Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Peter 2:1

Put away then all malice all guile and hypocrisy and envy all backbiting. οὖν resumes διό (1 Peter 1:13). The faults to be put away fall into three groups, divided by the prefix all, and correspond to the virtues of 1 Peter 1:22 (ὑπόκρισιν ἀνυπόκριτον). The special connection of the command with the preceding Scripture would require the expression of the latent idea, that such faults as these are inspired by the prejudices of the natural man and belong to the fashion of the world, which is passing away (1 John 2:17). ἀποθέμενοι, putting off. Again participle with imperative force. St. Peter regards the metaphor of removal as based on the idea of washing off filth, cf. σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου (1 Peter 3:21). St. James (1 Peter 1:21, διὸ ἀποθέμενοι πᾶσαν ῥυπαρίαν καὶ περισσείαν κακίας) which seems to combine these two phrases and to deduce the familiarity of the spiritual sense of filth (cf. Revelation 22:11, ῥυπαρὸς κἅγιος). St. Paul has the same word but associates it with the putting off of clothing (Colossians 3:5 ff.; Ephesians 4:22; Romans 13:12 all followed by ἐνδύσασθαι). κακίαν, probably malice rather than wickedness. Peter is occupied with their mutual relations and considering what hinders brotherly love, not their vices, if any, as vice is commonly reckoned. So James associates the removal of κακία with courtesy; and St. Paul says let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and ill-speaking be removed from you with all malice (Ephesians 4:31; cf. Colossians 3:8). κ. is generally eagerness to hurt one's neighbour (Suidas) the feeling which prompts backbitings and may be subdivided into guile, hypocrisy, and envy. δόλον, Guile was characteristic of Jacob, the eponymous hero of the Jews, but not part of the true Israelite (ἴδε ἀληθῶς Ἰσραηλίτης ἐν ᾧ δόλος οὐκ ἔστιν John 1:47). It was also rife among the Greeks (μεστοὺς … δόλου, Romans 1:29) as the Western world has judged from experience (Greek and grec = cardsharper; compare characters of Odysseus and Hermes). δ. is here contrasted with obedience to the truth (1 Peter 1:22), 1Pe 2:22, 1 Peter 3:10. ὑπόκρισιν is best explained by the saying Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites.… This people honours me with their lips but their heart is far away from me (Mark 7:6 f. = Isaiah 29:13). It stands for חנף profane, impure in Symmachus' version of Psalms 35:16; so ὑποκριτὴς in LXX of Job (Job 34:30; Job 36:13), and Aquila (Proverbs 11:9), etc. In 2Ma 6:25, ὑ is used of (unreal? not secret) apostasy perhaps in accordance with the earlier sense of ח֙ which only in post-Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic = hypocrisy. In His repeated denunciations of the hypocrites Jesus repeated the Pharisees description of the Sadducees that live in hypocrisy with the saints (Ps. Song of Solomon 4:7). Polybius has ὑ. in the classical sense of oratorical delivery, and once contrasted with the purpose of speakers (xxxv. 2, 13). καταλαλιάς, detractiones (Vulgate), of external slanders in 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 3:11. For internal calumnies, cf. James 4:11; 2 Corinthians 12:20 illustrates one special case, for φυσιώσεις κᾳταλαλιαὶ correspond to εἷς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἑνὸς φυσιοῦσθε κατὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου of 1 Corinthians 4:6 (cf. 1 Peter 1:12).

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Peter 2:1

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