1 Peter 2:4 (ASV)

Passage

unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,

Nearby Context

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation;

1 Peter 2:3 if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious:

1 Peter 2:4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,

1 Peter 2:5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:6 Because it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "coming", "living", "stone", "rejected", "indeed", "elect", and "precious". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "coming" and "living", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "if ye have tasted that the Lord..." into verse 5's "ye also as living stones are built...", so "coming" and "living" belong inside that flow. In 1 Peter context, the local focus is hope in suffering, holy conduct, submission, and grace.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "coming" and "living" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.