_Prophets and apostles have warned us that delay will lead to denial of the Second Advent_. “I am now writing my second letter to you. In both I seek to rouse you to honest reflection on the words formerly spoken by the holy prophets, and on the commandment of our Lord delivered by your missionarie... [ Continue Reading ]
For ἤδη with numeral, _cf._ John 21:14. δευτέραν ἐπιστολήν. Does this refer to 1 Peter? See Introduction, p. 113. ἐν αἷς : “in both of which,” _constructio ad sensum_. διεγείρς … ὑπομνήσει : _cf._ 2 Peter 1:13. εἰλικρινῆ : _cf._ 1 Corinthians 5:8 2 Corinthians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Philippians 1... [ Continue Reading ]
Borrowed from Jude 1:17. μνησθῆναι : epexegetical infinitive. See grammatical note. καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων, κ. τ. λ. Double possessive genitive “of the Lord's command delivered by your apostles”. Chase (_op. cit._ p. 811 a) suggests that διά should be inserted after τῆς, and compares the title of the... [ Continue Reading ]
τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες. Accusative is required, but all MSS. have nominative, _cf._ Jude 1:18. ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν. Mockers are one of the signs of the approach of the end, _cf._ 1 John 2:18. ἐν ἐμπαιγμονῇ ἐμπαῖκται : ἐμπαίκτης is an unclassical form. _cf._ Mark 15:20. This verse is not part of... [ Continue Reading ]
ποῦ ἐστὶν, κ. τ. λ. The coming or our Lord in the near future was evidently an integral part of the apostolic teaching, _cf._ 2 Peter 1:16. “There is no sure evidence that Jesus sought to undermine the assumption of His followers, that the and glory would be manifested in their day; and even this we... [ Continue Reading ]
λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο. “This escapes their notice.” τοῦτο is nominative. θέλοντας “wilfully” “of their own purpose”. ἔκπαλαι (_cf._ note, 2 Peter 2:3): “originally,” _i.e._ before the creation of the world. The Rabbinical school of Shammai held that Genesis 1:1, ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐραν... [ Continue Reading ]
_The first part of the argument against the scoffers_. “It is not true that the course of the world is unchanging. They have wilfully forgotten that the heavens existed originally, and the earth was formed out of water, and by means of water, by the Word of God. By this very water and Word the world... [ Continue Reading ]
διʼ ὧν. Mayor and Schmeidel, against the evidence of nearly all manuscripts, read διʼ ὅν. This is rendered unnecessary (1) if the above rendering of ἐξ ὕδατος κ. τ. λ. is taken, and the plural διʼ ὧν refers to the two waters. διʼ ὅν would refer to λόγῳ alone, or (2) if διʼ ὧν relers to ὑδάτων and λό... [ Continue Reading ]
πυρὶ τηρούμενοι. According to the Jewish conception of the rainbow promise, water would not again be the destructive agency. The heaven and the earth are reserved for destruction by fire. τεθησαυρισμένοι : “set apart for”. The writer means that both the rainbow promise and the delay are not to be re... [ Continue Reading ]
μία ἡμέρα, κ. τ. λ. _Cf._ Psalms 40:4. The literal application of this statement to the story of creation, employed by patristic writers, in which one day is interpreted as 1000 years, and therefore the creation in six days really means 6000 years, is of course absurd. On the other hand, it can scar... [ Continue Reading ]
_A further argument to explain the apparent delay_. “One thing beloved, you must not forget. The sense of the duration of time in the Divine Mind is not the same as in the human. One day is the same to God as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. God must not be judged as slack by human... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐ βραδύνει … ἡγοῦνται. The idea that is combated is that God has made a promise and has not kept it, He is, however, better than His promise. The additional element of His μακροθυμία is brought into play. God is greater than men's conception of Him, especially if theirs is a mechanical view of the... [ Continue Reading ]
ἡμέρα Κυρίου. No distinction is made between the Day of the Lord, and the Coming of Christ. This is remarkable, as excluding any idea of millenarian teaching, which speedily made its appearance in the Early Church, is ὡς κλέπτης, _cf._ 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; Revelation 3:3;... [ Continue Reading ]
λυομένων. Present used for a future. Mayor translates “are in process of dissolution,” as though the principle of φθορά were already at work; but this is a conception foreign to the mind of the writer, who uses it only in a moral significance. Nature is “reserved” (θησαυρίζεσθαι) for destruction. Di... [ Continue Reading ]
_The ethical value of the Parousia expectation_. “Seeing then that all these things are to be dissolved, how great an effect it ought to exercise on our whole moral and religious life, as we look forward to and hasten the coming of the day of God. The skies shall be set on fire and dissolved, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
σπεύδοντας. Either (1) “earnestly desiring,” _cf._ Isaiah 16:5, σπεύδων δικαιοσύνην, or (2) preferably, “hastening the coming”. “The Church may be said to bring the day nearer when it prays, ‘Thy kingdom come' ” (Bigg). The writer is here referring to the Jewish idea that the sins of men prevented M... [ Continue Reading ]
καινοὺς δὲ οὐρανοὺς … προσδοκῶμεν. _Cf._ Isaiah 65:17. ἔσται γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς καινὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ καινή. Enoch xci. 16. See note on 2 Peter 3:7. οὐρανός might appropriately be translated “sky”. ἐν οἷς δικαιοσύνη κατοικεῖ; “wherein righteousness dwells,” or “has its home”. In the word there is both the sen... [ Continue Reading ]
ἄσπιλοι καὶ ἀμώμητοι αὐτῷ. αὐτῷ is dative = “in relation to Him,” or “in His sight”. _Cf._ Romans 7:10. εὑρέθη μοι ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ εἰς ζωὴν αὕτη εἰς θάνατον; Ephesians 1:4, εἶναι ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ. For ἄσπιλοι καὶ ἀμώμητοι, _cf._ note on 2 Peter 3:13. ἀμώμητος occurs in _Epistle of Aristeas_ (ed.... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου … ἡγεῖσθε. _Cf._ 2 Peter 3:9. The Divine long-suffering is capable of interpretation as “slackness,” or as opportunity for license instead of as σωτηρίαν, an opportunity for repentance. καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἀγαπητὸς … ἔγραψεν ὑμῖν. The interpretation here largely depends on (1) whether the... [ Continue Reading ]
ὡς καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς. This statement implies neither the inclusion of all the epistles that have come down to us, nor the formation of a canon. It is much more natural to take it as referring to a collection of letters made not long after Paul's death, and read in the churches. The term... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse gathers up various thoughts that appear elsewhere in the epistle. Προγινώσκοντες repeats ταῦτα πρῶτον γινώσκοντες of 2 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:1; ἀθέσμων occurs 2 Peter 2:7; πλάνη 2 Peter 2:18. συναπαχθέντες (_cf._ Galatians 2:13), “carried away”. ἀθέσμων, see note 2 Peter 2:7. στηριγμοῦ, “... [ Continue Reading ]
_Final exhortation_. “Having then, brethren, been forewarned, be on your guard lest you fall from your own foundation, carried away by the error of lawless men. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and in the day of eternity.”... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐν χάριτι καὶ γνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου, κ. τ. λ. The genitive is to be taken with both words. γνῶσις here means “spiritual instruction,” a knowledge that has its source in Christ Himself, as distinct from ἐπίγνωσις, which is personal communion with Christ (see note 2 Peter 1:5). γνῶσις is the privilege of... [ Continue Reading ]