Texts in Conversation
1 Peter 2 echoes Psalm 34 by repeating the phrase about tasting that God is good. This reference to the Psalm is used as part of establishing a household code for believers, mixing Hebrew Bible and Greek traditions.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Psalm 33:9
Septuagint
7 This poor person cried out, and the Lord heard him, and he saved him from all of his afflictions. 8 The angel of the Lord will encamp in a circle around the ones who fear him, and he will rescue them. 9 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who hopes in Him. 10 Fear the Lord, all you holy ones of him, because there is no deficiency for the ones who are fearing him.
1 Peter 2:3
New Testament
1 So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the Lord’s kindness. 4 So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
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Notes and References
"... There are two clear references to Psalm 34 in 1 Peter - an extended citation at 3:10–12 (Psalm 34:12–16 [33:13–17aLXX]) and an obvious allusion at 1 Peter 2:3 (Psalm 34:8 [33:9 LXX]). Peter uses the extended citation to conclude a household code begun at 2:11 (2:11—3:12) ... The gist of the quotation is an exhortation to honorable speech and peaceable living through doing good; these are actions that Peter has already commended in his letter (compare 1:15; 2:1, 12). They aptly sum up the sense of the household code, which focuses on how those with little power in the household might mitigate hostilities toward their faith within that sphere (e.g., 2:18; 3:1). By living peaceably, within cultural constraints, these slaves and wives, along with the other believers, will “silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (2:15). The allusion to Psalm 34:8 in 1 Peter consists in the words “taste[d] that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3: “ἐγεύσασθε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ κύριος”). In the psalm it is paired with a blessing: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the person who hopes in him” (Psalm 33:9; LXX) ..."
Brown, Jeannine K.
"Metalepsis" in Oropeza, Brisio J., and Steve Moyise (eds.) Exploring Intertextuality: Diverse Strategies for New Testament Interpretation of Texts
(pp. 56-72) Cascade Books, 2016
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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