Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Peter 1:9

κομιζόμενοι. The middle voice denotes either receiving back a possession, Matthew 25:27, or receiving a promised gift, Hebrews 10:36; Hebrews 11:39, and probably Hebrews 11:19, that Abraham received his long promised son figuratively out of death because his own body and that of Sarah were “as good as dead,” or receiving a reward earned, 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 5:4.

So here by faith in the long prepared σωτηρία Christians do receive already some of the blessings of that σωτηρία which is the goal of that faith—namely, the deliverance, the passage from death into life of man’s true self, the divine life or soul of which his bodily life is but the image.

τῆς πίστεως. The insertion of the article does not necessarily mean “your faith” nor “the Faith” in the sense of the doctrines of the Christian Faith, although the faith which is implied certainly means Christian faith in God’s mercy through Christ.

A noun in the genitive governed by another noun bearing an article generally takes the article. But τῆς πίστεως in 1 Peter 1:7; 1 Peter 1:9 may refer back to διὰ πίστεως in 1 Peter 1:5 = the above-named faith; cf. Romans 3:29, ἐκ πίστεως … διὰ τῆς πίστεως; James 2:14-15, πίστιν … ἡ πίστις.

Continues after advertising

BibliaPlus

Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Peter 1:9

Old Testament

New Testament