15. Peculiar (People), Purchased Possession

 
The word ‘peculiar' in the phrase a "peculiar people" occurs twice in the New Testament: Titus 2:1414Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14) and 1 Pet. 2:99But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9), as the rendering of two Greek words, περιούσιος (from περί and οὐσία, ‘being beyond, abundant'), which only occurs in Titus, and περτποίησις (from περιποιέω, to acquire, gain'), of more general application in 1 Peter. There is an intimate link between these two texts in that they are but different renderings, as adopted by the LXX, for the same Hebrew word, περιούσιος being in fact unknown outside Biblical Greek. We must turn then to the Old Testament to enter into its force here. It is to be found at Exod. 19:5; 23:225Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (Exodus 19:5)
22But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. (Exodus 23:22); Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:186For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6)
2For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2)
18And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; (Deuteronomy 26:18); and what is but another form of the word (περιουσιααμός) is employed for the same Hebrew in Psalm 135 (136.) 4 and Ecc. 2:8, which last passage is the only one without reference to the chosen people of Israel. These are apparently the only places in the LXX where περιούσιος, ―ασμός occur. But for the same Hebrew word they have used περιποίησις (at least the verb of it) in 1 Chron. 29:33Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, (1 Chronicles 29:3) (in the A. V. "of mine own proper good" and in Mal. 3:1717And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (Malachi 3:17), where we may more accurately translate "They shall be unto me for a peculiar treasure, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I prepare." Peter's use of the word may be compared with the rendering of the LXX in Isa. 43:2121This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise. (Isaiah 43:21), which may have been in his mind, where for ‘formed' they have the verb of περιποίσις, that is, ‘acquired' or ‘possessed,' "to tell forth my praises."
The Hebrew word signifies ‘to surround on all sides,' hence ‘to gather together, set apart, reserve, appropriate.' Applied to property, it would
be the private treasure acquired or possessed by the person himself, as distinguished from what is shared with others: with kings (cf. the passages in Ecc. and 1 Ch.) it would be the private purse as distinct from the public treasury. Now the word ‘peculiar' comes from the Latin peculium, which has very much this force, being used of the private purse which a member of a household was allowed to accumulate and possess for himself, distinct from what must be applied to the good of the family generally. The Greek περιούσιος also has the meaning of ‘existing, or possessed over and above,' with the same exception from the common laws of distribution. The Latin word has been used in these passages by more than one translator of the O. T., and hence passed in an English form into our version in all but Deut. 7:66For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6), where ‘special' is put for ‘peculiar; ' and in Malachi ‘jewels' (with ‘special treasure' in the margin.) Thus the force of these interesting passages in Titus and 1 Peter will be clear ― a "people for his own possession."
περιποίησις, occurs elsewhere. In Eph. 1:1414Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14) it is rendered "purchased possession," referring to vers. 10, 11: the inheritance, of all things in heaven and earth which are to be headed up in Christ, and of which in Christ we have been made heirs (not, as in the R. V., "made a heritage," confounding the church with the place of Israel). Till that day of glory the Holy Spirit is given us as the earnest of the inheritance; then redemption will be applied in power to the acquired possession, and Christ and the heavenly saints will formally take the inheritance according to God's purpose (comp. Dan. 7:13, 1413I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13‑14), and 18): hence the expression in Eph. 1:1818The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:18) "the riches of the glory of his [that is, God's] inheritance in the saints." In three other passages the word is found much more in its primary meaning of what remains over, is saved, reserved for oneself, and acquired and preserved. We have it thus applied to salvation in 1 Thess. 5:99For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9), and glory in 2 Thess. 2:1414Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:14); and in Heb. 10:3939But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:39) to the contrast between those who are "of faith to the saving of the soul" and "the drawers back to perdition."