(KJV)
As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:
(NASB2020)
aand
like newborn babies,
long for the
▼ cpure ▼▼Or
spiritual (Gr
logikos)
milk, so milk of the word,
so that by it you may
egrow ▼in respect to salvation,
(NET2full)
And
▼▼tn Here “And” has been supplied in the translation to show clearly the connection between vv.
1 and
2.
yearn ▼▼tn Grk “getting rid of…yearn for.”
like newborn infants for
pure,
spiritual milk,
▼▼tn The word for spiritual in Greek is
λογικός (
logikos), which is a play on words with the reference in
1:23-25 to the living and enduring word (
λόγος,
logos) of God, through which they were born anew. This is a subtle indication that the nourishment for their growth must be the word of God.
so that by it you may
grow up to ▼▼tn Or “in, in regard to.” But the focus of “salvation” here, as in
1:5,
9, is the future deliverance of these who have been born anew and protected by God’s power.
salvation,
▼▼tc The Byzantine text lacks
εἰς σωτηρίαν (
eis sōtērian, “to salvation”), while the words are found in the earliest and best witnesses, along with others (
P72
א A B C K P
Ψ 33 81 630 1241 1505 1739
al latt sy co). Not only is the longer reading superior externally, but since the notion of growing up [in]to salvation may have seemed theologically objectionable, it is easy to see why some scribes would omit it.