2 Peter 3:5

3:5 For they deliberately suppress this fact, ¹  that by the word of God ²  heavens existed long ago and an earth ³  was formed out of water and by means of water.

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. ⁴ 

2 Peter 3:12

3:12 while waiting for and hastening ⁵  the coming of the day of God? ⁶  Because of this day, ⁷  the heavens will be burned up and ⁸  dissolve, and the celestial bodies ⁹  will melt away in a blaze! ¹⁰ 

[3:5]  ¹ tn The Greek is difficult at this point. An alternative is “Even though they maintain this, it escapes them that…” Literally the idea seems to be: “For this escapes these [men] who wish [it to be so].”

[3:5]  ² tn The word order in Greek places “the word of God” at the end of the sentence. See discussion in the note on “these things” in v. 6.

[3:5]  ³ tn Or “land,” “the earth.”

[3:7]  ⁴ tn Grk “the ungodly people.”

[3:12]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “on account of which” (a subordinate relative clause in Greek).

[3:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “being burned up, will dissolve.”

[3:12]  ¹¹ tn See note in v. 10 on “celestial bodies.”

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