God & Savior

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9
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Study notes

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.

Explanation

Peter applies to believers titles God gave Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:5-6). They belong to God, and their purpose is to declare what He has done.

Original language
  • γένος (genos): family
    Greek · Noun, nominative, singular, neuter · Strong's G1085G · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Race, people.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 3

  • ἐκλεκτόν (eklekton): select
    Greek · Adjective, nominative, singular, neuter · Strong's G1588 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Chosen.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 4

  • βασίλειον (basileion): kingly
    Greek · Adjective, nominative, singular, neuter · Strong's G0934 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Royal.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 5

  • ἱεράτευμα (hi'erateuma): priesthood
    Greek · Noun, nominative, singular, neuter · Strong's G2406 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Priesthood.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 6

  • ἔθνος (ethnos): Gentile nation
    Greek · Noun, nominative, singular, neuter · Strong's G1484 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Nation.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 7

  • ἅγιον (hagion): holy
    Greek · Adjective, nominative, singular, neuter · Strong's G0040G · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Holy.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 8

  • περιποίησιν (peripoiēsin): acquiring
    Greek · Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · Strong's G4047 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Possession.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 11

  • ἀρετὰς (aretas): virtue
    Greek · Noun, accusative, plural, feminine · Strong's G0703 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Excellencies, praises.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 14

  • ἐξαγγείλητε (exangeilēte): to proclaim
    Greek · Verb, aorist, active, subjunctive, 2nd person plural · Strong's G1804 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    You may proclaim.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 15

  • σκότους (skotous): darkness
    Greek · Noun, genitive, singular, neuter · Strong's G4655 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Darkness.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 18

  • καλέσαντος (kalesantos): to call
    Greek · Verb, aorist, active, participle, genitive, singular, masculine · Strong's G2564G · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Having called.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 20

  • θαυμαστὸν (thaumaston): marvellous
    Greek · Adjective, accusative, singular, neuter · Strong's G2298 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Marvellous, wonderful.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 23

  • φῶς· (phōs): light
    Greek · Noun, accusative, singular, neuter · Strong's G5457 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Light.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, 1 Peter 2:9, word 25

Cross-references
  • Exodus 19:5-6 · Background

    You will be My treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

  • Isaiah 43:20-21 · Background

    My chosen people, whom I formed to proclaim My praise.

  • Colossians 1:13 · Same theme

    He rescued us from the dominion of darkness.

Sources

Original language and places

Reference data from open datasets, shown as published by their sources. Word-by-word English is a literal guide, not a translation.

Original language (Greek)

ὑμεῖς δὲ γένος ἐκλεκτόν, βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, ἔθνος ἅγιον, λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν, ὅπως τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐξαγγείλητε τοῦ ἐκ σκότους ὑμᾶς καλέσαντος εἰς τὸ θαυμαστὸν αὐτοῦ φῶς·

  1. ὑμεῖςhumeis“You yourselves”
    Personal pronoun, 2nd person, nominative, plural · from σύ · “you” · Strong's G4771
  2. δὲde“however”
    Conjunction · from δέ · “but/and” · Strong's G1161
  3. γένοςgenos“[are] a race”
    Noun, nominative, singular, neuter · “family” · Strong's G1085G
  4. ἐκλεκτόν,eklekton“chosen,”
    Adjective, nominative, singular, neuter · from ἐκλεκτός · “select” · Strong's G1588
  5. βασίλειονbasileion“a royal”
    Adjective, nominative, singular, neuter · from βασίλειος · “kingly” · Strong's G0934
  6. ἱεράτευμα,hi'erateuma“priesthood,”
    Noun, nominative, singular, neuter · from ἱεράτευμα · “priesthood” · Strong's G2406
  7. ἔθνοςethnos“a nation”
    Noun, nominative, singular, neuter · “Gentile nation” · Strong's G1484
  8. ἅγιον,hagion“holy,”
    Adjective, nominative, singular, neuter · from ἅγιος · “holy” · Strong's G0040G
  9. λαὸςlaos“a people”
    Noun, nominative, singular, masculine · from λαός · “a people” · Strong's G2992
  10. εἰςeis“for [His]”
    Preposition · “toward” · Strong's G1519
  11. περιποίησιν,peripoiēsin“possession,”
    Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · from περιποίησις · “acquiring” · Strong's G4047
  12. ὅπωςhopōs“so that”
    Conjunction · “that” · Strong's G3704
  13. τὰςtas“the”
    Article, accusative, plural, feminine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  14. ἀρετὰςaretas“excellencies”
    Noun, accusative, plural, feminine · from ἀρετή · “virtue” · Strong's G0703
  15. ἐξαγγείλητεexangeilēte“you may proclaim”
    Verb, aorist, active, subjunctive, 2nd person plural · from ἐξαγγέλλω · “to proclaim” · Strong's G1804
  16. τοῦtou“of the [One]”
    Article, genitive, singular, masculine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  17. ἐκek“out of”
    Preposition · “out from” · Strong's G1537
  18. σκότουςskotous“darkness”
    Noun, genitive, singular, neuter · from σκότος · “darkness” · Strong's G4655
  19. ὑμᾶςhumas“you”
    Personal pronoun, 2nd person, accusative, plural · from σύ · “you” · Strong's G4771
  20. καλέσαντοςkalesantos“having called”
    Verb, aorist, active, participle, genitive, singular, masculine · from καλέω · “to call” · Strong's G2564G
  21. εἰςeis“to”
    Preposition · “toward” · Strong's G1519
  22. τὸto“the”
    Article, accusative, singular, neuter · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  23. θαυμαστὸνthaumaston“marvelous”
    Adjective, accusative, singular, neuter · from θαυμαστός · “marvellous” · Strong's G2298
  24. αὐτοῦautou“of Him”
    Personal pronoun, genitive, singular, masculine · from αὐτός · “he/she/it/self” · Strong's G0846
  25. φῶς·phōs“light;”
    Noun, accusative, singular, neuter · from φῶς · “light” · Strong's G5457
  • Prepared by the God & Savior team. Not yet reviewed by an editor.
  • Greek words: STEP Bible (STEPBible.org), based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge. CC BY 4.0. Source (version ed476a8)