2 Peter 1:18

1:18 When this voice was conveyed from heaven, we ourselves ¹  heard it, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ² 

2 Peter 2:5

2:5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, ³  when God ⁴  brought a flood on an ungodly world, ⁵ 

2 Peter 3:17

3:17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, ⁶  be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men ⁷  and fall from your firm grasp on the truth. ⁸ 

2 Peter 2:1

The False Teachers’ Ungodly Lifestyle

2:1 But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. ⁹  These false teachers ¹⁰  will ¹¹  infiltrate your midst ¹²  with destructive heresies, ¹³  even to the point of ¹⁴  denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring ¹⁵  swift destruction on themselves.

2 Peter 2:21

2:21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them.

2 Peter 3:12

3:12 while waiting for and hastening ¹⁶  the coming of the day of God? ¹⁷  Because of this day, ¹⁸  the heavens will be burned up and ¹⁹  dissolve, and the celestial bodies ²⁰  will melt away in a blaze! ²¹ 

2 Peter 1:13

1:13 Indeed, as long as I am in this tabernacle, ²²  I consider it right to stir you up by way of a reminder,

2 Peter 3:10

3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, ²³  the heavens will disappear ²⁴  with a horrific noise, ²⁵  and the celestial bodies ²⁶  will melt away ²⁷  in a blaze, ²⁸  and the earth and every deed done on it ²⁹  will be laid bare. ³⁰ 

2 Peter 1:12

Salvation Based on the Word of God

1:12 Therefore, I intend to remind you constantly ³¹  of these things even though you know them and are well established in the truth that you now have.

2 Peter 3:4

3:4 and saying, ³²  “Where is his promised return? ³³  For ever since ³⁴  our ancestors ³⁵  died, ³⁶  all things have continued as they were ³⁷  from the beginning of creation.”

2 Peter 3:7

3:7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. ³⁸ 

2 Peter 1:4

1:4 Through these things ³⁹  he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised ⁴⁰  you may become partakers of the divine nature, ⁴¹  after escaping ⁴²  the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. ⁴³ 

2 Peter 1:2

1:2 May grace and peace be lavished on you ⁴⁴  as you grow ⁴⁵  in the rich knowledge ⁴⁶  of God and of Jesus our Lord! ⁴⁷ 

2 Peter 1:14

1:14 since I know that my tabernacle will soon be removed, ⁴⁸  because ⁴⁹  our Lord Jesus Christ revealed this to me. ⁵⁰ 

2 Peter 1:3

Believers’ Salvation and the Work of God

1:3 I can pray this because his divine power ⁵¹  has bestowed on us everything necessary ⁵²  for life and godliness through the rich knowledge ⁵³  of the one who called ⁵⁴  us by ⁵⁵  his own glory and excellence.

2 Peter 2:3

2:3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their ⁵⁶  condemnation pronounced long ago ⁵⁷  is not sitting idly by; ⁵⁸  their ⁵⁹  destruction is not asleep.

2 Peter 3:18

3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge ⁶⁰  of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on ⁶¹  that eternal day. ⁶² 

2 Peter 1:16

1:16 For we did not follow cleverly concocted fables when we made known to you the power and return ⁶³  of our Lord Jesus Christ; ⁶⁴  no, ⁶⁵  we were ⁶⁶  eyewitnesses of his ⁶⁷  grandeur. ⁶⁸ 

2 Peter 2:6

2:6 and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, ⁶⁹  having appointed ⁷⁰  them to serve as an example ⁷¹  to future generations of the ungodly, ⁷² 

2 Peter 2:10

2:10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires ⁷³  and who despise authority.

Brazen and insolent, ⁷⁴  they are not afraid to insult ⁷⁵  the glorious ones, ⁷⁶ 

[1:18]  ¹ tn The “we” in v. 18 is evidently exclusive, that is, it refers to Peter and the other apostles.

[1:18]  ² tn 2 Pet 1:17-18 comprise one sentence in Greek, with the main verb “heard” in v. 18. All else is temporally subordinate to that statement. Hence, more literally these verses read as follows: “For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory: ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am delighted,’ we ourselves heard this voice when it was conveyed from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.”

[2:5]  ³ tn “Along with seven others” is implied in the cryptic, “the eighth, Noah.” A more literal translation thus would be, “he did protect Noah [as] the eighth…”

[2:5]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been repeated here for clarity, although this is somewhat redundant with the beginning of v. 4.

[2:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “a world of the ungodly.”

[3:17]  ⁵ tn Grk “knowing beforehand.”

[3:17]  ⁶ tn Or “lawless ones.”

[3:17]  ⁷ tn Grk “fall from your firmness.”

[2:1]  ⁷ sn There will be false teachers among you. Peter uses the same verb, γίνομαι (ginomai), in 2 Pet 2:1 as he had used in 1:20 to describe the process of inspiration. He may well be contrasting, by way of a catchword, the two kinds of prophets.

[2:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “who”; verse 1 is one sentence in Greek, the second half constituting a relative clause.

[2:1]  ⁹ sn By the use of the future tense (will infiltrate), Peter is boldly prophesying the role that false teachers will have before these Gentile believers. It was necessary for him to establish both his own credentials and to anchor his audience’s faith in the written Word before he could get to this point, for these false teachers will question both.

[2:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “will bring in,” often with the connotation of secretiveness; “your midst” is implied.

[2:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “destructive opinions,” “destructive viewpoints.” The genitive ἀπωλείας (apwleia") could be taken either attributively (“destructive”) or as a genitive of destination (“leading to destruction”). Although the preferable interpretation is a genitive of destination, especially because of the elaboration given at the end of the verse (“bringing swift destruction on themselves”), translating it attributively is less cumbersome in English. Either way, the net result is the same.

[2:1]  ¹² tn Grk “even.” The καί (kai) is ascensive, suggesting that the worst heresy is mentioned in the words that follow.

[2:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “bringing.” The present participle ἐπάγοντες (epagonte") indicates the result of the preceding clause.

[3:12]  ⁹ tn Or possibly, “striving for,” but the meaning “hasten” for σπουδάζω (spoudazw) is normative in Jewish apocalyptic literature (in which the coming of the Messiah/the end is anticipated). Such a hastening is not an arm-twisting of the divine volition, but a response by believers that has been decreed by God.

[3:12]  ¹⁰ sn The coming of the day of God. Peter elsewhere describes the coming or parousia as the coming of Christ (cf. 2 Pet 1:16; 3:4). The almost casual exchange between “God” and “Christ” in this little book, and elsewhere in the NT, argues strongly for the deity of Christ (see esp. 1:1).

[3:12]  ¹¹ tn Grk “on account of which” (a subordinate relative clause in Greek).

[3:12]  ¹² tn Grk “being burned up, will dissolve.”

[3:12]  ¹³ tn See note in v. 10 on “celestial bodies.”

[3:12]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “being burned up” (see v. 10).

[1:13]  ¹¹ tn Or “tent.” The author uses this as a metaphor for his physical body.

[3:10]  ¹³ tn Grk “in which.”

[3:10]  ¹⁴ tn Or “pass away.”

[3:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “hissing sound,” “whirring sound,” “rushing sound,” or “loud noise.” The word occurs only here in the NT. It was often used of the crackle of a fire, as would appear appropriate in this context.

[3:10]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “elements.” Most commentators are agreed that “celestial bodies” is meant, in light of this well-worn usage of στοιχεῖα (stoiceia) in the 2nd century and the probable allusion to Isa 34:4 (text of Vaticanus). See R. Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter [WBC], 315-16 for discussion.

[3:10]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “be dissolved.”

[3:10]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “being burned up.”

[3:10]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the works in it.”

[3:10]  ²⁰ tc One of the most difficult textual problems in the NT is found in v. 10. The reading εὑρεθήσεται (Jeureqhsetai), which enjoys by far the best support (א B K P 0156^vid 323 1241 1739^txt pc) is nevertheless so difficult a reading that many scholars regard it as nonsensical. (NA²⁷ lists five conjectures by scholars, from Hort to Mayor, in this text.) As R. Bauckham has pointed out, solutions to the problem are of three sorts: (1) conjectural emendation (which normally speaks more of the ingenuity of the scholar who makes the proposal than of the truth of the conjecture, e.g., changing one letter in the previous word, ἔργα [erga] becomes ἄργα [arga] with the meaning, “the earth and the things in it will be found useless”); (2) adoption of one of several variant readings (all of which, however, are easier than this one and simply cannot explain how this reading arose, e.g., the reading of Ì⁷² which adds λυόμενα [luomena] to the verb – a reading suggested no doubt by the threefold occurrence of this verb in the surrounding verses: “the earth and its works will be found dissolved”; or the simplest variant, the reading of the Sahidic mss, οὐχ [ouc] preceding ἑυρεθήσεται – “will not be found”); or (3) interpretive gymnastics which regards the text as settled but has to do some manipulation to its normal meaning. Bauckham puts forth an excellent case that the third option is to be preferred and that the meaning of the term is virtually the equivalent of “will be disclosed,” “will be manifested.” (That this meaning is not readily apparent may in fact have been the reason for so many variants and conjectures.) Thus, the force of the clause is that “the earth and the works [done by men] in it will be stripped bare [before God].” In addition, the unusualness of the expression is certainly in keeping with the author’s style throughout this little book. Hence, what looks to be suspect because of its abnormalities, upon closer inspection is actually in keeping with the author’s stylistic idiosyncrasies. The meaning of the text then is that all but the earth and men’s works will be destroyed. Everything will be removed so that humanity will stand naked before God. Textually, then, on both external and internal grounds, εὑρεθήσεται commends itself as the preferred reading.

[1:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “always.”

[3:4]  ¹⁷ tn The present participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) most likely indicates result. Thus, their denial of the Lord’s return is the result of their lifestyle. The connection to the false teachers of chapter 2 is thus made clear.

[3:4]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Where is the promise of his coming?” The genitive παρουσίας (parousia", “coming, advent, return”) is best taken as an attributed genitive (in which the head noun, promise, functions semantically as an adjective; see ExSyn 89-91).

[3:4]  ¹⁹ tn The prepositional phrase with the relative pronoun, ἀφ᾿ ἧς (af’ |h"), is used adverbially or conjunctively without antecedent (see BDAG 727 s.v. ὅς 1.k.).

[3:4]  ²⁰ tn Grk “fathers.” The reference could be either to the OT patriarchs or first generation Christians. This latter meaning, however, is unattested in any other early Christian literature.

[3:4]  ²¹ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

[3:4]  ²² tn Grk “thus,” “in the same manner.”

[3:7]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the ungodly people.”

[1:4]  ²¹ tn Verse 4 is in Greek a continuation of v. 3, “through which things.”

[1:4]  ²² tn Grk “through them.” The implication is that through inheriting and acting on these promises the believers will increasingly become partakers of the divine nature.

[1:4]  ²³ sn Although the author has borrowed the expression partakers of the divine nature from paganism, his meaning is clearly Christian. He does not mean apotheosis (man becoming a god) in the pagan sense, but rather that believers have an organic connection with God. Because of such a connection, God can truly be called our Father. Conceptually, this bears the same meaning as Paul’s “in Christ” formula. The author’s statement, though startling at first, is hardly different from Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians that they “may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (3:19).

[1:4]  ²⁴ tn The aorist participle ἀποφυγόντες (apofugonte") is often taken as attendant circumstance to the preceding verb γένησθε (genhsqe). As such, the sense is “that you might become partakers…and might escape…” However, it does not follow the contours of the vast majority of attendant circumstance participles (in which the participle precedes the main verb, among other things). Further, attendant circumstance participles are frequently confused with result participles (which do follow the verb). Many who take this as attendant circumstance are probably viewing it semantically as result (“that you might become partakers…and [thereby] escape…”). But this is next to impossible since the participle is aorist: Result participles are categorically present tense.

[1:4]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the corruption in the world (in/because of) lust.”

[1:2]  ²³ tn Grk “May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”

[1:2]  ²⁴ tn The words “as you grow” are not in the Greek text, but seem to be implied.

[1:2]  ²⁵ tn The word ἐπίγνωσις (epignwsis) could simply mean knowledge, but J. B. Mayor (Jude and Second Peter, 171-74) has suggested that it is often a fuller knowledge, especially in reference to things pertaining to spiritual truth. R. Bauckham (Jude, 2 Peter [WBC], 169-70) argues that it refers to the knowledge of God that is borne of conversion, but this is probably saying too much and is asking questions of the author that are foreign to his way of thinking. The term is used in 1:2, 3, 8; 2:20 (the verb form occurs twice, both in 2:21). In every instance it evidently involves being in the inner circle of those who connect to God, though it does not necessarily imply such a direct and relational knowledge of God for each individual within that circle. An analogy would be Judas Iscariot: Even though he was a disciple of the Lord, he was not converted.

[1:2]  ²⁶ tn A comma properly belongs at the end of v. 2 instead of a period, since v. 3 is a continuation of the same sentence. With the optative in v. 2, the author has departed from Paul’s normal greeting (in which no verb is used), rendering the greeting a full-blown sentence. Nevertheless, this translation divides the verses up along thematic lines in spite of breaking up the sentence structure. For more explanation, see note on “power” in v. 3.

[1:14]  ²⁵ tn Grk “since I know that the removal of my tabernacle is [coming] soon.”

[1:14]  ²⁶ tn Grk “just as.”

[1:14]  ²⁷ sn When the author says our Lord Jesus Christ revealed this to me, he is no doubt referring to the prophecy that is partially recorded in John 21:18-19.

[1:3]  ²⁷ tn The verse in Greek starts out with ὡς (Jws) followed by a genitive absolute construction, dependent on the main verb in v. 2. Together, they form a subordinate causal clause. A more literal rendering would be “because his divine power…” The idea is that the basis or authority for the author’s prayer in v. 2 (that grace and peace would abound to the readers) was that God’s power was manifested in their midst. The author’s sentence structure is cumbersome even in Greek; hence, the translation has broken this up into two sentences.

[1:3]  ²⁸ tn The word “necessary” is not in the Greek, but is implied by the preposition πρός (pros).

[1:3]  ²⁹ tn See the note on “rich knowledge” in v. 2.

[1:3]  ³⁰ sn Called. The term καλέω (kalew), used here in its participial form, in soteriological contexts when God is the subject, always carries the nuance of effectual calling. That is, the one who is called is not just invited to be saved – he is also and always saved (cf. Rom 8:30). Calling takes place at the moment of conversion, while election takes place in eternity past (cf. Eph 1:4).

[1:3]  ³¹ tn The datives ἰδίᾳ δόξῃ καὶ ἀρετῇ (idia doxh kai areth) could be taken either instrumentally (“by [means of] his own glory and excellence”) or advantage (“for [the benefit of] his own glory and excellence”). Both the connection with divine power and the textual variant found in several early and important witnesses (διὰ δόξης καὶ ἀρετῆς in Ì⁷² B 0209^vid) argues for an instrumental meaning. The instrumental notion is also affirmed by the meaning of ἀρετῇ (“excellence”) in contexts that speak of God’s attributes (BDAG 130 s.v. ἀρετή 2 in fact defines it as “manifestation of divine power” in this verse).

[2:3]  ²⁹ tn Grk “to whom,” introducing a subordinate relative clause.

[2:3]  ³⁰ tn Grk “the ancient judgment.”

[2:3]  ³¹ tn Grk “is not idle.”

[2:3]  ³² tn Greek has “and their.” As introducing a synonymous parallel, it is superfluous in English.

[3:18]  ³¹ tn The term “knowledge” (γνῶσις, gnwsis) used here is not the same as is found in 2 Pet 1:2, 3, 8; 2:20. This term is found in 1:5 and 1:6.

[3:18]  ³² tn Or “until.”

[3:18]  ³³ tc ‡ The vast bulk of mss add ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”) at the end of this letter, as they do almost all the rest of the NT books (only Acts, James, and 3 John lack a majority of witnesses supporting a concluding ἀμήν). The omission in B 1241 1243 1739* 1881 2298 appears to be original, although the fact that some of the best and earliest Alexandrian witnesses (Ì⁷² א A C P Ψ 33 co), along with the Byzantine text and early versions (vg sy), add the particle renders such a judgment less than iron-clad. NA²⁷ places the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:16]  ³³ tn Grk “coming.”

[1:16]  ³⁴ tn Grk “for we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following cleverly concocted fables.”

[1:16]  ³⁵ tn Grk “but, instead.”

[1:16]  ³⁶ tn Grk “became.”

[1:16]  ³⁷ tn Grk “that one’s.” That is, “eyewitnesses of the grandeur of that one.” The remote demonstrative pronoun is used perhaps to indicate esteem for Jesus. Along these lines it is interesting to note that “the Pythagoreans called their master after his death simply ἐκεῖνος” as a term of reverence and endearment (BDAG 302 s.v. ἐκεῖνος a.γ).

[1:16]  ³⁸ sn The term grandeur was used most frequently of God’s majesty. In the 1st century, it was occasionally used of the divine majesty of the emperor. 2 Pet 1:1 and 1:11 already include hints of a polemic against emperor-worship (in that “God and Savior” and “Lord and Savior” were used of the emperor).

[2:6]  ³⁵ tc Several important witnesses omit καταστροφῇ (katastrofh, “destruction”; such as Ì^72* B C* 1241 1739 1881 pc), but this is probably best explained as an accidental omission due to homoioarcton (the word following is κατέκρινεν [katekrinen, “he condemned”]).

[2:6]  ³⁶ tn The perfect participle τεθεικώς (teqeikw") suggests an antecedent act. More idiomatically, the idea seems to be, “because he had already appointed them to serve as an example.”

[2:6]  ³⁷ tn “To serve as” is not in Greek but is implied in the object-complement construction.

[2:6]  ³⁸ tn Grk “an example of the things coming to the ungodly,” or perhaps “an example to the ungodly of coming [ages].”

[2:10]  ³⁷ tn Grk “those who go after the flesh in [its] lust.”

[2:10]  ³⁸ tn There is no “and” in Greek; it is supplied for the sake of English convention.

[2:10]  ³⁹ tn The translation takes βλασφημοῦντες (blasfhmounte") as an adverbial participle of purpose, as most translations do. However, it is also possible to see this temporally (thus, “they do not tremble when they blaspheme”).

[2:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Δόξας (doxas) almost certainly refers to angelic beings rather than mere human authorities, though it is difficult to tell whether good or bad angels are in view. Verse 11 seems to suggest that wicked angels is what the author intends.