2 Peter 2:17

2:17 These men ¹  are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness ²  have been reserved.

2 Peter 3:13

3:13 But, according to his promise, we are waiting for ³  new heavens and a new earth, in which ⁴  righteousness truly resides. ⁵ 

2 Peter 2:3

2:3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their ⁶  condemnation pronounced long ago ⁷  is not sitting idly by; ⁸  their ⁹  destruction is not asleep.

2 Peter 2:12

2:12 But ¹⁰  these men, ¹¹  like irrational animals – creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed ¹²  – do not understand whom ¹³  they are insulting, and consequently ¹⁴  in their destruction they will be destroyed, ¹⁵ 

[2:17]  ¹ tn Although some translations have simply “these” or “these people,” since in v. 14 they are described as having eyes “full of an adulteress,” men are in view.

[2:17]  ² tn Grk “utter darkness of darkness.” Verse 4 speaks of wicked angels presently in “chains of utter darkness,” while the final fate of the false teachers is a darker place still.

[3:13]  ³ tn Or possibly, “let us wait for.” The form in Greek (προσδόκωμεν, prosdokwmen) could be either indicative or subjunctive. The present participle in v. 14, however, is best taken causally (“since you are waiting for”), suggesting that the indicative is to be read here.

[3:13]  ⁴ tn The relative pronoun is plural, indicating that the sphere in which righteousness dwells is both the new heavens and the new earth.

[3:13]  ⁵ tn Grk “dwells.” The verb κατοικέω (katoikew) is an intensive cognate of οἰκέω (oikew), often with the connotation of “taking up residence,” “settling down,” being at home,” etc. Cf., e.g., Matt 2:23; Acts 17:26; 22:12; Eph 3:17; Col 1:19; 2:9. Hence, the addition of the adverb “truly” is implicit in the connotation of the verb in a context such as this.

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “to whom,” introducing a subordinate relative clause.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “the ancient judgment.”

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “is not idle.”

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Greek has “and their.” As introducing a synonymous parallel, it is superfluous in English.

[2:12]  ⁷ tn 2 Pet 2:12 through 16 constitute one cumbersome sentence in Greek. It is difficult to tell whether a hard break belongs in the middle of v. 13, as the translation has it, or whether the compounding of participles is meant in a loosely descriptive sort of way, without strong grammatical connection. Either way, the sentence rambles in a way that often betrays a great “vehemence of spirit” (A. T. Robertson, Grammar, 435). The author is obviously agitated at these false teachers who are to come.

[2:12]  ⁸ tn The false teachers could conceivably be men or women, but in v. 14 they are said to have eyes “full of an adulteress.” This can only refer to men. Hence, both here and in v. 17 the false teachers are described as “men.”

[2:12]  ⁹ tn Grk “born for capture and destruction.”

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “with [reference to] whom.”

[2:12]  ¹¹ tn There is no conjunction joining this last clause of v. 12 to the preceding (i.e., no “and consequently”). The argument builds asyndetically (a powerful rhetorical device in Greek), but cannot be naturally expressed in English as such.

[2:12]  ¹² tn This cryptic expression has been variously interpreted. (1) It could involve a simple cognate dative in which case the idea is “they will be utterly destroyed.” But the presence of αὐτῶν (autwn; their, of them) is problematic for this view. Other, more plausible views are: (2) the false teachers will be destroyed at the same time as the irrational beasts, or (3) in the same manner as these creatures (i.e., by being caught); or (4) the false teachers will be destroyed together with the evil angels whom they insult. Because of the difficulties of the text, it was thought best to leave it ambiguous, as the Greek has it.