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The word 'peculiar' in the phrase a "peculiar people" occurs twice in the New Testament: Titus 2: 14 and 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 περιποίησις (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 Ex. 19: 5; Ex. 23: 22; Deut. 7: 6; Deut. 14: 2; Deut. 26: 18; and what is but another form of the word (περιουσιασμός) is employed for the same Hebrew in Psalm 135: 4 (Ps. 134) 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 Chr. 29: 3 (in the A.V. "of mine own proper good" and in Mal. 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: 21, which may have been in his mind, where for 'formed' they have the verb of περιποίησις, 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 Chr.) 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: 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: 14 it is rendered "purchased possession," referring to Eph. 1: 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, 14, and 18): hence the expression in Eph. 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: 9, and glory in 2 Thess. 2: 14; and in Heb. 10: 39 to the contrast between those who are "of faith to the saving of the soul" and "the drawers back to perdition."