55
copyist, before him, passing from Xj'Oov to Xidog, omitted the inter- mediate words, as sometimes happens. But these plainly belong to the subject. Peter quotes three sayings in ver. 6, 7 : the first from Isaiah, the second from the Psalms, the third again from Isaiah. He makes allusion to the third in ver. 8 ; but he alluded to the second and the first in ver. 4, even then revolving them both in his mind. Therefore the words, a-ro^dox/^a^ahov, rejected, and aKsdoTt/pccfiocv, they rejected , in ver. 4, 7, have reference to each other. The dative, uxsi9o\j(fi, to them that are disobedient , as just be- fore IfiTv roTg niGTzvovtnv, to you that believe , accords with the Hebrew prefix h, with this meaning, as relates to those that believe not; and the remaining part of this verse coheres with this dative, and the construction is easy : syz v/]Qti zig nscpuXfiv yuv/ac xal Xldog ‘ffpcxsx.bfjj^aTog, x.r.X., was made the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling , etc. ; the conjoining of the two sayings (Dicta) softening the disparity of the accusative and the nominative case, zig xzcpuXriv — XiQog. The saying of the Psalm has a twofold agreement with this. For 1st, They who avzhoHipavuv, rejected the stone, were truly dnziOovvrzg, disobedient. 2d, The same persons, while they rejected the stone, were unconsciously contributing to its becoming Kz<pa\r\ yuv/ag, the head of the corner ; nor can they now prevent this, however much they may be grieved [lit. snarl at it], and they shall experience, to their great misery, that He is the head of the corner : Matt. xxi. 44. — xs<paXfiv, the head) Christ is the head of the corner , especially with reference to believers, who are built upon Him ; yet unbelievers experience this in another way.
8. O/ 'xpoffjio^rovff/, rti Xoyw amiQovvrsg, who stumble , not believing the word) In ver. 7, he expressed the different judgments of believers and unbelievers respecting Christ ; now he sets forth the difference itself between believers and unbelievers. Many construct t/jog-xoV- rouci r'jj Xoyif), stumble at the word. But ‘n’potrxonrouai, put absolutely (as in John xi. 9), is derived from ‘Kpoaxoix^arog, the word quoted from Isaiah ; and the declaration follows, rw Xoyu d‘7rzt6ouvrzg, not believing the word , as ch. iv. 17, Ti ro r'zXog ruv anziQovvrwv r& rou 0s ov svuyysXiu ; What shall be the end of those who obey not the Gospel of God? and certainly ch. iii. 1, s7 nvsg dmiQovffi r& Xoyu : If any obey not the word. It is in the Gospel-word that the preciousness of Christ is set forth : they who do not believe the word, despise Christ, and stumble at Him. — zig o xa / zrz6r\aav, to which also they were appointed) Which refers to stumble : they who do not believe, stumble ; they who stumble are also appointed for stumbling. This
50