... The apostle, from characters of the saints, and which express their blessings and privileges, with great beauty, propriety, and pertinency, passes to exhortations to duties; he addresses the saints under this affectionate appellation, "dearly beloved", to express his great love to them, and to show that what he was about to exhort them to sprung from sincere and hearty affection for them, and was with a view to their real good; nor does he in an authoritative way command, as he might have done, as an apostle, but, as a friend, he entreats and beseeches them:

as strangers and pilgrims; not in a literal sense, though they were in a foreign country, in a strange land, and sojourners there, but in a spiritual and mystical sense; they were "strangers", not to God and Christ, and to the Spirit, to themselves, to the saints, and to all that is good, as they had formerly been, but to the world, the men of it, and the things in it; and therefore it became them to separate from it, and not conform to it; to abstain from all appearance of evil, to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts: and they were "pilgrims"; whose habit is Christ and his righteousness; whose food is Christ and his fulness; whose staff is Christ and the promises; whose guide is the blessed Spirit; the place for which they are bound is heaven, the better country, where is their Father's house, their friends, and their inheritance; this world not being their country, nor their resting place, it became them to have their conversation in heaven, and to

abstain from fleshly lusts; which spring from the flesh, and are concerned about fleshly things, and are exercised in and by the members of the flesh, or body; hence, in the Syriac version, they are called, "the lusts of the body": these are to be abstained from; not that the apostle thought that they could be without them; for while the saints are in the body, flesh, or corrupt nature will be in them, and the lusts thereof; but then these are not to be indulged, or provision to be made for them, to fulfil them; they are not to be obeyed and served, or lived unto, but to be denied and crucified, being unsuitable to the character of strangers and pilgrims, and also because of their hurtful and pernicious nature:

which war against the soul; see Romans 7:23, these are enemies to the spiritual peace, comfort, and welfare of the soul; and being of a man's household, and in his heart, are the worst enemies he has; and are to be treated as such, to be shunned and avoided, watched and guarded against; for though they cannot destroy the souls of true believers, they may bring much leanness upon them, and greatly distress them, and spoil them of their inward joy, and spiritual pleasure.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Dearly beloved, I beseech you strangers and pilgrims - On the word rendered “strangers,” (παροίκους paroikous,) see the notes at Ephesians 2:19, where it is rendered “foreigners.” It means, properly, one dwelling near, neighboring; then a by-dweller, a sojourner, one without the rights of citizenship, as distinguished from a citizen; and it means here that Christians are not properly citizens of this world, but that their citizenship is in heaven, and that they are here mere sojourners. Compare the notes at Philippians 3:20, “For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven.” On the word rendered “pilgrims,” (παρεπιδήμους parepidēmous,) see the 1 Peter 1:1 note; Hebrews 11:13 note. A pilgrim, properly, is one who travels to a distance from his own country to visit a holy place, or to pay his devotion to some holy object; then a traveler, a wanderer. The meaning here is, that Christians have no permanent home on earth; their citizenship is not here; they are mere sojourners, and they are passing on to their eternal home in the heavens. They should, therefore, act as become such persons; as sojourners and travelers do. They should not:

(a) regard the earth as their home.

(b) They should not seek to acquire permanent possessions here, as if they were to remain here, but should act as travelers do, who merely seek a temporary lodging, without expecting permanently to reside in a place.

(c) They should not allow any such attachments to be formed, or arrangements to be made, as to impede their journey to their final home, as pilgrims seek only a temporary lodging, and steadily pursue their journey.

(d) Even while engaged here in the necessary callings of life - their studies, their farming, their merchandise - their thoughts and affections should be on other things. One in a strange land thinks much of his country and home; a pilgrim, much of the land to which he goes; and even while his time and attention may be necessarily occupied by the arrangements needful for the journey, his thoughts and affections will be far away.

(e) We should not encumber ourselves with much of this world’s goods. Many professed Christians get so many worldly things around them, that it is impossible for them to make a journey to heaven. They burden themselves as no traveler would, and they make no progress. A traveler takes along as few things as possible; and a staff is often all that a pilgrim has. We make the most rapid progress in our journey to our final home when we are least encumbered with the things of this world.

Abstain from fleshly lusts - Such desires and passions as the carnal appetites prompt to. See the notes at Galatians 5:19-21. A sojourner in a land, or a pilgrim, does not give himself up to the indulgence of sensual appetites, or to the soft pleasures of the soul. All these would hinder his progress, and turn him off from his great design. Compare Romans 13:4; Galatians 5:24; 2 Timothy 2:22; Titus 2:12; 1 Peter 1:14.

Which war against the soul - Compare the notes at Romans 8:12-13. The meaning is, that indulgence in these things makes war against the nobler faculties of the soul; against the conscience, the understanding, the memory, the judgment, the exercise of a pure imagination. Compare the notes at Galatians 5:17. There is not a faculty of the mind, however brilliant in itself, which will not be ultimately ruined by indulgence in the carnal propensities of our nature. The effect of intemperance on the noble faculties of the soul is well known; and alas, there are too many instances in which the light of genius, in those endowed with splendid gifts, at the bar, in the pulpit, and in the senate, is extinguished by it, to need a particular description. But there is one vice preeminently, which prevails all over the pagan world, (Compare the notes at Romans 1:27-29) and extensively in Christian lands, which more than all others, blunts the moral sense, pollutes the memory, defiles the imagination, hardens the heart. and sends a withering influence through all the faculties of the soul.

“The soul grows clotted by contagion,

Embodies, and embrutes, till she quite lose

The divine property of her first being.”

Of this passion, Burns beautifully and truly said -

“But oh! it hardens a’ within,

And petrifies the feeling.”

From all these passions the Christian pilgrim is to abstain.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 11. As strangers and pilgrims — Hebrews 11:13. These were strangers and pilgrims in the most literal sense of the word, see 1 Peter 1:1, for they were strangers scattered through Asia, Pontus, c.

Abstain from fleshly lusts — As ye are strangers and pilgrims, and profess to seek a heavenly country, do not entangle your affections with earthly things. While others spend all their time, and employ all their skill, in acquiring earthly property, and totally neglect the salvation of their souls they are not strangers, they are here at home; they are not pilgrims, they are seeking an earthly possession: Heaven is your home, seek that; God is your portion, seek him. All kinds of earthly desires, whether those of the flesh or of the eye, or those included in the pride of life, are here comprised in the words fleshly lusts.

Which war against the soul — αιτινες στρατευονται κατα της ψυχης. Which are marshalled and drawn up in battle array, to fight against the soul; either to slay it, or to bring it into captivity. This is the object and operation of every earthly and sensual desire. How little do those who indulge them think of the ruin which they produce!