Exegesis 2 Peter 1:15-21

2 Peter 1:15–21 (NIV): 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The New International Version (2 Pe 1:15–21). (2011). Zondervan.

2 Peter 1:15

σπουδάσω δὲ καὶ ἑκάστοτε ἔχειν ὑμᾶς μετὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ἔξοδον τὴν τούτων μνήμην ποιεῖσθαι. | SBLGNT

And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind | LEB

σπουδάσω And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

σπουδάζω be zealous; be eager

verb, future, active, indicative, first person, singular

Sense: to be eager – to have or show keen interest, intense desire, or impatient expectancy.

Louw-Nida to work hard, to do one’s best, to endeavor

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. do one’s best, spare no effort, work hard

NASB Dictionaries to make haste; to give diligence

MGLNT to make haste; to be zealous; eager, to give diligence

PLGNT

STGHD use speed

LXGNTLEX be zealous; be eager

LXLXXLEX hurry; trouble; make haste

LALS hurry; trouble; make haste; בהל; be horrified; be out of one’s senses; make haste; terrify; חושׁ 1; hurry; hasten

δὲ de And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

δέ de but; and; now

conjunction, logical connective

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida and, and then

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. but, to the contrary, rather; and; now, then, so; but also, but even; on the one hand; on the other hand

καὶ kai And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

καί kai and; also

particle, emphatic

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida and, and also, also, in addition, even

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. and, also, but, even; that is, namely; both; and, not only; but also; frequently used merely to mark the beginning of a sentence

ἑκάστοτε hekastote And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

ἑκάστοτε hekastote at any time; always

adverb

Sense: always – at all times; all the time and on every occasion.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida always, at all times, on every occasion

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. at all times always

ἔχειν And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

ἔχω have

verb, present, active, infinitive

Sense: to be able – to be or become sufficient to meet a need or task.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to be able to, to have the capacity to

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. have, hold, possess; keep; receive, get; regard, consider, think; can, be able, must; be married to; wear; be situated; a Sabbath day’s journey away; for the present; be, feel; it is; it is so; next, neighboring; the next day

ὑμᾶς hymas And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

σύ sy you

pronoun, personal, second person, accusative, plural

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida you, your

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. you

μετὰ meta And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

μετά with; after

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida after

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. with, in company with, among; by, in; on the side of; against; after, behind; after

τὴν And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

ὁ the

article, accusative, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

ἐμὴν emēn And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

ἐμός emos my

pronoun, possessive, first person, accusative, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida my, mine, of me

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. my, mine

ἔξοδον exodon And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

ἔξοδος exodos departure; death; exodus

noun, accusative, singular, feminine

Sense: departure (exodus) – the act of coming or going out of a place; especially referring to the departure that the Israelites made from Egypt.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to leave this life, to die, death, departure

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. departure, death; the Exodus

τὴν And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

ὁ the

article, accusative, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

τούτων toutōn And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

οὗτος this (demons. pron.)

pronoun, demonstrative, genitive, plural, neuter

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida this, this one

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. demonstrative; this, this one; he, she, it; that is, which means

μνήμην And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

μνήμη mnēmē recollection; memory

noun, accusative, singular, feminine

Sense: recollecting – the act of putting something in the mind for attention or consideration.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to remember, to recall, to think about again, memory, remembrance

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. remembrance, memory

ποιεῖσθαι And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind.

ποιέω do; make

verb, present, middle, infinitive

Sense: to do (act) – to carry out or perform an action or course of action.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to cause to be, to make to be, to make, to result in, to bring upon, to bring about

LTW to make, do.

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COMMENTARIES

JFB

15. endeavour—“use my diligence”: the same Greek word as in 2 Pe 1:10:this is the field in which my diligence has scope. Peter thus fulfils Christ’s charge, “Feed My sheep” (Jn 21:16, 17).

decease—“departure.” The very word (“exodus”) used in the Transfiguration, Moses and Elias conversing about Christ’s decease (found nowhere else in the New Testament, but Heb 11:22, “the departing of Israel” out of Egypt, to which the saints’ deliverance from the present bondage of corruption answers). “Tabernacle” is another term found here as well as there (Lu 9:31, 33): an undesigned coincidence confirming Peter’s authorship of this…

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament

(1:15) “Endeavor” is spoudazō, (σπουδαζω,) “to bend every effort, to do one’s best.” “Always” is hekastote, (ἑκαστοτε,) “on each occasion when you have need.” “That ye may be able” is echein humas, (ἐχειν ὑμας,) literally, “that you may have it.” “These things” refers back to verse 12 and to the Christian virtues of verses 5–7. Strachan says: “It must have reference as in verse 12 to the practice of the Christian graces, and the larger reference must be to some systematic body of instruction. This might easily take the form of reminiscences of the example of Jesus Himself, and the allusion…

Word Pictures in the New Testament

2 Peter 1:15

Peter may also have had an intimation by vision of his approaching death (cf. the legend Domine quo vadis) as Paul often did (Acts 16:9; 18:9; 21:11; 23:11; 27:23). At every time (ἑκαστοτε [hekastote]). As need arises, old adverb, here alone in N. T. After my decease (μετα την ἐμην ἐξοδον [meta tēn emēn exodon]). For ἐξοδος [exodos] meaning death see Luke 9:31, and for departure from Egypt (way out, ἐξ, ὁδος [ex, hodos]) see Heb. 11:22, the only other N. T. examples. Here again Peter was present on the Transfiguration mount when the talk was about the “exodus”…

Word Studies in the New Testament

15. Ye may be able (ἔχειν ὑμᾶς). Lit., that you may have it. A similar use of have, in the sense of to be able, occurs Mark 14:8. The same meaning is also foreshadowed in Matt. 18:25, had not to pay; and John 8:6, have to accuse.

Decease (ἔξοδον). Exodus is a literal transcript of the word, and is the term used by Luke in his account of the transfiguration. “They spake of his decease.” It occurs only once elsewhere, Heb. 11:22, in the literal sense, the departing or exodus of the children of Israel. “It is at least remarkable,”…

LCC

The Letter’s Purpose: A Reminder (1:12–21)

Peter is writing this letter to remind his readers of prophetic and apostolic teaching, which is absolutely trustworthy.

Peter’s Approaching Death (1:12–15)

Peter’s impending death motivates him to remind his readers of the teaching of 1:11 so that they will persist in it after his death.

1:12 Because these virtues are important for avoiding apostasy, Peter is determined to remind his readers of them even though he knows they are established in the truth.

1:13–14 Peter reminds his readers of these virtues while he is still alive since Christ has…

Life Application Bible Commentary

1:15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. Christ had told Peter about Peter’s own death, and Peter carried this knowledge through his years of ministry. Now, as an old man, knowing he would soon die, Peter wrote of his coming departure calmly and fearlessly. It would be merely a “departure” (the Greek word is exodos), a moving on to another place. Peter was prepared to leave the “body” (1:13) and move into the “eternal kingdom” (1:11).

WILL GRANDCHILDREN BELIEVE?

How…

FSB

1:15 after my departure, to recall these things Peter desired those under his pastoral care to be well equipped to continue in the Christian faith without his presence or supervision. Peter may be referencing the remaining contents of his letter or a process he envisions taking place through other people, after his death—perhaps involving appointed leaders carrying forward the tradition he has passed down to them.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Verses 12–15

I. The importance and advantage of progress and perseverance in grace and holiness made the apostle to be very diligent in doing the work of a minister of Christ, that he might thereby excite and assist them to be diligent in the duty of Christians. If ministers be negligent in their work, it can hardly be expected that the people will be diligent in theirs; therefore Peter will not be negligent (that is, at no time or place, in no part of his work, to no part of his charge), but will be exemplarily and universally diligent, and…

IVP Bible Background Commentary

1:15. Reminders were common in testaments (1:14), although they were also common in moral exhortations in general (1:12). “Departure” here is literally “exodus,” a term occasionally used in Jewish and Christian texts for death (e.g., Lk 9:31).

BKC

1:15. Peter deliberately repeated himself, perhaps for emphasis: I will make every effort translates the one word spoudasō, also used in verse 10 (“be … eager”) and in 3:14 (“make every effort”). The word departure (exodon), though not the usual word for “death,” does not veil the clarity of Peter’s suggestion that he is about to die. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah spoke of Jesus’ “departure” (exodon; Luke 9:31). Interestingly this “exodus” (lit., “going out,” i.e., from this body) contrasts with a believer’s “entrance” into (eisodos, “going into”) God’s kingdom (2 Peter 1:11).

How could Peter guarantee that…

The Teacher’s Commentary

STUDY GUIDE 164

2 Peter; Jude

DANGER!

Overview

The later letters from the New Testament era show a growing awareness of dangers facing the young church. In 2 Timothy, the last letter Paul wrote before his death, we find grim warnings about false teachers and a growing pollution of the church. Now, in two other late letters, one written by Peter and one by Jude, we discover the same strong note of warning.

Because 2 Peter and Jude are so closely linked, not only in theme but also in specific content, it is helpful to teach…

Wiersbe’s “Be” Series

CHAPTER TWO

WAKE UP AND REMEMBER!

2 Peter 1:12–21

The best defense against false teaching is true living. A church filled with growing Christians, vibrant in their faith, is not likely to fall prey to apostates with their counterfeit Christianity. But this Christian living must be based on the authoritative Word of God. False teachers find it easy to seduce people who do not know their Bible but who are desirous of “experiences” with the Lord. It is a dangerous thing to build on subjective experience alone and ignore objective revelation.

Peter discussed Christian experience in the…

The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version

1:15 careful to ensure: Several early church fathers took these words to be Peter’s promise to leave behind a testimony of the truth for his readers, which they considered to be the Gospel of Mark (a Gospel widely regarded as Peter’s testimony of the life of Jesus). Peter describes his decease as an exodus or departure (see Paul’s use of the term in 2 Tim. 4:6).

The Bible Guide

Christian growth and assurance

(2 Peter 1:1–21)

Peter introduces himself as ‘Simeon’ Peter—the fisherman whom Jesus called to become his disciple and apostle. He seems to be writing to Gentile Christians, and is full of joy that Jews and Gentiles are now united in Christ (1:1).

Peter wants to remind his readers of God’s promises of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. He also wants to encourage their growth in holiness, understanding, fellowship and service.

God has provided all the resources needed to develop Christian life and holiness (1:3). But we must play our part…

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible

III. Confidence in the Scripture (1:12–21)

Peter is especially concerned about his readers’ spiritual welfare because he knows that he is approaching the end of his life. Peter’s promise that he will see to it that they remember his teaching (v. 15) is probably a reference to the Gospel of Mark, which early Christian tradition claims was sponsored by Peter himself.

Peter next shows how reliable this body of truth is. It is “eyewitness” material, not “cleverly invented stories” (v. 16). It was epitomized by the transfiguration, something that was an anchor for Peter’s faith. The word of the prophets…

A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament

15 σπουδάσω fut. -άζω v. 10. ἑκάσ-τοτε at all times, always. ἔχειν w. inf. be able to, σπουδάσω … ἔ. ὑμᾶς … τὴν τούτων μνήμην ποιεῖσθαι “I shall do my utmost that after my death you may bear in mind these things”. ἔξ-οδος ἡ departure; death. μνήμη remembrance. ποιεῖσθαι inf. mid. ποιέω, see on 1 Thess 1:2.

The Bible Reader’s Companion

Reminded (1:12–15). Good news bears repeating and being reminded of all we have in Christ can be of great benefit.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines

III. The Ground of Knowledge (1:12–21)

“But how can we be sure that this message is the true Word of God?” Peter answers this question by referring to his experience with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–13; Luke 9:27–36). Peter knew that he would not be in the body (his tabernacle) very long; see John 21:18. The word “decease” (v. 15) is actually “exodus”; it is the same word used of Christ’s death (Luke 9:31). When Christians die, it is not the end; rather, it is a triumphant exodus from this world into the next.

The Gospel message…

Believer’s Study Bible

1:15 The rationale that lay behind the writing of the whole of the N.T. is clearly stated by Peter. In v. 12 the apostle declares his determination to remind his readers of gospel truth. Knowing that he must soon die (v. 15), even as Jesus had foretold (cf. John 21:18, 19), Peter finds himself moved by the Holy Spirit to put the Asians in remembrance so that, after his death, the testimony might be available in writing. The preservation of the purity of apostolic witness concerning Jesus and His doctrine led directly to the writing of N.T. truth. Other reasons…

The Expositor’s Greek Testament Commentary

Ver. 15. σπουδάσω. The form is used by Polybius and later writers for the classical σπουδάσομαι. ἑκάστοτε goes with ἔχειν = “on each occasion when you have need”. The word is found apparently in the same sense in P. Gen. 313f. (ii. a.d.), ἑκάστοτέ σοι κατʼ ἐπιδημίαν παρενοχλῶν (“causing you annoyance on each occasion when you are at home”). τὴν τούτων μνήμην ποιεῖσθαι. What is the reference in τούτων? It must have the same reference as in verse 12, viz. to the practice of the Christian graces, and the larger reference must be to some systematic body of instruction. This might…

The LifeChange Bible Study Series

Lesson Three

2 PETER 1:12–21

Eyewitnesses and Prophets

As believers we are heirs of God’s kingdom and partake in His divine nature. After showing his readers that God has provided them with everything they need to grow spiritually, Peter reminds them about the Lord Jesus and Scripture. He assures us that we can put our confidence in Christ and know the truth.

A reminder of truth (1:12–15)

1. Peter gives his readers constant “reminders” in 1:12–15.

a. Of what?

b. Why?

Remind … memory … remember (1:12–13, 15). To…

A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Commentary

15. endeavour—‘use my diligence’ [spoudaso], as v. 10, the field in which my diligence has scope. Peter fulfils Christ’s charge, “Feed my sheep.” that ye may be able—by this written epistle; perhaps also by St. Mark’s gospel, which Peter superintended. decease—‘departure.’ The very word [exodus] used in the transfiguration, Moses and Elias conversing about Christ’s decease (found nowhere else in the New Testament, but Heb. 11:22, ‘the departing of Israel’ out of Egypt, to which the saints’ deliverance from the bondage of corruption answers). “Tabernacle” also is found here, as well as there (Luke 9:31, 33): an undesigned…

SBL Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams: Notes

Chapter 1

2 Pe 1:17 λαβών—The form of the participle (masculine nominative singular) does not allow it to be construed as subordinate to any neighboring verb (“This is my beloved son” cannot be construed as the main clause). Hence I see no choice but to treat the participle as the main verb of its clause.

2 Pe 1:19 βεβαιότερον—A significant difference in interpretation hinges upon the grammatical function of this adjective. The KJV appears to take it as a simple attributive to “prophetic word,” which leads to the attractive interpretation that the prophetic word (i.e…

The New Oxford Annotated Bible

1:12–21 Three solemn appeals. The writer makes a solemn appeal to Peter’s final words before his death, the Transfiguration of Jesus, and prophetic scripture to reinforce the reliability of the message.

1:12–15 The reference to Peter’s death transforms the letter into a kind of testament in which the speaker gives ethical exhortations and warnings about the future based on his own past experience.

SBL Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams

2 Pe 1:13–15

The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible

2 Peter 1:15

Personal Testimony of Peter

4048 Posthumous Influence

4185 Spiritual Memory

Disciple's Study Bible: New International Version

1:13–15 HUMANITY, Physical Nature—People’s physical nature is actually no more permanent than a tent that is packed up as a camp moves on. The body is put aside, but our life continues in Christ through resurrection. The brief time in this life should leave behind memories of what God has done and taught through us.

1:13–15 LAST THINGS, Believers’ Death—Death is the putting off of the body. Viewed as a tent or temporary dwelling, the present physical body must be laid aside for the permanent house not made with hands. See note on 2 Co 5:1–10…

Life Application Bible Notes

1:12–15 Outstanding coaches constantly review the basics of the sport with their teams, and good athletes can execute the fundamentals consistently well. Believers must not neglect the basics of their faith, even as they go on to study deeper truths. Just as an athlete needs constant practice, Christians need constant reminders of the fundamentals of our faith and of how we came to believe in the first place. Don’t allow yourself to be bored or impatient with messages on the basics of the Christian life. Instead, take the attitude of an athlete who continues to practice and refine the basics.

New Commentary on the Whole Bible

15 my decease—lit., “my exodus.” have these things always in remembrance—He was not talking of mere memorization. The truth should be held in earnest remembrance.

Kid’s Life Application Bible Notes

2 PETER

• Introduction

• Heroes and Villains

• Peter

• Did You Find It?

Introduction to 2 Peter

Introduction

WHY

Peter wrote this book to warn Christians about false teachers and to encourage them to grow in their faith and in their knowledge of Christ.

WHERE

Peter probably wrote this letter from Rome around A.D. 67.

WHO

Important people in 2 Peter are Peter and Paul.

Caution!

Watch out!

Danger!

Warning signs come in all shapes and sizes. You’ve seen them on the highway…

The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible

I. The Great Salvation of God, 1:1–21

Fortress Commentary on the Bible

2 Peter 1:1–15: Christ’s Calling

The Text in Its Ancient Context

The greeting and opening of 2 Peter adopt the voice of the apostle Peter in defense of a shared faith that is summarized in verses 3–11. By casting this work as a testament of the apostle intended to enable future believers to recall Peter’s teaching after his death, the author has crafted a piece intended to transcend the historical particulars of Peter’s life (Harrington and Senior, 250–52). Verses 3–11 summarize the faith shared by believers, which forms the basis of “entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord…

Not Your Average Bible Study

PART III: WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE, REALLY?

2 PETER 1

Self-reflection is healthy, but can also be scary—it usually results in serious changes in our lives. When Peter opened his second letter, he didn’t just have change in mind: He wanted to see his audience transform their lives to be more like Christ.

For all our talk about transformation, we still don’t really comprehend what it means to be transformed. What would it mean for us to embrace change in our entire lives as we commune with Him through prayer, worship, community, and digging…

The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary

Confirmation of the Authority and Reliability of Prophecy (1:12–21)

This paragraph presents two direct reminiscences of Peter’s life and experience. The first concerns Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s death (1:14). This could refer to information that Peter had received from Christ through prayer or through a “word of knowledge” communicated in the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:8) long after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, preparing him for martyrdom. It might, however, refer to a prediction made by Jesus during his earthly ministry. John preserves such a prediction and situates it in the days following Jesus’ resurrection (see John 21:18).

The more…

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament

15. That ye may be able—By having this epistle among you.

Spurgeon Commentary Series

15 after my departure When we are gone from the earth, we want the truth that we have spoken to live on after us, we want even from our graves to continue to speak for Christ. Therefore it was that Peter kept on repeating the same truth over and over again. He hit this nail on the head many times, and sought to clinch it, so that, when he was gone, it would not start from its place, but would remain firmly fixed.

Barnes’ Notes on the Old and New Testaments

15. Moreover, I will endeavour. I will leave such a permanent record of my views on these subjects that you may not forget them. He meant not only to declare his sentiments orally, but to record them that they might be perused when he was dead. He had such a firm conviction of the truth and value of the sentiments which he held, that he would use all the means in his power that the church and the world should not forget them.

After my decease. My exode, (ἔξοδον;) my journey out; my departure; my exit from life. This is…

The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes, Vols. I–VI

Verse 15. Moreover, I will endeavour] And is not this endeavour seen in these two epistles? By leaving these among them, even after his decease, they had these things always in remembrance.

After my decease] Μετα την εμην εξοδον· After my going out, i. e. of his tabernacle. The real Peter was not open to the eye, nor palpable to the touch; he was concealed in that tabernacle vulgarly supposed to be Peter. There is a thought very similar to this in the last conversation of Socrates with his friends. As this great man was about to drink the poison…

A New Commentary on Holy Scripture: Including the Apocrypha

13–15. tabernacle … decease. Both of these words, occurring where they do, read like a subconscious anticipation of the account of the Transfiguration which immediately follows. The word rendered ‘decease’ is only found once elsewhere in the New Testament, viz. in the Lucan narrative of the Transfiguration (Lk 9:31), while St. Peter’s suggestion ‘Let us make three tabernacles’ is recorded by all three evangelists in their account of that event. But further the word ‘decease’ (Greek exodos) may look backwards as well as forwards. It is difficult not to trace some connexion between exodos here and eisodos rendered ‘entrance’ in 11. Both…

The Scofield Reference Bible: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments

chapter 1

1:18 Where the reference is to things, the meaning of “holy” or “sanctified” is, simply, set apart for the use of God, or rendered sacred by the divine presence.

1:19 That is, made more sure by fulfilment in part. Fulfilled prophecy is a proof of inspiration because the Scripture predictions of future events were uttered so long before the events transpired that no merely human sagacity or foresight could have anticipated them, and these predictions are so detailed, minute, and specific, as to exclude the possibility that they were mere fortunate guesses. Hundreds of predictions concerning Israel…

The Journey Series

I. Encouragement To Grow Spiritually (chp. 1)

It is not enough just to be saved. A Christian must continually grow spiritually. This demands commitment and diligence. Read 1:5–9 carefully, and answer the following questions:

What is the character of a Christian who is growing in grace (1:5–6)?

What is a growing Christian’s attitude toward others (1:7)?

What are we to think of a Christian who does not demonstrate these qualities (1:9)?

Second Peter 1:21 tells us how God’s Word came to be written down. Explain verse 21 in your…

Lexham SGNT Notes, SBL Edition

2 Peter 1:15

σπουδάσω (Root: σπευδω, LN: 68.63; verb, future, active, indicative, first person, singular)

to be zealous, to be eager, to make every effort

Contained in: Subordinate Clause

Syntactic Force: Finite verb

Words That Modify σπουδάσω

• adverbial relation: The word σπουδάσω is modified by καὶ (adverb) in 2Pe 1:15, word 3 (καὶ is within the current clausal unit, after σπουδάσω).

• articular relation: The word σπουδάσω is modified by τὴν (article) in 2Pe 1:15, word 8 (τὴν is outside of the current clausal unit).

• adjective-to-verb relation: The word…

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The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

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Institute for New Testament Textual Research

𝔓72 P. Bodmer VII + P. Bodmer VIII folio 26

4th c. AD · a: 1P2PJd · 1col · Greek

01 Sinaiticus (א) folio 321r

4th c. AD · eapr · 4col · Greek

02 Alexandrinus (A) folio 106v

5th c. AD · eapr · 2col · Greek

03 Vaticanus (B) folio 1435

4th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1Th2ThH · 3col · Greek

04 Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) folio 82r

5th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1ThH1T2TTtPhm r · 1col · Greek

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WORD BY WORD

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

2 Peter 1:16

Οὐ γὰρ σεσοφισμένοις μύθοις ἐξακολουθήσαντες ἐγνωρίσαμεν ὑμῖν τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν καὶ παρουσίαν, ἀλλʼ ἐπόπται γενηθέντες τῆς ἐκείνου μεγαλειότητος. | SBLGNT

For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty | LEB

Οὐ Ou For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

οὐ ou not

adverb

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida not

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. not

γὰρ For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

γάρ for; because

conjunction, logical explanatory

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida for, because

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. for, since, then; indeed, certainly; what! why!

σεσοφισμένοις sesophismenois For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

σοφίζω make wise

verb, perfect, passive, participle, plural, dative, masculine

Sense: to devise ingeniously – to come up with something cunning or inventive (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to know how to create skillfully, to know how to contrive cleverly

LTW to make wise.

μύθοις For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

μῦθος mythos myth

noun, dative, plural, masculine

Sense: myth – a piece of fiction that narrates a chain of related events; especially understood as ahistorical.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida legend, myth, tale, story, fable

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. myth, fanciful story

ἐξακολουθήσαντες For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ἐξακολουθέω follow; pursue

verb, aorist, active, participle, plural, nominative, masculine

Sense: to follow (behavior) – to behave in accordance or in agreement with.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to follow, to conform to

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. follow, obey; depend on

ἐγνωρίσαμεν egnōrisamen For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

γνωρίζω make known; reveal

verb, aorist, active, indicative, first person, plural

Sense: to cause to know – to cause someone to know something.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to make known

LTW

ὑμῖν For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

σύ sy you

pronoun, personal, second person, dative, plural

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida you, your

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. you

τὴν tēn For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ὁ ho the

article, accusative, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

τοῦ For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ὁ ho the

article, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

κυρίου kyriou For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

κύριος Lord

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida Lord, Ruler, One who commands

LTW lord, master, Lord.

ἡμῶν For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ἐγώ egō I; we

pronoun, personal, first person, genitive, plural

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida I, I indeed

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. I, me; we, us

Ἰησοῦ Iēsou For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

Ἰησοῦς Iēsous Jesus

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida Jesus, Joshua

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. Jesus; Joshua

Χριστοῦ Christou For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

Χριστός Christos Christ

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida Christ

LTW

δύναμιν dynamin For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

δύναμις dynamis power

noun, accusative, singular, feminine

Sense: power – possession of controlling influence; often understood as manifesting influence over reality in a supernatural manner.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida power

LTW power, deed of power.

καὶ kai For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

καί kai and; also

conjunction, logical connective

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida and

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. and, also, but, even; that is, namely; both; and, not only; but also; frequently used merely to mark the beginning of a sentence

παρουσίαν parousian For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

παρουσία parousia coming; advent; presence

noun, accusative, singular, feminine

Sense: arrival – the act of arriving at a certain place.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to come, to arrive, to come to be present

LTW presence, arrival, advent.

ἀλλʼ allʼ For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ἀλλά alla but; yet; rather

conjunction, logical contrastive

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida but, instead, on the contrary

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. but, rather, on the contrary; adds emphasis or contrast; not only this but also

ἐπόπται epoptai For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ἐπόπτης epoptēs eyewitness

noun, nominative, plural, masculine

Sense: eyewitness – a close observer who can describe what happened at an event.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida eyewitness, personal witness

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. eyewitness

γενηθέντες genēthentes For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

γίνομαι ginomai be; become; take place

verb, aorist, passive, participle, plural, nominative, masculine

Sense: to become (condition) – to enter or assume a certain state or condition.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to be

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. become, be; happen, take place, arise; it happened; came about; come into being, be born or created; be done; become something; come, go; arrive off; appear; marry; no indeed!; have, possess, receive

τῆς tēs For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ὁ ho the

article, genitive, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

ἐκείνου ekeinou For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

ἐκεῖνος ekeinos that; that one

pronoun, demonstrative, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida that, that one

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. that; he, she, it

μεγαλειότητος megaleiotētos For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by following ingeniously concocted myths, but by being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty.

μεγαλειότης megaleiotēs grandeur; majesty

noun, genitive, singular, feminine

Sense: majesty – the quality of a person or thing which inspires awe or reverence in the beholder; can be related to size, strength, power, or authority.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida prominence, greatness, importance

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. majesty, greatness

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COMMENTARIES

JFB

16. For—reason why he is so earnest that the remembrance of these things should be continued after his death.

followed—out in detail.

cunningly devised—Greek, “devised by (man’s) wisdom”; as distinguished from what the Holy Ghost teaches (compare 1 Co 3:13). But compare also 2 Pe 2:3, “feigned words.”

fables—as the heathen mythologies, and the subsequent Gnostic “fables and genealogies,” of which the germs already existed in the junction of Judaism with Oriental philosophy in Asia Minor. A precautionary protest of the Spirit against the rationalistic theory of the Gospel history…

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament

(1:16) “Followed” is exakoloutheō, (ἐξακολουθεω,) “to follow out to a conclusion, to pursue a line of thought to its termination.” “Cunningly devised” is sophizō, (σοφιζω,) in a good sense, “to make wise, teach”; in a bad sense, “to invent, play the sophist, to devise cleverly or cunningly.” Vincent translates, “artfully framed by human cleverness.” “Fables” is muthos (μυθος) (myths). Vincent says: “The reference here may be to the Jewish myths, rabbinical embellishment of o.t. history; or to the heathen myths about the descent of the gods to earth, which might be suggested by his remembrance of the Transfiguration; or to Gnostic…

Word Pictures in the New Testament

2 Peter 1:16

We did not follow (οὐκ ἐξακολουθησαντες [ouk exakolouthēsantes]). First aorist active participle of ἐξακολουθεω [exakoloutheō], late compound verb, to follow out (Polybius, Plutarch, LXX, papyri, inscriptions as of death following for any Gentile in the temple violating the barrier), with emphatic negative οὐκ [ouk], “not having followed.” See also 2:2 for this verb. Cunningly devised fables (σεσοφισμενοις μυθοις [sesophismenois muthois]). Associative instrumental case of μυθος [muthos] (old term for word, narrative, story, fiction, fable, falsehood). In N. T. only here and the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. 1:4, etc.). Perfect passive participle of σοφιζω [sophizō], old word (from σοφος…

Word Studies in the New Testament

16. We have not followed (οὐ ἐξακολουθήσαντες). A strong compound, used only here and ch. 2:2, 15. The ἐξ gives the force of following out; in pursuance of; closely.

Cunningly devised (σεσοφισμένοις). Only here and 2 Tim. 3:15, in which latter passage it has a good sense, to make thee wise. Here, in a bad sense, artfully framed by human cleverness (σοφία). Compare feigned words, ch. 2:3.

Fables (μύθοις). This word, which occurs only here and in the Pastoral Epistles, is transcribed in the word myth. The reference here may be to the Jewish myths, rabbinical embellishments of Old-Testament…

LCC

The Trustworthy Message of Christ’s Coming (1:16–21)

Peter establishes his trustworthiness on the basis of apostolic eyewitness and the divinely originated prophetic word.

1:16 The reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that the apostles were not following myths when they told of Christ’s coming; they were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

1:17–18 The transfiguration was the event at which certain apostles witnessed the majesty of Christ.

1:19 The second reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that Peter and his readers have the reliable prophetic word, which also points forward to the coming of Christ.

1:20 The prophetic word is…

Life Application Bible Commentary

1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. Peter explained that he and the other apostles (we), the original carriers of the gospel message, had not been following cleverly devised myths, nor had they taught such myths (the word could also be translated “stories” or “fables”). Some scholars feel that Peter was referring to the cleverly devised myths of the false teachers or to fables about the gods or even allegories of Old Testament figures (see…

FSB

1:16 ingeniously concocted myths Peter is defending the truth of what he has preached about Jesus’ return (2 Pet 3). This is in contrast to the false teachers who have called his authority into question (compare 1 Tim 1:4 and note).

The myths being referenced may refer to false prophecies conjured up by Peter’s opponents or Graeco-Roman religious beliefs, such as prophetic utterances from mystery religions, being synchronized with Christianity. A combination of the two could also be in view. At the very least, the false leaders seem to be excusing their sins in Jesus’ name, which may mean they viewed him like…

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Verses 16–18

Here we have the reason of giving the foregoing exhortation, and that with so much diligence and seriousness. These things are not idle tales, or a vain thing, but of undoubted truth and vast concern. The gospel is not a cunningly devised fable. These are not the words of one who hath a devil, nor the contrivance of any number of men who by cunning craftiness endeavour to deceive. The way of salvation by Jesus Christ is eminently the counsel of God, the most excellent contrivance of the infinitely wise Jehovah; it was he that invented this way…

IVP Bible Background Commentary

1:16. The term translated “myths” (NRSV) was usually used negatively for untrue stories, such as slanderously false accounts about the gods; “myths” were contrasted with reliable accounts. Eyewitness testimony was important in establishing a case historically or legally, although Greek and Roman rhetoricians did not always give it as much weight as it bears today. (Some scholars have drawn attention to the point that the same term Peter uses for “eyewitnesses” here was used for initiates in the final stage of initiation in some pagan mystery cults, such as the Eleusinian and Samothracian mysteries; but a related term was also applied to…

BKC

1:16. It is important to distinguish between the written Word (the Bible) and the incarnate Word (Christ). They are both major avenues of God’s revelation (cf. Ps. 19:7–11; John 1:18; Heb. 1:2) and therefore both come into focus throughout the remainder of this chapter. A Christian’s faith does not rest on clever stories (mythois) as did the doctrines of the false teachers Peter attacked (2 Peter 2). Instead, true faith is founded on historical facts, which eyewitnesses corroborated. It appears that Peter introduced a new theme here. He plunged quickly into a mention of the Lord’s return: the power and coming…

The Teacher’s Commentary

STUDY GUIDE 164

2 Peter; Jude

DANGER!

Overview

The later letters from the New Testament era show a growing awareness of dangers facing the young church. In 2 Timothy, the last letter Paul wrote before his death, we find grim warnings about false teachers and a growing pollution of the church. Now, in two other late letters, one written by Peter and one by Jude, we discover the same strong note of warning.

Because 2 Peter and Jude are so closely linked, not only in theme but also in specific content, it is helpful to teach…

Wiersbe’s “Be” Series

Experiences Fade, but the Word Remains (2 Peter 1:16–18)

The focus in this paragraph is on the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. The experience is recorded by Matthew (17:1ff), Mark (9:2–8), and Luke (9:28–36); yet none of those writers actually participated in it! Peter was there when it happened! In fact, the very words that he used in this section (2 Peter 1:12–18) remind us of his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. He used the word tabernacle twice (2 Peter 1:13–14), and this suggests Peter’s words, “Let us make here three tabernacles” (Matt. 17:4). In 2 Peter 1:15, he used the…

The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version

1:16 False teachers were claiming that Jesus’ resurrection and return, as well as the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of believers, were all cunningly devised fables. Peter countered their faith claims with an eyewitness account. Peter himself had actually seen the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the twin themes of this letter: the power of Jesus available for holy living and the coming of Jesus as the glorious hope of each believer.

The Transfiguration: Suggested Sites

The Bible Guide

Christian growth and assurance

(2 Peter 1:1–21)

Peter introduces himself as ‘Simeon’ Peter—the fisherman whom Jesus called to become his disciple and apostle. He seems to be writing to Gentile Christians, and is full of joy that Jews and Gentiles are now united in Christ (1:1).

Peter wants to remind his readers of God’s promises of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. He also wants to encourage their growth in holiness, understanding, fellowship and service.

God has provided all the resources needed to develop Christian life and holiness (1:3). But we must play our part…

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible

III. Confidence in the Scripture (1:12–21)

Peter is especially concerned about his readers’ spiritual welfare because he knows that he is approaching the end of his life. Peter’s promise that he will see to it that they remember his teaching (v. 15) is probably a reference to the Gospel of Mark, which early Christian tradition claims was sponsored by Peter himself.

Peter next shows how reliable this body of truth is. It is “eyewitness” material, not “cleverly invented stories” (v. 16). It was epitomized by the transfiguration, something that was an anchor for Peter’s faith. The word of the prophets…

A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament

16 σε-σοφισμένοις clever, subtle, pf ptc pass. -ίζω make wise; mid. concoct sth clever or subtle. μῦθος myth. ἐξ-ακολουθήσαντες aor. ptc -ακολουθέω τινί follow. ἐ-γνωρίσαμεν aor. -ίζω make known. παρ-ουσία presence, coming. ἐπ-όπτης t.t. of the mystery religions, ref. an initiate, spectator, eye-witness. γενηθέντες by having been made, aor. ptc pass. γίνομαι or for mid. γενόμενοι having been. μεγαλειότης -τητος ἡ majesty.

The Bible Reader’s Companion

“Eyewitnesses” (1:16–17). There is objective confirmation of the truth of Christian teaching as well as internal confirmation. The objective confirmation comes through Jesus’ teaching—and Peter can testify as an eyewitness to His sonship and His majesty.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines

III. The Ground of Knowledge (1:12–21)

“But how can we be sure that this message is the true Word of God?” Peter answers this question by referring to his experience with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–13; Luke 9:27–36). Peter knew that he would not be in the body (his tabernacle) very long; see John 21:18. The word “decease” (v. 15) is actually “exodus”; it is the same word used of Christ’s death (Luke 9:31). When Christians die, it is not the end; rather, it is a triumphant exodus from this world into the next.

The Gospel message…

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible

Verses 16–21

The gospel is no weak thing, but comes in power, Ro 1:16. The law sets before us our wretched state by sin, but there it leaves us. It discovers our disease, but does not make known the cure. It is the sight of Jesus crucified, in the gospel, that heals the soul. Try to dissuade the covetous worlding from his greediness, one ounce of gold weighs down all reasons. Offer to stay a furious man from anger by arguments, he has not patience to hear them. Try to detain the licentious, one smile is stronger with him than…

Believer’s Study Bible

1:16 Some modern theologies tend to view much of the N.T. as mythical, resulting from the corporate imagination of the early church. Such terms as “myth” and “saga” are employed to convey this view. But Peter denies that the accounts provided are “fables” (muthois, Gk., translated “myths”). On the contrary, the written accounts and the proclamation of Peter and the other apostles are, in fact, eyewitness testimonies.

The Expositor’s Greek Testament Commentary

Ver. 16. σεσοφισμ. μύθ. Cf. σεσοφισμένη μήτηρ.: “suppositious mother”. Greg. Nyss. i. 171 D. This is evidently the character attributed to the facts of the Christian Gospel by the False Teachers. They specially sought to discredit the outlook for the Second Advent. μῦθοι is often used in the Pastoral Epistles or the fanciful Gnostic genealogies (1 Tim. 1:4, 4:7; Tit. 1:14). ἐγνωρίσαμεν. Used in N.T. of preaching the Gospel (e.g. 1 Cor. 15:1). δύναμιν καὶ παρουσίαν. For collocation of words, cf. Matt. 24:30, Mark 9:1. For δύναμις, see note on verse 3. παρουσίαν. Chase (op. cit. 797a) regards the word here…

Jonathan Edwards' Notes on the Scriptures

2 Pet. 1:16. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We, i.e. the apostles, have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we taught you this present truth of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he speaks of this as a doctrine that the apostles had taught them before, 2 Pet. 3:2. These apostates gave out that what Jesus had said about his second coming, was only a fable cunningly devised by him, perhaps to maintain the credit of his former pretenses of…

The LifeChange Bible Study Series

A confident hope in Christ (1:16–18)

4. How does Peter’s relationship and experience with Jesus give him added credibility or authority (see 1:16–18)?

5. Jesus asked Peter (and every would-be disciple) “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). Read 2 Peter 1 again and make a list of everything Peter says about Jesus in this opening chapter.

Cleverly devised stories (1:16). A euphemism for heresies. The Greek word, muthoi, refers to fables about gods, creation myths, miraculous happenings, and philosophical speculations of the Gnostic teachers. These fables and speculations stood in contrast to…

A Commentary on the Holy Bible

16. Coming] i.e. Second Coming, in that glory of which a glimpse was given at the Transfiguration.

A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Commentary

16. For—reason why he is so earnest that the remembrance of these things be continued after his death. followed—out in detail [exakolouthēsantes]. cunningly devised—‘devised by (man’s) wisdom’ [sesophismenois: ‘sophisticated’], as distinguished from what the Holy Ghost teaches (cf. 1 Cor. 2:13). Cf. also ch. 2:3, “feigned words.” fables—as heathen mythologies, and subsequent Gnostic ‘fables and genealogies,’ of which the germs already existed in Judaism, combined with Oriental philosophy in Asia Minor. The Spirit’s precautionary protest against the rationalistic mythical theory of the Gospel. when we made known unto you. Not that Peter himself had personally…

SBL Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams: Notes

Chapter 1

2 Pe 1:17 λαβών—The form of the participle (masculine nominative singular) does not allow it to be construed as subordinate to any neighboring verb (“This is my beloved son” cannot be construed as the main clause). Hence I see no choice but to treat the participle as the main verb of its clause.

2 Pe 1:19 βεβαιότερον—A significant difference in interpretation hinges upon the grammatical function of this adjective. The KJV appears to take it as a simple attributive to “prophetic word,” which leads to the attractive interpretation that the prophetic word (i.e…

The Defender’s Study Bible

2 Peter 1:16

cunningly devised fables. Peter thus labels all pantheistic cosmogonies and soteriologies as nothing but clever myths (so also did Paul in 2 Timothy 4:4; the Greek word in both cases is muthos, from which we get the word “myth”). He may also have been thinking of similar Jewish fables. All such myths and fables are based on a pantheistic form of evolutionism and denial of true creation. In the modern context, we could well take this as a warning against “cunningly devised evolutionary myths,” whether they are promoted by Darwinian atheists or New Age pantheists.

coming.…

The New Oxford Annotated Bible

1:16–18 Peter’s presence at the Transfiguration makes him an eyewitness of the voice from heaven, which confirms the apostolic testimony about Christ’s power and coming (Mt 17:1–8; Mk 9:2–8; Lk 9:28–36). The wording of the heavenly voice differs slightly from that in the Gospels. The writer may be relying on oral tradition rather than a written gospel.

SBL Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams

2 Pe 1:16

The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible

2 Peter 1:16

682 Glorified Christ

1200 Fables

1348 Second Coming (5)

2030 Experience (2)

3701 Truthfulness

3807 Christ’s Power

3855a Witnesses (2), Luke 1:2

Disciple's Study Bible: New International Version

1:11, 16–18 JESUS CHRIST, Final Coming—Peter’s experience as eyewitness of the transfiguration gives certainty to Christ’s final coming. See note on Mt 17:1–13.

Life Application Bible Notes

1:16–18 Peter is referring to the Transfiguration where Jesus’ divine identity was revealed to him and two other disciples, James and John (see Matthew 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36).

1:16–21 This section is a strong statement on the inspiration of Scripture. Peter affirms that the Old Testament prophets wrote God’s messages. He puts himself and the other apostles in the same category because they also proclaim God’s truth. The Bible is not a collection of fables or human ideas about God. It is God’s very words given through people to people. Peter emphasized his authority as an eyewitness as well…

New Commentary on the Whole Bible

16 For—What follows are reasons why he was so insistent that these things should be remembered after his death. not followed cunningly devised fables—The gospel message was not on a par with heathen mythologies and gnostic fables and genealogies, germs of which already existed in the mixture of Judaism with Oriental philosophy in Asia Minor. when we made known unto you—Peter himself had not personally taught the churches in Pontus, Galatia, etc., but he was one of the apostles whose testimony was taken to them and to the church in general. the power and coming…

Kid’s Life Application Bible Notes

2 PETER

• Introduction

• Heroes and Villains

• Peter

• Did You Find It?

Introduction to 2 Peter

Introduction

WHY

Peter wrote this book to warn Christians about false teachers and to encourage them to grow in their faith and in their knowledge of Christ.

WHERE

Peter probably wrote this letter from Rome around A.D. 67.

WHO

Important people in 2 Peter are Peter and Paul.

Caution!

Watch out!

Danger!

Warning signs come in all shapes and sizes. You’ve seen them on the highway…

Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update

1:16 eyewitnesses of His majesty. Peter is referring here to his witnessing the transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17:1–8). This event confirmed the truth of the OT prophecies and made them even more sure from a human viewpoint (v. 19).

The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible

1 (1:16) Salvation, Proof of: the great truth of salvation is that it is not a fable; it is the work of God’s power and the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. The word fable is called a cunningly devised fable. The gospel of salvation is not a story, some fictitious creation of man’s mind. It is not an invention of man’s imagination. It has not been thought up in order to give man more …

• peace

• security

• love

• joy

• morality

• goodness

• righteousness…

Fortress Commentary on the Bible

2 Peter 1:16–2:3: The Example of the Prophets

The Text in Its Ancient Context

An indirect reference to John’s Gospel may have been intended by the comment that Jesus had predicted Peter’s death (v. 14). This section makes a more explicit allusion to the story of Jesus’ transfiguration in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–13; Luke 9:28–36) by referring to a group of apostolic witnesses (“we”), the glory of Jesus, and the words of God’s voice. Most of the details of the Gospel stories have been omitted from this précis. The divine words are closest to Matt. 17:5…

Not Your Average Bible Study

PART III: WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE, REALLY?

2 PETER 1

Self-reflection is healthy, but can also be scary—it usually results in serious changes in our lives. When Peter opened his second letter, he didn’t just have change in mind: He wanted to see his audience transform their lives to be more like Christ.

For all our talk about transformation, we still don’t really comprehend what it means to be transformed. What would it mean for us to embrace change in our entire lives as we commune with Him through prayer, worship, community, and digging…

The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary

Confirmation of the Authority and Reliability of Prophecy (1:12–21)

This paragraph presents two direct reminiscences of Peter’s life and experience. The first concerns Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s death (1:14). This could refer to information that Peter had received from Christ through prayer or through a “word of knowledge” communicated in the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:8) long after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, preparing him for martyrdom. It might, however, refer to a prediction made by Jesus during his earthly ministry. John preserves such a prediction and situates it in the days following Jesus’ resurrection (see John 21:18).

The more…

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament

16. These things are worthy to be always had in remembrance. For they are not cunningly devised fables—Like those common among the heathens; while we made known to you the power and coming—That is, the powerful coming of Christ in glory. But if what they advanced of Christ was not true, if it was; of their own invention, then to impose such a lie on the world, as it was in the very nature of things, above all human power to defend, and to do this at the expense of life and all things, only to enrage…

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TEXTUAL VARIANTS

Textual Commentaries

Apparatuses

Apparatus for the Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Editions

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Scrivener’s Textus Receptus (1894) with Morphology

The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005

The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology)

Ancient Versions

Online Manuscripts

Institute for New Testament Textual Research

𝔓72 P. Bodmer VII + P. Bodmer VIII folio 26

4th c. AD · a: 1P2PJd · 1col · Greek

01 Sinaiticus (א) folio 321r

4th c. AD · eapr · 4col · Greek

02 Alexandrinus (A) folio 106v

5th c. AD · eapr · 2col · Greek

03 Vaticanus (B) folio 1435

4th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1Th2ThH · 3col · Greek

04 Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) folio 82r, folio 82v

5th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1ThH1T2TTtPhm r · 1col · Greek

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WORD BY WORD

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

2 Peter 1:17

λαβὼν γὰρ παρὰ θεοῦ πατρὸς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν φωνῆς ἐνεχθείσης αὐτῷ τοιᾶσδε ὑπὸ τῆς μεγαλοπρεποῦς δόξης· Ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός μου οὗτός ἐστιν, εἰς ὃν ἐγὼ εὐδόκησα— | SBLGNT

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased | LEB

λαβὼν labōn For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

λαμβάνω lambanō receive; take

verb, aorist, active, participle, singular, nominative, masculine

Sense: to receive – to get something or come into possession of; whether physical or abstract.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to take, to acquire, to obtain

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. take, take hold of; receive, get, obtain; take away, remove; collect; choose; put on; catch; trap, take advantage of

γὰρ gar For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

γάρ gar for; because

conjunction, adverbial causal

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida for, because

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. for, since, then; indeed, certainly; what! why!

παρὰ para For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

παρά para from; with; by

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida from, by, of

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. from, of; one’s provisions, money; gift; his family; by, with; with, in the presence of, before; in the judgment of; near, beside; for; beside, by, at; on, along; to; than, more than, above; rather than; contrary to; because of this; less one

θεοῦ theou For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

θεός theos God

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida God

LTW deity; god; goddess; God.

πατρὸς patros For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

πατήρ patēr father; Father

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida Father

LTW father, forefather.

τιμὴν timēn For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

τιμή timē honor; value; price

noun, accusative, singular, feminine

Sense: honor (state) – the state of being highly respected or revered.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida honor, respect, status

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. honor, respect, recognition; price, value; blood money; sum; proceeds; place of honor, honor; pay, compensation

καὶ kai For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

καί kai and; also

conjunction, logical connective

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida and

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. and, also, but, even; that is, namely; both; and, not only; but also; frequently used merely to mark the beginning of a sentence

δόξαν doxan For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

δόξα doxa glory

noun, accusative, singular, feminine

Sense: glory (state) – a state of high honor.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida glory, splendor

LTW glory, splendor, honor.

φωνῆς phōnēs For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

φωνή phōnē voice; sound

noun, genitive, singular, feminine

Sense: voice – the sound made by the vibration of vocal folds modified by the resonance of the vocal tract.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida voice

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. voice; sound, note; noise, roar; outcry, cry; language, utterance

ἐνεχθείσης enechtheisēs For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

φέρω pherō bring; carry; bear

verb, aorist, passive, participle, singular, genitive, feminine

Sense: to be brought (state) – to be or become conveyed somewhere.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to take, to carry, to bring

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. bring, bring along, carry; endure, bear, put up with; yield, produce; drive; rush; bring against; move, guide; lead; sustain, support; establish, validate, prove; the death of the one who made the will must be established; put, reach out

αὐτῷ autō For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

αὐτός autos he

pronoun, personal, third person, dative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida he, him, she, her, it, they, them

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. self, of oneself, even, very; the same; he, she, it; so the same way; at the same time

τοιᾶσδε toiasde For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

τοιόσδε toiosde such as this; of this kind

pronoun, demonstrative, genitive, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida of such a kind, distinctive, special

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. of such quality, of such kind

ὑπὸ hypo For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ὑπό hypo by; under

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida by

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. by, by means of; at the hands of; under, below; under the authority of; at daybreak

τῆς tēs For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ὁ ho the

article, genitive, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

μεγαλοπρεποῦς megaloprepous For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

μεγαλοπρεπής megaloprepēs magnificent; majestic

adjective, genitive, singular, feminine

Sense: majestic – inspiring awe or reverence in the beholder; can be related to size, strength, power, or authority.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida very wonderful, sublime

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. majestic; Majestic Glory as a name for God

δόξης doxēs For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

δόξα doxa glory

noun, genitive, singular, feminine

Sense: glory (state) – a state of high honor.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida Sublime Glory, Majestic Glory

LTW glory, splendor, honor.

Ὁ HO For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ὁ ho the

article, nominative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

υἱός huios For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

υἱός huios son; Son

noun, nominative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida son

LTW son.

μου mou

ἐγώ egō I; we

pronoun, personal, first person, genitive, singular

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida I, I indeed

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. I, me; we, us

ὁ ho For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ὁ ho the

article, nominative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

ἀγαπητός agapētos For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ἀγαπητός agapētos beloved; dear

adjective, nominative, singular, masculine

Sense: beloved (lover) – a person dearly loved and cherished; sometimes preferred above all others and treated with partiality.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida object of one’s affection, one who is loved, beloved, dear

LTW

μου mou For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ἐγώ egō I; we

pronoun, personal, first person, genitive, singular

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida I, I indeed

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. I, me; we, us

οὗτός houtos For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

οὗτος houtos this (demons. pron.)

pronoun, demonstrative, nominative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida this, this one

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. demonstrative; this, this one; he, she, it; that is, which means

ἐστιν estin For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

εἰμί eimi be

verb, present, active, indicative, third person, singular

Sense: to be (similar) – to be identical to; be someone or something.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to be

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. be, exist; happen, take place; live; be located in; remain, stay; come; it is not possible; that means, that is to say; belong to, be one of

εἰς eis For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

εἰς eis to; into; in; for

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida concerning, with respect to, with reference to, about, in

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. into, to; in, at, on, upon, by, near; among; against; concerning; as

ὃν hon For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ὅς hos rel. who; rel. which

pronoun, relative, accusative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida who, which, what, the one who, that which

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. who, which, what, that; whoever; one; another; he, she

ἐγὼ egō For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

ἐγώ egō I; we

pronoun, personal, first person, nominative, singular

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida I, I indeed

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. I, me; we, us

εὐδόκησα eudokēsa For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

εὐδοκέω eudokeō be well pleased; take delight

verb, aorist, active, indicative, first person, singular

Sense: to delight (take) – to take a high degree of pleasure or mental satisfaction in.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to be pleased with, to take pleasure in

LTW

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COMMENTARIES

JFB

17. received … honour—in the voice that spake to Him.

glory—in the light which shone around Him. came Greek, “was borne”: the same phrase occurs only in 1 Pe 1:13; one of several instances showing that the argument against the authenticity of this Second Epistle. from its dissimilarity of style as compared with First Peter, is not well founded.

such a voice—as he proceeds to describe.

from the excellent glory—rather as Greek, “by (that is uttered by) the magnificent glory (that is, by God: as His glorious manifested presence is…

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament

(1:17) There is a participial construction in the Greek text which should be translated as follows; “For, having received from the presence of God the Father,” the phrase referring back to our Lord in the previous verse. “Came” is the translation of pherō, (φερω,) “to bear, carry,” literally, “there was borne along,” the participle here being in the passive voice. “From” is the translation of hupo, (ὑπο,) “by means of.” The voice was borne or carried along by “the excellent glory.” “Such” is toiasde, (τοιασδε,) “such,” generally with an implied suggestion of something excellent or admirable. The word “excellent” describing “glory”…

Word Pictures in the New Testament

2 Peter 1:17

For he received (λαβων γαρ [labōn gar]). Second aorist active participle nominative singular of λαμβανω [lambanō], “he having received,” but there is no finite verb, anacoluthon, changing in verse 19 (after parenthesis in 18) to ἐχομεν βεβαιοτερον [echomen bebaioteron] rather than ἐβεβαιωσεν [ebebaiōsen]. When there came such a voice to him (φωνης ἐνεχθεισης αὐτῳ τοιασδε [phōnēs enechtheisēs autōi toiasde]). Genitive absolute with first aorist passive participle feminine singular of φερω [pherō] (cf. 1 Pet. 1:13), repeated ἐνεχθεισαν [enechtheisan] in verse 18. Φωνη [Phōnē] (voice) is used also of Pentecost (Acts 2:6). Τοιοσδε [Toiosde] (classical demonstrative) occurs here…

Word Studies in the New Testament

17. When there came (ἐνεχθείσης). Lit., having been borne. Compare come (Rev., ver. 18); moved (ver. 21); and rushing wind, lit., a wind borne along (Acts 2:2).

From (ὑπὸ). Lit., by.

Excellent (μεγαλοπρεποῦς). Or sublime. Only here in New Testament. In Septuagint (Deut. 33:26), as an epithet of God, excellency. The phrase excellent glory refers to the bright cloud which overshadowed the company on the transfiguration mount, like the shekinah above the mercy-seat.

LCC

The Trustworthy Message of Christ’s Coming (1:16–21)

Peter establishes his trustworthiness on the basis of apostolic eyewitness and the divinely originated prophetic word.

1:16 The reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that the apostles were not following myths when they told of Christ’s coming; they were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

1:17–18 The transfiguration was the event at which certain apostles witnessed the majesty of Christ.

1:19 The second reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that Peter and his readers have the reliable prophetic word, which also points forward to the coming of Christ.

1:20 The prophetic word is…

Life Application Bible Commentary

1:17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Peter wrote what only an eyewitness to this event could have written. At the Transfiguration, Jesus had received honor and glory from God the Father. Because of Peter’s mention that he, James, and John had been eyewitnesses (1:16), “honor and glory” most likely refers to what they saw—that is, Jesus’ glorious appearance: “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as…

FSB

1:17 in whom I am well pleased Similar commendations from God the Father occurred at both Jesus’ baptism and His transfiguration, but Peter particularly has in view Jesus’ transfiguration, as 2 Pet 1:18 shows (Matt 3:17; 17:1–8; Mark 1:11; 9:2–8; Luke 3:22; 9:28–36).

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Verses 16–18

Here we have the reason of giving the foregoing exhortation, and that with so much diligence and seriousness. These things are not idle tales, or a vain thing, but of undoubted truth and vast concern. The gospel is not a cunningly devised fable. These are not the words of one who hath a devil, nor the contrivance of any number of men who by cunning craftiness endeavour to deceive. The way of salvation by Jesus Christ is eminently the counsel of God, the most excellent contrivance of the infinitely wise Jehovah; it was he that invented this way…

IVP Bible Background Commentary

1:17. Some “testaments” (1:14) cited special revelations (often heavenly journeys) of the hero; Peter provides a more down-to-earth revelation: what he experienced at the transfiguration (Mk 9:2–13). Early Judaism often referred to God speaking from heaven (see comment on Mk 1:11 for the texts excerpted here). “The Glory” was sometimes a Jewish circumlocution for God; Peter probably intends an allusion to Sinai, where God revealed his glory to Moses.

BKC

1:17–18. Peter’s lofty language may stem from his burning desire to communicate the true majesty of the Savior which he, a member of the inner band of disciples, was uniquely privileged to see. Peter wanted his readers to look beyond Christ’s first coming to the time when He will return with that same honor and glory He demonstrated on the mountain. In Peter’s preaching during the days of the early church he was firmly committed to the doctrine of the Second Coming (Acts 2:32–33, 36; 3:16, 20–21).

Interestingly Peter was more profoundly impressed by what he heard than what he…

A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament Chapter 1

17 λαβών v. 9; in the absence of a finite vb one may translate “for he received”. τιμή honour. ἐνεχθείσης aor. ptc pass. φέρω carry, bring; φωνῆς ἐνεχ. gen. abs., when a voice was borne, i.e. came (action simultaneous §261). τοιᾶσδε fem. gen. τοιόσδε -άδε -όνδε such as that. μεγαλο-πρεπής majestic, μ. δόξα = God himself. ἀγαπητός beloved, so perh. only. εἰς ὄν for the usual ἐν ᾧ perh. pregnant cstr., presupposing a movement of contentment toward, and resting on, one §99. εὐδόκησα aor. -δοκέω (εὖ well + δοκέω consider) be well pleased, approve; if not rendering a Sem. pf, cf Mt 3:17, the aor. must be constative.

The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volume V (1 Peter–Revelation): Commentary Chapter 1:1–2. The Greeting

Ver. 17. λαβὼν. It is well-nigh impossible to say what is the case agreement of the participle here. It is at least certain that the subject is Jesus. Dietlein, Schott, Ewald, and Mayor agree that the writer intended to go on, ἐβεβαίωσεν τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον for which he substitutes καὶ ἔχομεν βεβαιότερον, after the parenthetic 18th verse. παρὰ Θεοῦ πατρός. See Hort’s note, 1 Pet. 1:2. The usage (without the article) indicates the growth of a special Christian terminology. The two words are treated as one proper name. τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν. A frequent combination, cf. Ps. 8:6, Job. 40:10, 1 Peter 1:7, Rom. 2:7, 10, 1 Tim. 1:17, Heb. 2:7, 9. τιμή is the personal honour and esteem in which Jesus is held by the Father, cf. Hort’s note on 1 Pet. 1:7. “Honour in the voice which spoke to Him; glory in the light which shone from Him” (Alford). φωνῆς … τοιᾶσδε. This is the only instance of τοιόσδε in N.T. = “to the following effect”. ὑπὸ τῆς μεγαλοπρεποῦς δόξης. Retaining reading ὑπὸ, we may regard μεγ. δόξα as a vehicle of expression. The voice expresses its significance. It is not a mere accompanying phenomenon of the voice. cf. the instrumental dative in 1:21 after ἠνέχθη. μεγ. δόξης corresponds to “the bright cloud” (νεφέλη φωτεινὴ) of the Synoptics. οὐρανός is used in verse 18 to describe the source from which the voice came; “the sky,” cf. 3:12, 13. εἰς ὃν ἐγὼ εὐδόκησα. Moulton (Proleg. p. 63) points out that tendency in N.T. is for εἰς to encroach on the domain of ἐν. cf. John 1:18, ὁ ὤν εἰς τὸν κόλπον (ib. p. 235).

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Advent 3 (3) Sermon 1 result

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Exegetical Guide | John 15:26–27 › Important Passages Passage List 1 result

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TEXTUAL VARIANTS

Textual Commentaries

Apparatuses

Apparatus for the Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Editions

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Scrivener’s Textus Receptus (1894) with Morphology

The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005

The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology)

Ancient Versions

Online Manuscripts

Institute for New Testament Textual Research

𝔓72 P. Bodmer VII + P. Bodmer VIII folio 26

4th c. AD · a: 1P2PJd · 1col · Greek

01 Sinaiticus (א) folio 321r

4th c. AD · eapr · 4col · Greek

02 Alexandrinus (A) folio 106v

5th c. AD · eapr · 2col · Greek

03 Vaticanus (B) folio 1435

4th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1Th2ThH · 3col · Greek

04 Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) folio 82v

5th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1ThH1T2TTtPhm r · 1col · Greek

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WORD BY WORD

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

2 Peter 1:18

καὶ ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν ἡμεῖς ἠκούσαμεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐνεχθεῖσαν σὺν αὐτῷ ὄντες ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ὄρει. | SBLGNT

And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain | LEB

καὶ kai And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

καί kai and; also

conjunction, logical connective

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida and

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. and, also, but, even; that is, namely; both; and, not only; but also; frequently used merely to mark the beginning of a sentence

ταύτην tautēn And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

οὗτος houtos this (demons. pron.)

pronoun, demonstrative, accusative, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida this, this one

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. demonstrative; this, this one; he, she, it; that is, which means

τὴν tēn And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ὁ ho the

article, accusative, singular, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

φωνὴν phōnēn And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

φωνή phōnē voice; sound

noun, accusative, singular, feminine

Sense: voice – the sound made by the vibration of vocal folds modified by the resonance of the vocal tract.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida voice

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. voice; sound, note; noise, roar; outcry, cry; language, utterance

ἡμεῖς hēmeis And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ἐγώ egō I; we

pronoun, personal, first person, nominative, plural

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida I, I indeed

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. I, me; we, us

ἠκούσαμεν ēkousamen And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ἀκούω akouō hear; listen to

verb, aorist, active, indicative, first person, plural

Sense: to hear (auditory) – to perceive sound or have the power to perceive sound through the auditory sense.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to hear, hearing

LTW

ἐξ ex And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ἐκ ek from; of

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida from, out from, out of

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. from, out from, away from; by, by means of, by reason of, because; for; on, at; of

οὐρανοῦ ouranou And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

οὐρανός ouranos heaven; sky

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

Sense: heaven – the abode of God and the angels.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida sky

LTW sky.

ἐνεχθεῖσαν enechtheisan And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

φέρω pherō bring; carry; bear

verb, aorist, passive, participle, singular, accusative, feminine

Sense: to be brought (state) – to be or become conveyed somewhere.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to carry, to bear, to take along

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. bring, bring along, carry; endure, bear, put up with; yield, produce; drive; rush; bring against; move, guide; lead; sustain, support; establish, validate, prove; the death of the one who made the will must be established; put, reach out

σὺν syn And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

σύν syn with; together with

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida with, together with

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. with, in company with, along with, together with; by, through; besides all this

αὐτῷ autō And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

αὐτός autos he

pronoun, personal, third person, dative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida he, him, she, her, it, they, them

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. self, of oneself, even, very; the same; he, she, it; so the same way; at the same time

ὄντες ontes And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

εἰμί eimi be

verb, present, active, participle, plural, nominative, masculine

Sense: to be (somewhere) – to occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to be

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. be, exist; happen, take place; live; be located in; remain, stay; come; it is not possible; that means, that is to say; belong to, be one of

ἐν en And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ἐν en in

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida on, at

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. in, on, at; near, by, before; among, within; by, with; into; to, for; during, while, as; because

τῷ tō And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ὁ ho the

article, dative, singular, neuter

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

ἁγίῳ hagiō And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ἅγιος hagios holy; holy one

adjective, dative, singular, neuter

Sense: consecrated – devoted to service to the God of Israel or some religious ceremony or use.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida holy, pure, divine

LTW holy, set apart, consecrated, dedicated, saints.

ὄρει orei And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain,

ὄρος oros mountain

noun, dative, singular, neuter

Sense: mountain – a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida mountain

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. mountain, hill, mount

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COMMENTARIES

JFB

18. which came—rather as Greek, “we heard borne from heaven.”

holy mount—as the Transfiguration mount came to be regarded, on account of the manifestation of Christ’s divine glory there.

we—emphatical: we, James and John, as well as myself.

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament

(1:18) The word “holy” means “set apart for God’s use, or rendered sacred by the divine presence.” Hence, the latter meaning is applicable. Robertson says that the scene of the transfiguration was probably one of the lower slopes of Hermon. Vincent quotes Lumby as follows: “Of all places to which special sanctity would be ascribed by Christ’s followers, surely that would be the first to be so marked where the most solemn testimony was given to the divinity of Jesus. To the Jewish Christian this would rank with Sinai, and no name would be more fitly applied to it than that…

Word Pictures in the New Testament

2 Peter 1:18

This voice (ταυτην την φωνην [tautēn tēn phōnēn]). The one referred to in verse 17. We heard (ἠκουσαμεν [ēkousamen]). First aorist active indicative of ἀκουω [akouō], a definite experience of Peter. Brought (ἐνεχθεισαν [enechtheisan]). “Borne” as in verse 17. When we were with him (συν αὐτῳ ὀντες [sun autōi ontes]). Present active participle of εἰμι [eimi], “being with him.” In the holy mount (ἐν τῳ ἁγιῳ ὀρει [en tōi hagiōi orei]). Made holy by the majestic glory. See Ezek. 28:14 for “holy mount of God,” there Sinai, this one probably one of the lower slopes of Hermon…

Word Studies in the New Testament

18. Voice (φωνὴν). Note the same word in the account of Pentecost (Acts. 2:6), where the A. V. obscures the meaning by rendering, when this was noised abroad; whereas it should be when this voice was heard.

Which came (ἐνεχθεῖσαν). Lit., having been borne. See on ver. 17. Rev., This voice we ourselves (ἡμεῖς, we, emphatic) heard come (better, borne) out of heaven.

Holy mount. It is scarcely necessary to notice Davidson’s remark that this expression points to a time when superstitious reverence for places had sprung up in Palestine. “Of all places to which special sanctity would be…

LCC

The Trustworthy Message of Christ’s Coming (1:16–21)

Peter establishes his trustworthiness on the basis of apostolic eyewitness and the divinely originated prophetic word.

1:16 The reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that the apostles were not following myths when they told of Christ’s coming; they were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

1:17–18 The transfiguration was the event at which certain apostles witnessed the majesty of Christ.

1:19 The second reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that Peter and his readers have the reliable prophetic word, which also points forward to the coming of Christ.

1:20 The prophetic word is…

Life Application Bible Commentary

1:18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Not only had the three disciples (we refers to Peter, James and John) seen Christ’s honor and glory, but they also had heard about it as well—from God himself! Peter’s testimony counters the heresy of the false teachers. They pointed to esoteric knowledge as the basis of salvation and holiness. Peter pointed to a heavenly origin of the voice, not earthly knowledge. The voice that spoke approvingly of the Son came from heaven while the disciples were with Jesus…

FSB

1:18 on the holy mountain Peter asserts that he was present at Jesus’ transfiguration, which the Gospels confirm (see 2 Pet 1:17 and note). Jesus’ appearance in glory at that event looks forward to His future appearance in glory, which Peter is defending (see ch. 3).

Transfiguration, Mount Of ISBE

Transfiguration ISBE

Transfiguration EBD

Transfiguration AYBD

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Verses 16–18

Here we have the reason of giving the foregoing exhortation, and that with so much diligence and seriousness. These things are not idle tales, or a vain thing, but of undoubted truth and vast concern. The gospel is not a cunningly devised fable. These are not the words of one who hath a devil, nor the contrivance of any number of men who by cunning craftiness endeavour to deceive. The way of salvation by Jesus Christ is eminently the counsel of God, the most excellent contrivance of the infinitely wise Jehovah; it was he that invented this way…

IVP Bible Background Commentary

1:18. Israel also experienced a revelation of God at a “holy” mountain, and Peter probably parallels his own witness of Jesus’ glory with Moses’ witness of God’s glory on Mount Sinai. (The Old Testament usually applies this title to Zion, but Zion was to be the site of the new Sinai, or law giving, in the end time; cf. Is 2:2–4.) Both revelations led to divine Scriptures (cf. 2 Pet 1:20 with 3:16), although Jewish teachers generally agreed that the law had more authority than any mere voice from heaven.

BKC

1:17–18. Peter’s lofty language may stem from his burning desire to communicate the true majesty of the Savior which he, a member of the inner band of disciples, was uniquely privileged to see. Peter wanted his readers to look beyond Christ’s first coming to the time when He will return with that same honor and glory He demonstrated on the mountain. In Peter’s preaching during the days of the early church he was firmly committed to the doctrine of the Second Coming (Acts 2:32–33, 36; 3:16, 20–21).

Interestingly Peter was more profoundly impressed by what he heard than what he…

A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament Chapter 1

18 ἠκούσαμεν aor. ἀκούω. ὄντες when we were, ptc pres. representing impf εἰμί.

The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volume V (1 Peter–Revelation): Commentary Chapter 1:1–2. The Greeting

Ver. 18. ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ ἁγίῳ. The phrase indicates a view of the place and incident which has been taken up into and sanctified in the religious consciousness of the Church. The Gnostic Acts of Peter use the phrase “in monte sacro”. ἅγιος signifies a place where Jehovah manifested Himself, cf. Exod. 3:5, Isa. 52:1.

My Exegetical Guide

YOUR CONTENT

Advent 2 (5) Sermon 1 result

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Exegesis 2 Peter 1:15-21 Sermon 12 results

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TEXTUAL VARIANTS

Textual Commentaries

Apparatuses

Editions

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Scrivener’s Textus Receptus (1894) with Morphology

The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005

The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology)

Ancient Versions

Online Manuscripts

Institute for New Testament Textual Research

𝔓72 P. Bodmer VII + P. Bodmer VIII folio 26, folio 27

4th c. AD · a: 1P2PJd · 1col · Greek

01 Sinaiticus (א) folio 321r

4th c. AD · eapr · 4col · Greek

02 Alexandrinus (A) folio 106v

5th c. AD · eapr · 2col · Greek

03 Vaticanus (B) folio 1435

4th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1Th2ThH · 3col · Greek

04 Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) folio 82v

5th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1ThH1T2TTtPhm r · 1col · Greek

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WORD BY WORD

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

2 Peter 1:19

καὶ ἔχομεν βεβαιότερον τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον, ᾧ καλῶς ποιεῖτε προσέχοντες ὡς λύχνῳ φαίνοντι ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ, ἕως οὗ ἡμέρα διαυγάσῃ καὶ φωσφόρος ἀνατείλῃ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν· | SBLGNT

and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts | LEB

καὶ kai and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

καί kai and; also

conjunction, logical connective

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida and

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. and, also, but, even; that is, namely; both; and, not only; but also; frequently used merely to mark the beginning of a sentence

ἔχομεν echomen and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ἔχω echō have

verb, present, active, indicative, first person, plural

Sense: to have – to have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to be, to bear

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. have, hold, possess; keep; receive, get; regard, consider, think; can, be able, must; be married to; wear; be situated; a Sabbath day’s journey away; for the present; be, feel; it is; it is so; next, neighboring; the next day

βεβαιότερον bebaioteron and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

βέβαιος bebaios in force; valid; firm

adjective, accusative, singular, masculine, comparative

Sense: secure (established) – not likely to fail or give way.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida dependable, reliable, trustworthy

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. reliable; firm, well-founded; confirmed, verified; effective

τὸν ton and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ὁ ho the

article, accusative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

προφητικὸν prophētikon and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

προφητικός prophētikos prophetic

adjective, accusative, singular, masculine

Sense: prophetic – of or relating to representative declarations of the mind, will, or knowledge of God.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida prophetic, of the prophets

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. prophetic

λόγον logon and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

λόγος logos word; message

noun, accusative, singular, masculine

Sense: message (communication) – a communication that is most often spoken, but can come through other means.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida word, saying, message, statement, question

LTW word.

ᾧ hō and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ὅς hos rel. who; rel. which

pronoun, relative, dative, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida who, which, what, the one who, that which

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. who, which, what, that; whoever; one; another; he, she

καλῶς kalōs and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

καλῶς kalōs well; rightly; correctly

adverb

Sense: well (good) – in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard; sometimes sarcastically so.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida accurate, correctly, right

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. well; for no good purpose; rightly, correctly; very well, well enough; please; be well; do good; be kind

ποιεῖτε poieite and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ποιέω poieō do; make

verb, present, active, indicative, second person, plural

Sense: to do (act) – to carry out or perform an action or course of action.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to behave toward, to deal with, to do to, to act

LTW to make, do.

προσέχοντες prosechontes and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

προσέχω prosechō take care; pay attention to

verb, present, active, participle, plural, nominative, masculine

Sense: to attend (attention) – to give heed or attention to.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to pay close attention to, to consider carefully

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. pay close attention to, hold on to, give oneself to; be addicted to wine, be fond of much wine; be on guard, watch, be careful; watch out for, be on guard against; serve as a priest

ὡς hōs and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ὡς hōs as; like

conjunction, adverbial comparative

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida as, like

NASB Dictionaries as; like as; even as; when; since; as long as

λύχνῳ lychnō and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

λύχνος lychnos lamp

noun, dative, singular, masculine

Sense: lamp – a small container with a wick that extending from it; typically burned oil in order to give light to a room.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida lamp

LTW lamp.

φαίνοντι phainonti and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

φαίνω phainō appear; shine; be seen

verb, present, active, participle, singular, dative, masculine

Sense: to shine (beam) – to emit light; be bright, as of the sun or a light.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to shine, to give light, to bring light

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. shine, give light; appear, be seen, be; become visible, be revealed; what will become of the sinner?; appear to be something, put on an appearance; seem, appear; what is your decision?

ἐν en and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ἐν en in

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida inside, within, in

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. in, on, at; near, by, before; among, within; by, with; into; to, for; during, while, as; because

αὐχμηρῷ auchmērō and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

αὐχμηρός auchmēros dark; gloomy

adjective, dative, singular, masculine

Sense: gloomy – depressingly dark.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida dark and miserable

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. dark

τόπῳ topō and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

τόπος topos place; occasion

noun, dative, singular, masculine

Sense: place (topographic point) – a point located with respect to surface features of some region.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida space, place, room

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. place, location, region, vicinity, spot; in various places; to that place; station, position, office; chance, opportunity; temple; passage; seaport

ἕως heōs and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ἕως heōs until; to; as far as

conjunction

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida until, to, at last, at length

NASB Dictionaries till; until

οὗ hou

ὅς hos rel. who; rel. which

pronoun, relative, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida who, which, what, the one who, that which

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. who, which, what, that; whoever; one; another; he, she

ἡμέρα hēmera and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ἡμέρα hēmera day

noun, nominative, singular, feminine

Sense: daylight (time) – the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida day

LTW day.

διαυγάσῃ diaugasē and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

διαυγάζω diaugazō dawn

verb, aorist, active, subjunctive, third person, singular

Sense: to dawn – to become light (at the beginning of the day).

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to shine through, to dawn upon

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. dawn

καὶ kai and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

καί kai and; also

conjunction, logical connective

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida and

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. and, also, but, even; that is, namely; both; and, not only; but also; frequently used merely to mark the beginning of a sentence

φωσφόρος phōsphoros and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

φωσφόρος phōsphoros the morning star

adjective, nominative, singular, masculine

Sense: morning star – a celestial body seen just before sunrise in the eastern sky; probably Venus.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida morning star

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. morning star

ἀνατείλῃ anateilē and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ἀνατέλλω anatellō rise; come up

verb, aorist, active, subjunctive, third person, singular

Sense: to rise (celestial body) – to come up (over the horizon); of celestial bodies.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to come up, to move upward, to rise

LTW to rise.

ἐν en and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ἐν en in

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida inside, within, in

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. in, on, at; near, by, before; among, within; by, with; into; to, for; during, while, as; because

ταῖς tais and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

ὁ ho the

article, dative, plural, feminine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida the, he, she, it

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. the; this, that; he, she, it; in order that, so that, with the result that, that

καρδίαις kardiais and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

καρδία kardia heart

noun, dative, plural, feminine

Sense: heart (internal feature) – the locus of a person’s thoughts (mind), volition, emotions, and knowledge of right from wrong (conscience) understood as the heart.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida heart, inner self, mind

LTW heart.

ὑμῶν hymōn and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

σύ sy you

pronoun, personal, second person, genitive, plural

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida you, your

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. you

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COMMENTARIES

JFB

19. We—all believers.

a more sure—rather as Greek, “we have the word of prophecy more sure (confirmed).” Previously we knew its sureness by faith, but, through that visible specimen of its hereafter entire fulfilment, assurance is made doubly sure. Prophecy assures us that Christ’s sufferings, now past, are to be followed by Christ’s glory, still future: the Transfiguration gives us a pledge to make our faith still stronger, that “the day” of His glory will “dawn” ere long. He does not mean to say that “the word of prophecy,” or Scripture, is surer than the voice…

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament

(1:19) The statement, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy,” could be understood in either one of two ways: (1) “We are better certified than before as to the prophetic word by reason of this voice,” or, (2) “We have the word of prophecy as a surer confirmation of God’s truth than what we saw ourselves, i.e., Old Testament testimony is more convincing than even the voice heard at the transfiguration” (Vincent). The context (vv. 20, 21) decides for the latter, for Peter goes on to speak of that which makes the o.t. scriptures unmistakably reliable, their divine inspiration…

Word Pictures in the New Testament

2 Peter 1:19

The word of prophecy (τον προφητικον λογον [ton prophētikon logon]). “The prophetic word.” Cf. 1 Pet. 1:10, a reference to all the Messianic prophecies. Made more sure (βεβαιοτερον [bebaioteron]). Predicate accusative of the comparative adjective βεβαιος [bebaios] (2 Pet. 1:10). The Transfiguration scene confirmed the Messianic prophecies and made clear the deity of Jesus Christ as God’s Beloved Son. Some with less likelihood take Peter to mean that the word of prophecy is a surer confirmation of Christ’s deity than the Transfiguration. Whereunto (ᾡ [hōi]). Dative of the relative referring to “the prophetic word made more sure.”…

Word Studies in the New Testament

19. We have also a more sure word of prophecy (καὶ ἔχομεν βεβαιότερον τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον). The A. V. is wrong, since more sure is used predicatively, and word has the definite article. We may explain either (a) as Rev., we have the word of prophecy made more sure, i.e., we are better certified than before as to the prophetic word by reason of this voice; or (b) we have the word of prophecy as a surer confirmation of God’s truth than what we ourselves saw, i.e., Old-Testament testimony is more convincing than even the voice heard at the transfiguration. The…

LCC

The Trustworthy Message of Christ’s Coming (1:16–21)

Peter establishes his trustworthiness on the basis of apostolic eyewitness and the divinely originated prophetic word.

1:16 The reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that the apostles were not following myths when they told of Christ’s coming; they were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

1:17–18 The transfiguration was the event at which certain apostles witnessed the majesty of Christ.

1:19 The second reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that Peter and his readers have the reliable prophetic word, which also points forward to the coming of Christ.

1:20 The prophetic word is…

Life Application Bible Commentary

1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. As Peter reflected on the assurances of the Second Coming—what he and the other apostles had seen, heard, and experienced—he was reminded of another assurance (we here could still refer to the apostles, or more likely Peter may have meant that all believers in general also have this assurance). He added the prophets…

FSB

1:19 more reliable the prophetic word Scripture—particularly the words of the prophets—and Peter’s own experience confirm the truth of his teachings. The words of Scripture may be used to discern truth from falsehood.

the day dawns Refers to the day of the Lord, a frequent subject of prophetic passages in the ot that the early church applied to the day of Jesus’ return and judgment.

morning star A metaphor for the return of Christ, with a particular focus on His glory (see Rev 2:28 and note; Rev 22:16 and note).

Morning Star EBD

Day Star EBD

rises in your hearts Peter…

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Verses 19–21

In these words the apostle lays down another argument to prove the truth and reality of the gospel, and intimates that this second proof is more strong and convincing than the former, and more unanswerably makes out that the doctrine of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a mere fable or cunning contrivance of men, but the wise and wonderful counsel of the holy and gracious God. For this is foretold by the prophets and penmen of the Old Testament, who spoke and wrote under the influence and according to the direction of…

IVP Bible Background Commentary

1:19. The apostolic revelation in Christ confirmed the revelations of the Old Testament prophets. Some Dead Sea Scrolls texts present the “star” of Numbers 24:17 as messianic, and an Old Testament text describes the coming day of the Lord in terms of a sunrise (Mal 4:2) because God would come like the sun (cf. Ps 84:11). The point here seems to be that the morning star (Venus) heralds the advent of dawn; a new age was about to dawn (cf. 2 Pet 1:11), but the Old Testament plus what was revealed by Jesus’ first coming was the greatest revelation the world…

BKC

1:19. As Peter wrote of that unforgettable transfiguration experience, he was reminded of another form of God’s Word, the written Word, given by the prophets. In fact, God’s voice on the mountain made the word of the prophets … more certain (bebaioteron; cf. bebaian, v. 10) because the transfiguration pictured the fulfillment of their words. Both the prophets and the transfiguration pointed to Jesus’ kingdom on earth.

In an exhortation Peter told how to derive meaning from God’s Word—pay attention to it. As a Light, God’s written Word has validity and authority. In today’s experience-oriented societies many people…

The Teacher’s Commentary

STUDY GUIDE 164

2 Peter; Jude

DANGER!

Overview

The later letters from the New Testament era show a growing awareness of dangers facing the young church. In 2 Timothy, the last letter Paul wrote before his death, we find grim warnings about false teachers and a growing pollution of the church. Now, in two other late letters, one written by Peter and one by Jude, we discover the same strong note of warning.

Because 2 Peter and Jude are so closely linked, not only in theme but also in specific content, it is helpful to teach…

Wiersbe’s “Be” Series

It is the sure Word (v. 19a). Peter was not suggesting that the Bible is more certain than the experience he had on the Mount of Transfiguration. His experience was real and true, and the record in the Bible is dependable. As we have seen, the Transfiguration was a demonstration of the promise given in the prophetic Word; and this promise now has added certainty because of what Peter experienced. The Transfiguration experience corroborated the prophetic promises. The apostates would attempt to discredit the promise of His coming (2 Peter 3:3ff), but the Scriptures were sure. For, after all, the promise…

The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version

1:19 We have the prophetic word confirmed may be rephrased as “we have the prophetic word as a surer confirmation.” As strong as an eyewitness account (vv. 16–18) may be, there is an even stronger confirmation that Jesus is who He said He was. The written Scriptures are even more trustworthy than the personal experience of the apostle Peter. They cast a light that shines like a lamp in a dark place and will continue to do so until the morning star rises (see Rom. 13:12–14). In other words, the truths in the Bible will continue to point to the source…

The Bible Guide

Christian growth and assurance

(2 Peter 1:1–21)

Peter introduces himself as ‘Simeon’ Peter—the fisherman whom Jesus called to become his disciple and apostle. He seems to be writing to Gentile Christians, and is full of joy that Jews and Gentiles are now united in Christ (1:1).

Peter wants to remind his readers of God’s promises of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. He also wants to encourage their growth in holiness, understanding, fellowship and service.

God has provided all the resources needed to develop Christian life and holiness (1:3). But we must play our part…

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible

III. Confidence in the Scripture (1:12–21)

Peter is especially concerned about his readers’ spiritual welfare because he knows that he is approaching the end of his life. Peter’s promise that he will see to it that they remember his teaching (v. 15) is probably a reference to the Gospel of Mark, which early Christian tradition claims was sponsored by Peter himself.

Peter next shows how reliable this body of truth is. It is “eyewitness” material, not “cleverly invented stories” (v. 16). It was epitomized by the transfiguration, something that was an anchor for Peter’s faith. The word of the prophets…

A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament

19 βεβαιότερος comp. of βέβαιος v. 10, hardly “more reliable” than the Transfiguration; perh. pred.: the prophet’s word to be all the more reliable or (neut. as adv.) we hold the prophetic word with greater certainty (as a result of the Transfiguration). προφητικός prophetic; in Jewish use applicable to any part of the OT. καλῶς ποιεῖτε w. ptc, you do well to. προσ-έχοντες ptc -έχω (sc. τὸν νοῦν) pay attention to, heed. λύχνος lamp. φαίνοντι ptc -νω intr. shine. αὐχμηρός austere; dark. ἕως οὗ w. subj. until = ἕως τοῦ χρόνου ᾧ §17. δι-αυγάσῃ aor. subj. -αυγάζω dawn. φωσ-φόρος…

The Bible Reader’s Companion

The “more certain” word of the prophets (1:19–21). Peter’s point is that the prophets spoke of the same things he witnessed. Thus the Scripture’s testimony to Jesus confirms what he witnessed. And the eyewitness reports of the apostles confirm the fulfillment of the prophet’s predictions.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines

III. The Ground of Knowledge (1:12–21)

“But how can we be sure that this message is the true Word of God?” Peter answers this question by referring to his experience with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–13; Luke 9:27–36). Peter knew that he would not be in the body (his tabernacle) very long; see John 21:18. The word “decease” (v. 15) is actually “exodus”; it is the same word used of Christ’s death (Luke 9:31). When Christians die, it is not the end; rather, it is a triumphant exodus from this world into the next.

The Gospel message…

Believer’s Study Bible

1:19 Making use of a comparative, Peter declares that there exists a more sure prophetic word (see note in center column). Understanding that he is comparing the experiences of sensory verification (vv. 16, 17) with “prophecy” (vv. 19–21), one may observe that Peter is claiming a degree of certainty for the Scriptures unmatched by anything else in man’s experience. Peter knows the Scriptures to be infallible and inerrant. The “light that shines in a dark place” is an image used of Elijah, John the Baptist, and the Word of Christ. Here it refers to the apostles who saw the glory prior…

The Expositor’s Greek Testament Commentary

Ver. 19. βεβαιότερον. Originally a legal term. See note v. 10; cf. Phil. 1:7, 2 Cor. 1:21. τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον, i.e. all in the O.T. scriptures that points to the Coming of the Messiah. The prophecy is now supported by its partial fulfilment in the Transfiguration. ᾧ καλῶς ποιεῖτε προσέχοντες. “to which ye do well to take heed”. “καλ. ποιήσεις c. a or. part. is the normal way of saying ‘please’ in the papyri, and is classical” (Moulton Proleg. p. 228). ὡς λύχνῳ … καρδ. ὑμῶν. Spitta would eliminate the words ἕως οὑ … ἀνατείλῃ as a gloss founded on Ps. 119:105…

My Exegetical Guide

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TEXTUAL VARIANTS

Textual Commentaries

Apparatuses

Editions

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Scrivener’s Textus Receptus (1894) with Morphology

The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005

The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology)

Ancient Versions

Online Manuscripts

Institute for New Testament Textual Research

𝔓72 P. Bodmer VII + P. Bodmer VIII folio 27

4th c. AD · a: 1P2PJd · 1col · Greek

01 Sinaiticus (א) folio 321r

4th c. AD · eapr · 4col · Greek

02 Alexandrinus (A) folio 106v

5th c. AD · eapr · 2col · Greek

03 Vaticanus (B) folio 1435

4th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1Th2ThH · 3col · Greek

04 Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) folio 82v

5th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1ThH1T2TTtPhm r · 1col · Greek

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WORD BY WORD

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

2 Peter 1:20

τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες ὅτι πᾶσα προφητεία γραφῆς ἰδίας ἐπιλύσεως οὐ γίνεται, | SBLGNT

recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation | LEB

τοῦτο touto recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

οὗτος houtos this (demons. pron.)

pronoun, demonstrative, accusative, singular, neuter

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida this, this one

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. demonstrative; this, this one; he, she, it; that is, which means

πρῶτον prōton recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

πρῶτος prōtos first

adjective

Sense: firstly – before anything else.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida before, former, formerly

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. first; leading, foremost, prominent, most important; earlier, former, before

γινώσκοντες ginōskontes recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

γινώσκω ginōskō know; understand

verb, present, active, participle, plural, nominative, masculine

Sense: to know (experientially) – to know or have knowledge about (someone or something); normally as acquired through observation or the senses.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to come to understand, to perceive, to comprehend

LTW

ὅτι hoti recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

ὅτι hoti that; because

conjunction, substantival content

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida that, the fact that

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. that; why?; because, for, since

πᾶσα pasa recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

πᾶς pas all; every

adjective, nominative, singular, feminine

Sense: each – (used of count nouns) every one considered individually.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida any, anyone, anything

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. each, every; all; every kind of; all, full, absolute, greatest; entire, whole; all; everyone who; everyone, everything; always, continually, forever; in everything, in every respect

προφητεία prophēteia recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

προφητεία prophēteia prophecy

noun, nominative, singular, feminine

Sense: prophecy (God) – a representative declaration of the mind, will, or knowledge of God; especially concerning past, present, or future manifestations of the outworking of His will or other events.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida inspired utterance, prophecy

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. preaching the message of God, the gift of preaching the message of God; an inspired message; utterance; intelligible preaching, an intelligible message

γραφῆς graphēs recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

γραφή graphē scripture; writing

noun, genitive, singular, feminine

Sense: passage (scripture) – a section of text from the sacred Scriptures; especially the Old Testament.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida Scripture, Scripture passage

LTW writing, scripture.

ἰδίας idias recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

ἴδιος idios one's own

adjective, genitive, singular, feminine

Sense: particular – unique or specific to a person or thing or category.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida one’s own, one’s property

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. one’s own, belonging to one, personal; home, possessions, property; privately, alone, apart; individually, separately

ἐπιλύσεως epilyseōs recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

ἐπίλυσις epilysis explanation; interpretation

noun, genitive, singular, feminine

Sense: explanation ⇔ unraveling – an interpretation understood as the release or unraveling of something.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to explain, meaning, explanation

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. interpretation, explanation

οὐ ou recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

οὐ ou not

particle, negative

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida not

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. not

γίνεται ginetai recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation,

γίνομαι ginomai be; become; take place

verb, present, either middle or passive, indicative, third person, singular

Sense: to become existent – to come into existence (after not existing).

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to belong to, to have

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. become, be; happen, take place, arise; it happened; came about; come into being, be born or created; be done; become something; come, go; arrive off; appear; marry; no indeed!; have, possess, receive

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LEMMA IN PASSAGE | ALL COMMENTARIES

Lemmas in 2 Peter 1:20 (65 results)

Other Lemmas (19 results)

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COMMENTARIES

JFB

20. “Forasmuch as ye know this” (1 Pe 1:18).

first—the foremost consideration in studying the word of prophecy. Laying it down as a first principle never to be lost sight of.

is—Greek, not the simple verb, to be, but to begin to be, “proves to be,” “becometh.” No prophecy is found to be the result of “private (the mere individual writer’s uninspired) interpretation” (solution), and so origination. The Greek noun epilusis, does not mean in itself origination; but that which the sacred writer could not always fully interpret, though being the speaker or writer (as 1 Pe…

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament

(1:20, 21) The phrase, “knowing this first,” refers back to the words “whereunto ye do well that ye take heed.” That is, as Peter’s readers give their attention to the Old Testament prophecies, they are to keep in mind what follows in the rest of the verse and the succeeding one. The word “private” is idios, (ἰδιος,) “unique, one’s own.” “Interpretation” is epilusis, (ἐπιλυσις,) “a loosening, unloosing,” metaphorically, “interpretation.” The verb is epiluō, (ἐπιλυω,) “to unloose, untie, to explain what is obscure and hard to understand.” The interpretation is here not that of the student of scripture, but of the inspired…

Word Pictures in the New Testament

2 Peter 1:20

Knowing this first (τουτο πρωτον γινωσκοντες [touto prōton ginōskontes]). Agreeing with ποιειτε [poieite] like προσεχοντες [prosechontes] in verse 19. No prophecy of Scripture (πασα προφητεια οὐ [pāsa prophēteia ou]). Like the Hebrew, but also in the papyri as in 1 John 2:21 (Robertson, Grammar, p. 753). Is (γινεται [ginetai]). Rather “comes,” “springs” (Alford), not “is” (ἐστιν [estin]). Of private interpretation (ἰδιας ἐπιλυσεως [idias epiluseōs]). Ablative case of origin or source in the predicate as with γνωμης [gnōmēs] in Acts 20:3 and with του θεου [tou theou] and ἐξ ἡμων [ex hēmōn] in 2 Cor. 4:7. “No prophecy of Scripture…

Word Studies in the New Testament

20. Is (γίνεται). More literally, arises or originates.

Private (ἰδίας). See on ver. 3, His own. Rev., special, in margin.

Interpretation (ἐπιλύσεως). Only here in New Testament. Compare the cognate verb expounded (Mark 4:34) and determined (Acts 19:39). The usual word is ἑρμηνεία (1 Cor. 12:10; 14:26). Literally, it means loosening, untying, as of hard knots of scripture.

LCC

The Trustworthy Message of Christ’s Coming (1:16–21)

Peter establishes his trustworthiness on the basis of apostolic eyewitness and the divinely originated prophetic word.

1:16 The reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that the apostles were not following myths when they told of Christ’s coming; they were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

1:17–18 The transfiguration was the event at which certain apostles witnessed the majesty of Christ.

1:19 The second reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that Peter and his readers have the reliable prophetic word, which also points forward to the coming of Christ.

1:20 The prophetic word is…

Life Application Bible Commentary

1:20–21 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Peter wrote here of revelation, the source of all Scripture. One’s belief about revelation is foundational for faith. Christians must be able to rest on the infallibility of Scripture, or their faith is of no value. Hence Peter’s words, first of all you must understand this. Perhaps the false teachers were denying Scripture by denying its divine origin, saying that…

FSB

1:20 one’s own interpretation Peter asserts that true prophecy does not come from human ability but divine enablement (compare Isa 6:1–13).

Biblical Theology

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Verses 19–21

In these words the apostle lays down another argument to prove the truth and reality of the gospel, and intimates that this second proof is more strong and convincing than the former, and more unanswerably makes out that the doctrine of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a mere fable or cunning contrivance of men, but the wise and wonderful counsel of the holy and gracious God. For this is foretold by the prophets and penmen of the Old Testament, who spoke and wrote under the influence and according to the direction of…

IVP Bible Background Commentary

1:20–21. Ancient Judaism and Greek thinkers generally viewed prophetic inspiration as a divine possession or frenzy, in which the prophet’s rational mind was replaced by the divine word. (The remark on the Jewish perspective is especially true of Diaspora Jewish ecstatics, like Philo and authors of the Sibylline Oracles.) The various literary styles of different Old Testament prophets indicates that this was not quite the case; inspiration still used human faculties and vocabulary (cf. 1 Pet 1:10–12; 1 Cor 7:40; 14:1–2, 14–19), although there may have been different levels and kinds of ecstasy (cf. 1 Cor 14:2; 2 Cor 5:13; 12:4)…

BKC

1:20. Peter then wrote about revelation. The statement, No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation, has been interpreted several ways: (1) Scripture should be interpreted only in context, that is, a prophecy cannot stand alone without other prophecies to aid in its understanding. (2) Scripture should not be interpreted according to one’s own individual liking. (3) Scripture cannot be correctly interpreted without the Holy Spirit. (4) The prophecies did not originate with the prophets themselves. The word epilyseōs (“interpretation,” lit., “unloosing”) and the word ginetai (“came about”) favor the fourth view. The Scriptures did not stem merely…

The Teacher’s Commentary

STUDY GUIDE 164

2 Peter; Jude

DANGER!

Overview

The later letters from the New Testament era show a growing awareness of dangers facing the young church. In 2 Timothy, the last letter Paul wrote before his death, we find grim warnings about false teachers and a growing pollution of the church. Now, in two other late letters, one written by Peter and one by Jude, we discover the same strong note of warning.

Because 2 Peter and Jude are so closely linked, not only in theme but also in specific content, it is helpful to teach…

Wiersbe’s “Be” Series

It is the Spirit-given Word (vv. 20–21). This is one of two important Scriptures affirming the divine inspiration of the Word of God. The other is 2 Timothy 3:14–17. Peter affirmed that the Scriptures were not written by men who used their own ideas and words, but by men of God who were “moved by the Holy Spirit.” The word translated moved means “to be carried along, as a ship is carried by the wind.” The Scriptures are “God-breathed”; they are not the inventions of men.

Again, Peter was refuting the doctrines of the apostates. They taught with “feigned words” (2…

The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version

1:20 of any private interpretation: Although some have taken this phrase to mean that no individual Christian has the right to interpret prophecy for himself or herself, the context and the Greek word for interpretation indicates another meaning for the verse. The Greek word for interpretation can also mean “origin.” In the context of v. 21, it is clear that Peter is speaking of Scripture’s “origin” from God Himself and not the credentials of the one who interprets it. There is no private source for the Bible; the prophets did not supply their own solutions or explanations to the mysteries of…

The Bible Guide

Christian growth and assurance

(2 Peter 1:1–21)

Peter introduces himself as ‘Simeon’ Peter—the fisherman whom Jesus called to become his disciple and apostle. He seems to be writing to Gentile Christians, and is full of joy that Jews and Gentiles are now united in Christ (1:1).

Peter wants to remind his readers of God’s promises of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. He also wants to encourage their growth in holiness, understanding, fellowship and service.

God has provided all the resources needed to develop Christian life and holiness (1:3). But we must play our part…

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible

III. Confidence in the Scripture (1:12–21)

Peter is especially concerned about his readers’ spiritual welfare because he knows that he is approaching the end of his life. Peter’s promise that he will see to it that they remember his teaching (v. 15) is probably a reference to the Gospel of Mark, which early Christian tradition claims was sponsored by Peter himself.

Peter next shows how reliable this body of truth is. It is “eyewitness” material, not “cleverly invented stories” (v. 16). It was epitomized by the transfiguration, something that was an anchor for Peter’s faith. The word of the prophets…

A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament

20 τοῦτο ref. ὅτι κτλ. πρῶτον first of all. γινώσκοντες ptc -σκω. πᾶσα … οὐ Sem. no. προφητεία prophecy = prediction. γραφή scripture. ἴδιος one’s own, individual, personal. ἐπί-λυσις explanation, interpretation, ἰδίας ἐ. οὐ γίνεται is not (a matter) of personal interpretation.

The Bible Reader’s Companion

The “more certain” word of the prophets (1:19–21). Peter’s point is that the prophets spoke of the same things he witnessed. Thus the Scripture’s testimony to Jesus confirms what he witnessed. And the eyewitness reports of the apostles confirm the fulfillment of the prophet’s predictions.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines

III. The Ground of Knowledge (1:12–21)

“But how can we be sure that this message is the true Word of God?” Peter answers this question by referring to his experience with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–13; Luke 9:27–36). Peter knew that he would not be in the body (his tabernacle) very long; see John 21:18. The word “decease” (v. 15) is actually “exodus”; it is the same word used of Christ’s death (Luke 9:31). When Christians die, it is not the end; rather, it is a triumphant exodus from this world into the next.

The Gospel message…

Believer’s Study Bible

1:20, 21 Such perfection of utterance is explicable only if God is somehow able to suspend temporarily the inherent weaknesses of the men who wrote Scripture. Two declarations are given which affirm that God did precisely that: (1) No Scripture is “of any private interpretation.” The terminology in Greek says that no prophecy came into being through anyone’s personal disclosure. The idea is that men did not set forth the ideas of Scripture, nor is present interpretation a matter for the isolated mind of man. Through the Holy Spirit’s agency, God is involved in both the production and interpretation of…

The Expositor’s Greek Testament Commentary

Ver. 20. τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες. “Recognising this truth above all else” (in your reading of Scripture). The False Teachers appealed to the O.T. scriptures in support of their doctrine. ὅτι πᾶσα … οὐ γίνεται. πᾶσα … οὐ need not be regarded as a Hebraism. It is as normal as in 1 Jn. 2:21, Jn. 3:16. ἰδίας ἐπιλύσεως. This passage is a noted crux. (1) Hardt, followed by Lange, Spitta and others interpret ἐπιλυς. = dissolutio. “No prophecy of S. is of such a kind that it can be annulled”. But no satisfactory instance of ἐπιλυς. in this sense can be adduced. (2)…

My Exegetical Guide

YOUR CONTENT

Advent 2 (5) Sermon 1 result

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TEXTUAL VARIANTS

Textual Commentaries

The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible

2 Peter 1:21

ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι ἐλάλησαν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι

Most early manuscripts have “men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God,” but some early manuscripts and related later witnesses have “holy men of God spoke as they were carried along by the…

Apparatuses

Apparatus for the Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Editions

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Scrivener’s Textus Receptus (1894) with Morphology

The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005

The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology)

Ancient Versions

Online Manuscripts

Institute for New Testament Textual Research

𝔓72 P. Bodmer VII + P. Bodmer VIII folio 27

4th c. AD · a: 1P2PJd · 1col · Greek

01 Sinaiticus (א) folio 321r

4th c. AD · eapr · 4col · Greek

02 Alexandrinus (A) folio 106v

5th c. AD · eapr · 2col · Greek

03 Vaticanus (B) folio 1435

4th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1Th2ThH · 3col · Greek

04 Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) folio 82v

5th c. AD · ea p: R1K2KGEPhKol1ThH1T2TTtPhm r · 1col · Greek

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WORD BY WORD

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

2 Peter 1:21

οὐ γὰρ θελήματι ἀνθρώπου ἠνέχθη προφητεία ποτέ, ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι ἐλάλησαν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι. | SBLGNT

for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God | LEB

οὐ ou for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

οὐ ou not

adverb

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida not

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. not

γὰρ gar for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

γάρ gar for; because

conjunction, adverbial causal

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida for, because

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. for, since, then; indeed, certainly; what! why!

θελήματι thelēmati for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

θέλημα thelēma will

noun, dative, singular, neuter

Sense: inclination (attitude) – an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida wish, desire

LTW

ἀνθρώπου anthrōpou for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos man

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

Sense: person (finite) – any human being considered according to their finitude in contrast to the transcendent supernatural.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida person, human being, individual; people, persons, mankind

LTW man, human being, humanity.

ἠνέχθη ēnechthē for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

φέρω pherō bring; carry; bear

verb, aorist, passive, indicative, third person, singular

Sense: to be brought (state) – to be or become conveyed somewhere.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to guide, to direct, to lead

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. bring, bring along, carry; endure, bear, put up with; yield, produce; drive; rush; bring against; move, guide; lead; sustain, support; establish, validate, prove; the death of the one who made the will must be established; put, reach out

προφητεία prophēteia for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

προφητεία prophēteia prophecy

noun, nominative, singular, feminine

Sense: prophecy (God) – a representative declaration of the mind, will, or knowledge of God; especially concerning past, present, or future manifestations of the outworking of His will or other events.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida inspired utterance, prophecy

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. preaching the message of God, the gift of preaching the message of God; an inspired message; utterance; intelligible preaching, an intelligible message

ποτέ pote for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

ποτέ pote once; formerly; ever

particle, indefinite

Sense: ever – at any time.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida ever, at any time, at some time

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. once, formerly, at one time; ever, at any time; never; at last, after so long; when; whoever; whatever

ἀλλὰ alla for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

ἀλλά alla but; yet; rather

conjunction, logical contrastive

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida but, instead, on the contrary

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. but, rather, on the contrary; adds emphasis or contrast; not only this but also

ὑπὸ hypo for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

ὑπό hypo by; under

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida by

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. by, by means of; at the hands of; under, below; under the authority of; at daybreak

πνεύματος pneumatos for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

πνεῦμα pneuma spirit; Spirit

noun, genitive, singular, neuter

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida Spirit, Spirit of God, Holy Spirit

LTW spirit, breath, wind.

ἁγίου hagiou for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

ἅγιος hagios holy; holy one

adjective, genitive, singular, neuter

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida holy, pure, divine

LTW holy, set apart, consecrated, dedicated, saints.

φερόμενοι pheromenoi for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

φέρω pherō bring; carry; bear

verb, present, passive, participle, plural, nominative, masculine

Sense: to be borne along – to move along while one is being sustained, supported, propelled, or driven.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to guide, to direct, to lead

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. bring, bring along, carry; endure, bear, put up with; yield, produce; drive; rush; bring against; move, guide; lead; sustain, support; establish, validate, prove; the death of the one who made the will must be established; put, reach out

ἐλάλησαν elalēsan for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

λαλέω laleō speak; say

verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, plural

Sense: to speak – to express in speech.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida to speak, to say, to talk, to tell

LTW to make sounds, speak, talk.

ἀπὸ apo for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

ἀπό apo from

preposition

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida from, by

Greek-English Dict. of N.T. from; away from; by means of; of; because of, as a result of; since, ever since; about, for; with; one after another, one and all

θεοῦ theou for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

θεός theos God

noun, genitive, singular, masculine

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida God

LTW deity; god; goddess; God.

ἄνθρωποι anthrōpoi for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos man

noun, nominative, plural, masculine

Sense: person – a human being; sometimes referred to collectively as people.

WSNTDICT

Louw-Nida person, human being, individual; people, persons, mankind

LTW man, human being, humanity.

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LEMMA IN PASSAGE | ALL COMMENTARIES

Lemmas in 2 Peter 1:21 (73 results)

Other Lemmas (6 results)

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COMMENTARIES

JFB

21. came not in old time—rather, “was never at any time borne” (to us).

by the will of man—alone. Je 23:26, “prophets of the deceit of their own heart.” Compare 2 Pe 3:5, “willingly.”

holy—One oldest manuscript has, “men from God”: the emissaries from God. “Holy,” if read, will mean because they had the Holy Spirit.

moved—Greek, “borne” (along) as by a mighty wind: Ac 2:2, “rushing (the same Greek) wind”: rapt out of themselves: still not in fanatical excitement (1 Co 14:32). The Hebrew “nabi,” “prophet,” meant an announcer or interpreter…

Word Pictures in the New Testament

2 Peter 1:21

For (γαρ [gar]). The reason for the previous statement that no prophet starts a prophecy himself. He is not a self-starter. Came (ἠνεχθη [ēnechthē]). First aorist passive indicative of φερω [pherō] (verses 17f.). By the will of man (θεληματι ἀνθρωπου [thelēmati anthrōpou]). Instrumental case of θελημα [thelēma]. Prophecy is of divine origin, not of one’s private origination (ἰδιας ἐπιλυσεως [idias epiluseōs]). Moved by the Holy Ghost (ὑπο πνευματος ἁγιου φερομενοι [hupo pneumatos hagiou pheromenoi]). Present passive participle of φερω [pherō], moved from time to time. There they “spoke from God.” Peter is not here warning against personal…

Word Studies in the New Testament

21. Came (ἠνέχθη). Lit., was borne or brought. See on vv. 17, 18.

Holy men of God (ἅγιοι θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι). The best texts omit holy, and read ἀπὸ θεοῦ, from God. Render, as Rev., men spake from God.

Moved (φερόμενοι). The same verb as came. Lit., being borne along. It seems to be a favorite word with Peter, occurring six times in the two epistles.

LTNB

2 Peter 1:21

ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι ἐλάλησαν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι

Most early manuscripts have “men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God,” but some early manuscripts and related later witnesses have “holy men of God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Both options ultimately communicate similar information, that the Holy Spirit influenced the ones who spoke. However, they achieve this in different ways.

LCC

The Trustworthy Message of Christ’s Coming (1:16–21)

Peter establishes his trustworthiness on the basis of apostolic eyewitness and the divinely originated prophetic word.

1:16 The reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that the apostles were not following myths when they told of Christ’s coming; they were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

1:17–18 The transfiguration was the event at which certain apostles witnessed the majesty of Christ.

1:19 The second reason for Peter’s trustworthiness is that Peter and his readers have the reliable prophetic word, which also points forward to the coming of Christ.

1:20 The prophetic word is…

Life Application Bible Commentary

1:20–21 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Peter wrote here of revelation, the source of all Scripture. One’s belief about revelation is foundational for faith. Christians must be able to rest on the infallibility of Scripture, or their faith is of no value. Hence Peter’s words, first of all you must understand this. Perhaps the false teachers were denying Scripture by denying its divine origin, saying that…

FSB

1:21 carried along In this verse, the Greek verb used refers to guidance by the unseen hand of the Holy Spirit, both in the moment of writing and in the numerous circumstances of the writer’s life—culminating in the production of Scripture.

spoke from God Because God spoke through the prophets, their messages were true. Peter contrasts true prophets with the false teachers of 2 Pet 2:1.

Peter argues that the message of his opponents is false and that they have no basis for the authority they claim (see 2:17–22). Since the teachings of Peter’s opponents disagree with the oracles of the…

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

Verses 19–21

In these words the apostle lays down another argument to prove the truth and reality of the gospel, and intimates that this second proof is more strong and convincing than the former, and more unanswerably makes out that the doctrine of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a mere fable or cunning contrivance of men, but the wise and wonderful counsel of the holy and gracious God. For this is foretold by the prophets and penmen of the Old Testament, who spoke and wrote under the influence and according to the direction of…

IVP Bible Background Commentary

1:20–21. Ancient Judaism and Greek thinkers generally viewed prophetic inspiration as a divine possession or frenzy, in which the prophet’s rational mind was replaced by the divine word. (The remark on the Jewish perspective is especially true of Diaspora Jewish ecstatics, like Philo and authors of the Sibylline Oracles.) The various literary styles of different Old Testament prophets indicates that this was not quite the case; inspiration still used human faculties and vocabulary (cf. 1 Pet 1:10–12; 1 Cor 7:40; 14:1–2, 14–19), although there may have been different levels and kinds of ecstasy (cf. 1 Cor 14:2; 2 Cor 5:13; 12:4)…

BKC

1:21. This verse also supports the view that Peter wrote in verse 20 about prophecies being born of God, not originating from the prophets themselves. Prophecy came not from the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

As the authors of Scripture wrote their prophecies, they were impelled or borne along by God’s Spirit. What they wrote was thus inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16). “Borne along” or “carried along” translates the word pheromenoi. Luke used this word in referring to a sailing vessel carried along by the wind (Acts…

The Teacher’s Commentary

STUDY GUIDE 164

2 Peter; Jude

DANGER!

Overview

The later letters from the New Testament era show a growing awareness of dangers facing the young church. In 2 Timothy, the last letter Paul wrote before his death, we find grim warnings about false teachers and a growing pollution of the church. Now, in two other late letters, one written by Peter and one by Jude, we discover the same strong note of warning.

Because 2 Peter and Jude are so closely linked, not only in theme but also in specific content, it is helpful to teach…

Wiersbe’s “Be” Series

It is the Spirit-given Word (vv. 20–21). This is one of two important Scriptures affirming the divine inspiration of the Word of God. The other is 2 Timothy 3:14–17. Peter affirmed that the Scriptures were not written by men who used their own ideas and words, but by men of God who were “moved by the Holy Spirit.” The word translated moved means “to be carried along, as a ship is carried by the wind.” The Scriptures are “God-breathed”; they are not the inventions of men.

Again, Peter was refuting the doctrines of the apostates. They taught with “feigned words” (2…

The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version

1:21 prophecy never came by the will of man: No mere mortal chose to utter his own thoughts as though they were God’s. On the contrary, God chose holy men to be His spokesmen, men who uttered thoughts given to them by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible Guide

Christian growth and assurance

(2 Peter 1:1–21)

Peter introduces himself as ‘Simeon’ Peter—the fisherman whom Jesus called to become his disciple and apostle. He seems to be writing to Gentile Christians, and is full of joy that Jews and Gentiles are now united in Christ (1:1).

Peter wants to remind his readers of God’s promises of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. He also wants to encourage their growth in holiness, understanding, fellowship and service.

God has provided all the resources needed to develop Christian life and holiness (1:3). But we must play our part…

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible

III. Confidence in the Scripture (1:12–21)

Peter is especially concerned about his readers’ spiritual welfare because he knows that he is approaching the end of his life. Peter’s promise that he will see to it that they remember his teaching (v. 15) is probably a reference to the Gospel of Mark, which early Christian tradition claims was sponsored by Peter himself.

Peter next shows how reliable this body of truth is. It is “eyewitness” material, not “cleverly invented stories” (v. 16). It was epitomized by the transfiguration, something that was an anchor for Peter’s faith. The word of the prophets…

A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament

21 θελήματι ἀνθρώπου at the will of a man. ἠνέχθη was brought about, aor. pass. φέρω v. 17. ποτέ v. 10. φερόμενοι ptc pass. borne along, moved. ἐ-λάλησαν aor. λαλέω. ἀπὸ θεοῦ ⟦var. add ἅγιοι⟧.

The Bible Reader’s Companion

Prophecy’s origin (1:21). How can the prophets predict with such accuracy events that will not take place for hundreds of years? Peter says that God was speaking through the prophets, expressing in their words exactly what He intended to communicate to humankind (cf. 2 Sam. 23:2; Jer. 1:7).

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines

III. The Ground of Knowledge (1:12–21)

“But how can we be sure that this message is the true Word of God?” Peter answers this question by referring to his experience with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–13; Luke 9:27–36). Peter knew that he would not be in the body (his tabernacle) very long; see John 21:18. The word “decease” (v. 15) is actually “exodus”; it is the same word used of Christ’s death (Luke 9:31). When Christians die, it is not the end; rather, it is a triumphant exodus from this world into the next.

The Gospel message…

The Expositor’s Greek Testament Commentary

Ver. 21. οὐ γὰρ θελήματι ἀνθρώπου ἠνέχθη προφητεία ποτέ. With ἠνέχθη cf. vv. 17, 18. ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ πνεύμ … φερόμενοι, cf. Acts 2:2. ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας. Here we have the only reference to the Holy Spirit in the Epistle, and only in this connexion, viz. as the source of prophetic inspiration. The spirit is an agency rather than an agent. The men speak. The spirit impels. It is of much significance for the interpretation of the whole passage that ἄνθρωποι occupies a position of emphasis at the end of the sentence, thus bringing into prominence the human agent. The prophets…

The LifeChange Bible Study Series

Lesson Three

2 PETER 1:12–21

Eyewitnesses and Prophets

As believers we are heirs of God’s kingdom and partake in His divine nature. After showing his readers that God has provided them with everything they need to grow spiritually, Peter reminds them about the Lord Jesus and Scripture. He assures us that we can put our confidence in Christ and know the truth.

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GRAMMARS

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A. Attested by Apostolic Eyewitnesses (1:16-18)

16 Here Peter links himself with the other apostles ("we"—cf. comment on v. 18) in certifying that their message is based on their own eyewitness experience of Jesus and on hearing of God's attestation of him. Peter denies that they have followed "cleverly invented stories" (sesophismenois mythois, "stories," "myths"). The words refer to fables about the gods.

The NT always uses mythos in a negative sense and in contrast to the truth of the gospel (1Tim 1:4; 4:7; 2Tim 4:4; Titus 1:14). (On myth, cf. F.F. Bruce in DNTT, 2:644-47). It is likely that the false teachers claimed that the Incarnation, Resurrection, and coming kingdom the apostles spoke about were only stories. These teachers may have been men like Hymenaeus and Philetus, who said that "the resurrection has already taken place" (2Tim 2:17-18). Apparently they denied a future aspect of eschatology or else reinterpreted it so as to lose its intended meaning.

The specific point in view was the second coming of Jesus (ten dynamin kai parousian, "the power and coming"). Peter sees his preaching of the Second Coming as being based on his eyewitness observation of the transfiguration of Jesus (cf. vv. 17-18 with Matt 16:28-17:5). In the return of Jesus, the kingdom will be visibly inaugurated in power. The dead will be raised, and judgment will occur. The "power" he will manifest in his coming embraces destruction of the lawless one (2 Thess 2:8) and his hosts (Rev 19:11-16), calling out the dead by his voice (John 5:28), judgment (John 5:27), and the consummation of the kingdom (Rev 11:15-18).

"Eyewitness" (epoptai) occurs only here in the NT. BAG (p. 305) defines it as a "t.t. [technical term] of the mysteries, to designate those who have been initiated into the highest grade of the mysteries" (cf. Kelly, p. 318; Green, Peter and Jude, p. 83). (Michaelis, TDNT, 5:375, denies any such usage of epopteuo [the related verb] here "to the usage in the mysteries.") Peter probably takes up a favorite term of some false teachers and uses their vocabulary against them. Epopteuo ("observe," "see") occurs in the NT only in 1 Peter 2:12; 3:2. This lends support to the view of the common origin of the two letters or of dependence of the second letter on the first one.

17 Verses 17-18 explain how and when Peter was an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus Christ. God the Father gave honor and glory to Jesus. The "honor" is the public acknowledgment of his sonship (cf. Ps 2:6-7; Matt 3:17; Luke 3:22), and the "glory" is the transfiguration of the humiliated Son into his glorious splendor. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus' face "shone like the sun," his clothes "became as white as the light" (Matt 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36), a unique (toiasde, lit., "such as this") voice sounded from a bright cloud that covered them and said, "This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased." The scene showed Jesus as Messiah and was a preview of his glory as King.

18 Peter emphatically says, "We [hemeis; NIV, `we ourselves,' i.e., Peter, James, and John] heard this voice that came from heaven," while they were with Jesus "on the sacred mountain." It was the Transfiguration that transformed the mountain from a common one into a "sacred" (hagios) one. As for the place of the Transfiguration Mount Hermon (over nine thousand feet high and near Caesarea Philippi, where the event that preceded the Transfiguration took place) or one of its spurs is the most likely choice. Traditionally, Mount Tabor, a steep eminence in the Plain of Jezreel, is identified as the Mount of Transfiguration. But its modest height makes it a less likely site than Hermon.

B. Attested by Divinely Originated Prophecy (1:19-21)

19 By saying "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain," Peter indicates that the OT prophets spoke of the same things he did and that their words are made more certain because the Transfiguration is a foreview of their fulfillment. Green (Peter and Jude, p. 87) adopts the interpretation that the Scriptures confirm the apostolic witness—viz., "We have also a more sure word of prophecy" (KJV). The critical term is bebaioteron, which BAG (p. 137) cites as meaning in this context "we possess the prophetic word as something altogether reliable." But if this meaning is adopted, there is no point of comparison between the OT prophecies and the apostles' testimony or that of the Voice at the Transfiguration. The comparative would be used for the superlative, and Peter would merely be giving additional reasons to cling to the message. On the whole, NIV is to be preferred to KJV and BAG.

After affirming the reliability of the OT Scriptures, Peter exhorts his readers to continue to pay careful attention to the prophetic message. He compares it to "light shining in a dark place" (cf. Ps 119:105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path"). The "dark place" is the whole world, which has turned from God the Light (cf. Isa 9:2; Eph 6:12). Christians are to ponder and keep the word of God "until the day dawns." The "day" is the day of the Parousia (cf. Rom 13:12). The "morning star" (phosphoros) appears only here in the NT, but the use of "star" for the Messiah occurs in Numbers 24:17 ("a star … out of Jacob"). Related expressions—"the rising sun" (Luke 1:78) and "the bright Morning Star [aster]" (Rev 22:16)—support the view that Peter is referring to Christ in his advent.

The phrase "rises in your hearts" is difficult. Green (Peter and Jude, p. 89) suggests the possibility of reading this phrase as part of v. 20 rather than v. 19. But the word order in Greek is against this. The idea that the Second Coming is only subjective (that is, only "in your hearts") is clearly contrary to the eschatology of the book (cf. 3:4, 10) and to the rest of the NT (cf. Acts 1:11; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 2 Thess 2:8). The best interpretation sees "in your hearts" as the subjective results of Christ's actual coming. When he comes, an illuminating transformation will take place in believers.

20 Peter continues his exhortation with the expression "above all" (touto proton ginoskontes; lit., "knowing this first"). The primary thing to be known is that the prophetic Scriptures did not come into being through the prophet's "own interpretation" (idias epilyseos; lit., "of one's now unloosing"—though epilysis is the regular word for "interpretation"). What exactly does Peter mean by this expression? The major views are that (1) no prophecy is a matter of one's own interpretation—so either the church must interpret prophecy, the interpretation must be that intended by the Holy Spirit, or the individual's interpretation is not to be "private" but according to the analogy of faith; (2) the NIV translation, "No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation"—i.e., no prophecy originated through the interpretation of the prophet himself; and (3) epilysis is not to be taken as meaning the interpretation but refers to the origination of Scripture. The sense of the verse is probably that of the first view, that no prophecy of Scripture is to be interpreted by any individual in an arbitrary way. This fits the problem of the false teachers' distorting Paul's writings and other Scripture mentioned at 3:16, and the next verse clarifies that the prophecy originated with the Holy Spirit.

21 Each prophecy originated in God (apo theou), not in the will of man. To understand each prophecy, one must interpret it not according to one's own "private" ideas. Verse 21 is notable for the light it sheds on how Scripture was produced. Peter's statement "men spoke from God" implies the dual authorship of Scripture. This is also implied in the OT. For example, David said, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue" (2Sam 23:2); or as Jeremiah was told, "You must … say whatever I command you.… Now, I have put my words in your mouth" (Jer 1:7, 9). Men spoke, but God so worked in them so that what they said was his word. It was not through a process of dictation or through a state of ecstasy that the writers of Scripture spoke but through the control of the Spirit of God—"as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (For other texts on Inspiration, cf. 1Cor 14:37; 2Tim 3:16

An Exegetical Analysis Of 2 Peter 1:16-21

Eric Parker 12/30/17 - Miscellaneous

"For we did not follow shrewdly concocted myths when we revealed to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His splendor. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this voice descending from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you must do well to pay attention as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Since its composition, Second Peter has been one of the epitomes of debated literature in NT scholarship, plaguing the mind of theologians and atheologians alike. While the epistle explicitly claims to have been composed by Simon Peter (Su;mewn PejtroV; v. 1), several doubts have arisen concerning Petrine authenticity due to a number of factors.[1] First, there is a notable lack of attestation by the early Church in two key areas: lack of quotation until the third century by the Alexandrian scholar Origen (followed by Eusebius and Jerome; all three indicated canonical skepticism of the book was prevalent) and absence from the Muratorian Canon (ca. AD 180-200).[2] Second, the letter encapsulates the same message via the equivalent techniques used in the book of Jude.[3] Third, the letter portrays second-century problems for the Church (i.e. Gnosticism

and early Catholicism). Fourth, the letter mentions the knowledge of a collection of Paul’s letters by the Church. Last, there is a distinct difference in literary style between First and Second Peter.

In response, several key arguments have been made to defend Petrine authorship. The strong connection between Second Peter and Jude does not demand suspicion towards Petrine authorship, merely that they convey the same intentions for their respective audiences. Next, there are no direct references to any second-century issues for the Church and the speculations made for the deviant doctrine, especially that of Gnosticism and early Catholicism, is unclear. Additionally, Christians had grown concerned by the lack of Christ’s return by the time First Thessalonians was composed (c. 50-51 AD) and, according to tradition, Peter died under the reign of Nero in the mid-60s AD. This allows Peter over a decade to send a letter concerning the issues opposing Christianity. This letter serves a farewell purpose, a last opportunity for a dying man to exhort his peers (v. 14), whereas First Peter serves a more formal purpose. Furthermore, the mention in Second Peter to Paul’s letters can be resolved in that the letters would have already been circulating prior to the writing of Second Peter. Finally, the readers of Second Peter would have discarded and disregarded an epistle clearly not of Petrine origin. This fact is corroborated by the canonical dismissal of the Apocalypse of Peter, Gospel of Peter, Acts of Peter, and Letter of Peter to Philip.

CONTEXT OF 2 PETER 1:16-21

Allowing the above information, the dating of Second Peter at AD 64-65 is perfectly acceptable. Also, if the allusion in 2 Pet 3:1 is to First Peter, then the same audience would be the recipient, making Asia Minor the addressees.[4] If 3:1 is not referring to First Peter, then it remains that the letter is never explicit as to who the true addressees are.[5]

Structurally, Second Peter is written as a chiasm in the following ABCB’A’ pattern:

A. Certainty of the Revelation (1:16-21)

B. Prediction of False Teachers (2:1-3a)

C. Certainty of the Judgment (2:3b-22)

B’. Prediction of Scoffers (3:1-4)

A’. Certainty of the Eschaton (3:5-13)

The focus of Second Peter’s chiasm is the certainty of the Judgment, while the other sections develop the foundation, showing how differing beliefs from those revealed in Scripture are a challenge to God’s justice. Peter writes this polemical document in order to denounce the false teaching plaguing the Church, to strengthen apostolic authority, and to emphasize the supremacy of the true Gospel in the Greco-Roman world of philosophical notions that pervaded even the plebeian populace. The letter focuses on several main ideas that are created by the use of various forms of the following terms: gnwsiV, bebaioV, mnhvmh, and ejpicorhgevw. By the end of 2Pet. 1:16-21, Peter presents a dynamic apology for his authority as a proper, knowledgeable teacher/interpreter, appealing to his primary witness of Jesus’ transfiguration and God’s revelation of His prophetic Word.

The Analysis of 2 Pet 1:16-21

"shrewdly concocted myths"

Peter begins the pericope strongly by rebuking the claims of the false teachers, stating the apostles were not presenting “shrewdly concocted myths.” The term, muvqoV, and its various forms, are only found elsewhere in the Pastoral Epistles concerning the spread of "myths" and Paul’s exhortation to the evangelists, Timothy and Titus, to combat these false teachings (1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim 4:4; Titus 1:14). Identifying the real false teachers behind these myths (the very ones accusing Peter and the apostles of doing the same) is difficult due to Jesus’, Paul’s, and Peter’s silence concerning any definitive descriptions, and their focus on condemning the pseudo-teachers. The passage does, however, mention three key components that highlight the problematic teaching: that they had teachers with disciples, they taught eschatological skepticism (esp. the denial of the Parousia and Judgment), and they advocated ethical libertinism. Scholars have developed propositions ranging from early Catholicism, to Epicureanism, to Gnosticism as the false teaching addressed in Second Peter.

The Gnosticism proposal is problematic because there is no definitive evidence available concerning the date Gnosticism came into existence, and the doctrines its believers actually followed.[6]  Similarly, the case for the Epicurean hypothesis, proposed by Jerome Neyrey, is made difficult due to its vagueness.[7] Early Catholicism is problematic because there is no specificity towards any proto-Catholic doctrines. Thomas Caulley reasons that the focus on the denial of future events, similar to the false teachers of the Pastoral epistles, suggests a proto-Gnostic hypothesis.[8] While the arguments he proposes are certainly some of the most appealing, there is too much to be inferred to concretely pinpoint this, or any other proposal, as the specific problem plaguing the addressees of Second Peter.

Whatever the case, Jesus was correct when He predicted that "wolves dressed in sheep's clothing" (Matt 7:15) would ravage the Church, accuse the apostles of corrupt teaching, and lead members astray.

"the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"

The use of duvnamin kai; parousivan is a reference to the second coming of Christ. Parousia refers to the coming of a royal authority and can hardly be taken to refer to the original descent of Christ from Heaven to Earth as a man. Contextually, Peter is addressing the denial of the Judgment, thus indicating an appeal to future events, here being the return of Christ.

The second coming of Christ, or Parousia, is referenced in a variety of biblical passages, including apocalyptic eschatological books like I and II Thessalonians (cf. 1 Thess 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thess 2:1) and even in the Gospels (cf. Matt 24). This event is the immediate precursor of God’s divine judgment on mankind. The Parousia will assuredly occur with swiftness and just recompense for every man.[9] Christ will come and His return will be wonderful, awesome, and terrifying. The Church had forgotten the assurance of the Judgment, and Peter was not going to let that continue uncorrected.

Additionally, the addressees' limited scope of time convinced them that God had abandoned His promise and had ultimately forsaken His children. There are two main issues with this perspective. First, while time is of no consequence to God (Ps 90), time is finite for man (Jas 4:13-14, Ps 103:15-16; 144:4) and will ultimately result in judgment by God. Second, God has never, and will never, forsake His children (Deut 31:6, 8; Josh 1:5; 1 Sam 12:22; 1 Chr 28:20). As an eternally loving Father, God is always expressed as filled with determination to never utterly forsake His children, oftentimes in the midst of His children’s plenary rejection.[10]

"we were eyewitnesses of his splendor" and "we ourselves heard"

Being an eyewitness in Greco-Roman culture had much more value than in today’s world. In the historical context of the letter, eyewitness testimony was highly regarded and the only way to make an authentic claim. Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses (ejpovptai) to the Transfiguration, so they alone knew what had occurred on the Mount.[11] As recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Peter is intimately involved in this event. His failure to comprehend the significance of the circumstance led to his chastisement by God’s rebuke to “listen to [His] Son.” This supplied Peter with primary experience that could not be challenged. As readers reflect on the recorded activities involving James, John, and Peter, they realize the failures of all three apostles in particular key events in the Bible. Nonetheless, Peter utilizes this specific event to give authority to apostolic teaching. Paul and John use the same line of argumentation in their defenses against false teaching (1 Cor 15:3-8; 1 John 1:1-3; 4:14). The false teachers had no such intimate experiences with Jesus and therefore were untrustworthy.

"when He received honor and glory" and "on the holy mountain"

This particular allusion is plainly the Transfiguration, as recorded elsewhere in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). Peter’s apologetic approach is based on his personal eyewitness at this event. Contextually, other than condemning the false teachers, Peter is exhorting the recipients to remember God’s faithfulness to His Word (i.e. Judgment). The false teachers had come into the Church casting doubt on the Parousia (2 Pet 3:4) and Peter hoped to persuade the Christians otherwise. In turn, Peter’s appeal to the Transfiguration would influence the belief that the Parousia would still come. Peter was not the only disciple to connect the Transfiguration with the Parousia. In fact, all three Synoptic Gospel writers follow the Transfiguration account with Jesus’ promise of the Parousia, thus suggesting a strong connection between the events.[12]

By mentioning “the holy mountain,” Peter alludes to antecedents in Israelite history where God made covenants to His chosen people. Mountains were the location for epiphanies, revelations, and other major happenings for the Jews. Just a brief collection of these incidents include the Law of Moses being given on Mount Sinai (Exod 19-24), God manifesting Himself to Moses and Elijah on a mountain (Exod 3 and 1 Kgs 17 respectively), Moses seeing the promised land from a mountain (Deut 34:1ff), Jesus' most memorable sermon being given on a mountain (Matt 5-7), the appointing of the Twelve occurring on a mountain (Matt 10), and the Jews fleeing to the mountains at the conquest of Jerusalem. For Judeans, the mountains were places of refuge and signified being closer to God in the most literal sense. Consequently, the Transfiguration must be seen as one of the most important events of the Bible, especially in regard to Peter's apostolic authority, the result of his eyewitness to God declaring His Son as the fulfillment of the promises recorded in the OT. Peter was present with all three representatives of God's plan: Moses (composer of the Torah), Elijah (principal among the prophets), and Jesus Christ (reconciliation of the saints).

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"

There are two key occasions on which God the Father bestows this title on Jesus Christ: Jesus’ baptism and His transfiguration. God’s following exhortation to listen to His Son is a powerful sentiment. Regardless, the multitudes did not listen to Jesus, did not believe what He said, and, therefore, chose condemnation rather than God’s grace. The Father identifies that Jesus fulfilled His purpose through His obedience to the Father’s will, thereby setting the perfect goal of a God-centered life (Matt 5:48).

Peter’s use of this phrase and the absence of the key phrase “listen to Him,” as recorded elsewhere, is difficult to understand. The absence of the Godly rebuke suggests that Peter was more focused on God’s allusion to several OT passages including Isa 42:1 and Ps 2:7, in which the messianic title of "son" is founded. Important to note, is the use of the term pai:V, or “servant” in place of u”ioV, or “son” in Isa 42:1. God’s quotation from these passages demonstrates how Jesus fulfills the OT Scriptures through His servitude as the only begotten Son of the Father.

"a light in a dark place"

The word used for dark here is a hapax in the NT and is used elsewhere in Ps 119:105 and 4 Esd 12:42. The word translated here as “dark place” is ajucmerw:/ and denotes a “dry and parched” place and, later, “murky and dirty,” a condition resulting from neglect.[13] Many views have arisen over what this “dark place” refers to. For instance, this phrase is used as a reference to Hell in the Apocalypse of Peter. However, the most natural view is that this "dark place" is the present world (e.g. John 1:5; Eph 6:12; 1 Thess 5:4f; 1 John 2:8). This reference to a dark, murky, dirty place allows a preparation for the illumination of God’s Word and for the imagery of 2 Pet 2.

"the prophetic word"

The Prophetic Word (to;n profhtico;n logojn) refers to God's revelation to mankind. This may include the Jewish Bible, God’s spoken Word not recorded in Scripture, and His fulfillment of prophecy through His Son.

The Jewish Bible consists of the three-part division of the Tanakh: Torah (the Law), Nevi’im (the Prophets), and Ketuvim (the Writings). The OT scriptures point to a Messiah that would fulfill the desire of reconciliation between God and mankind, reuniting the two in a relationship that had not existed since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3).

God’s Word, both written and spoken, serves as a means of assurance for the personal eyewitness of the apostles. Their claim of being present for this incident and hearing God speak to them is an experience few people are ever privileged to have. Peter points out how the OT scripture highlighted the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. If doubts had arisen over the testimony of the apostles, the OT Scriptures, being the core of Jewish culture, could be appealed to for confirmation. The Jews had searched for a physical king. God’s spiritual Messiah, His only begotten Son, did not fit the expected mold. Nonetheless, an appeal to the Scriptures ascribed Jesus as the Divine Messiah. Jesus came to fulfill the OT promises to the patriarchs (Rom 15:8).

"until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts"

“Until” calls into remembrance that the addressees are currently in a period of waiting until prophecy is fully revealed and partial revelation passes away (1 Cor 13:8-10). The time would come when all prophecy would be revealed and Scriptures would be fully exposed. The key manifestation of this was Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Cor 15). The recording of Jesus' life illuminated what the OT Scriptures had not fully revealed, thereby making the recordings of the NT a necessary supplement to the OT.

The word used here for “dawn” is a compound form of the Greek term diaugavsh, /and is another NT hapax, signifying the first rays of the sun breaking through the darkness, the beginning of a new day. The anarthrous use of hJmevra contrasts the current darkness of the world and the revelatory light of the Parousia.

There are two main uses of “the morning star” in verse 19: the planet Venus and the rising sun. As a substantive, the morning star most often refers to the planet Venus, whose appearance precedes the rising sun.[14] There are also early writings that refer to “the morning star” as the day-breaking sun, the only star that is light bearing for mankind (fwsfovroV).[15] The core idea is that, before the sun has fully risen, there is a light that breaks the horizon and illuminates the beginning of a new day. The passage can be seen as a hendiadys in which the two words serve to characterize the idea being discussed. Peter’s use of “the morning star” and “day dawns” suggests that Christ’s Parousia will immediately precede the Judgment. In support of this are the multiple prophetic uses of this astrological title for Jesus (Num 24:17; Rev 2:28; 22:16; Luke 1:78; Eph 5:14).

Regarding the prepositional phrase at the end of v. 19 (ejn tai:V kardivaiV uJmw:n), nearly all scholars interpret it as modifying the immediately preceding verb (ajnateivlh/).[16] Nevertheless, another interpretation has been made, which is that the phrase modifies ginwvsconteV in v. 20. This interpretation would indicate, though, that Christ’s Parousia would be an event occurring in the psyche. Since the NT always refers to the Parousia as an outward physical event, the more probable reference would, therefore, be to ajnateivlh/. Applying the more generally accepted view would be more consonant with 2 Pet and the rest of the NT.[17]

"no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation"

In this verse, the main point of concern is that of interpreting the word ejpiluvsewV. There are two main ways to understand this: either that prophecy is interpreted by God alone, or prophecy cannot be interpreted by anyone other than the ecclesiastical structure. In order to properly deduce what Peter means, due attention must be given to the context. Peter acknowledges the fallacious nature of the false teachers’ gospel by stating that Scripture both originates from God and is properly interpreted by God (i.e. God‘s interpretation of OT Scripture on the Mount of Transfiguration). Thus, authoritative teaching is manifested purely by God’s own mouth (cf. 2 Tim 3:16-17). False teachers interpret however they wish (Jer 23:16; Ezek 13:3) and forget about the omnipotent God who spoke His Word into existence through the biblical authors.

"by the will of man"

Peter subtly identifies the perfect nature of God and, thus, the inherent purity of Scripture. He uses a merism to associate the discrepancy between a man’s will, fallible by nature, and God’s holy will. The will of man is compromised by his depraved nature, created not from one’s birth (as John Calvin and Augustine believed), but from the moment each individual chooses to forfeit a relationship with God. As William Cooper states, “when the prophets sought to interpret intelligibly to men the will and purpose of God they did not fall back upon their own ingenuity or trust their own calculations.”[18] The will of Peter was driven by God’s use of him in evangelism, not by his own selfish drive or ambition like the false teachers he is addressing.

“men spoke from God”

Men speaking "from God" brings up the topics of inspiration and inerrancy. Tradition ascribes three key attributes of inspiration: plenary (total), verbal (the words themselves), and confluent (product of man as well as God). The biblical writers directly claim to be inspired and treat the writing of the Bible as inerrant. Probably the single most familiar, and influential, passage in regards to biblical authority would be 2Tim 3:16-17, in which plenary inspiration, even the levicula, of the Bible is affirmed.

In multiple cases, biblical authors express their knowledge of God's speaking through their writing. Paul expresses an awareness of his writing being divinely authorized (1 Cor. 2:12; 14:37; Gal 1:11-12; 1 Thess 2:13) and cites Luke 10:7 as inspired scripture (1 Tim 5:18). Peter considers the epistles of Paul as inspired (2 Pet 3:15-16). Jesus Himself makes the famous statement that “Scripture cannot be broken” in John 10:35. Prophecy is regarded as being spoken through the mouth of the holy prophets in Matt 1:22 and Luke 1:70. Lastly, the book of Revelation unequivocally claims inspiration in Rev 1:10-11 and even goes as far as to say that if anyone adds or takes away from the book, God will express His wrath in afflicting that individual with the plagues and curses found in the book (Rev 22:18-19).

“carried along by the Holy Spirit”

At the forefront, it must be acknowledged that man, apart from God, is capable of making an inerrant statement. Therefore, it is not required that God exercise total control over the human authors to compose an inerrant document. However, creating a document with the magnitude and literary variance as the Bible, including such a vast assortment of interconnections, parallelisms, styles, and literary affinities, demands involvement of God. Consequently, God must have been involved, as the Bible suggests. This passage identifies the involvement of the Holy Spirit in the composition of the Bible.

Multiple passages in both the OT and the NT refer to the Spirit’s role in guiding biblical characters towards recording Scripture. David verbalizes, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His Word was on my tongue” (2 Sam 23:2), and the Hebrew writer attributes Ps 95:7 to the Holy Spirit. The problem lies in that human free will seems to be incompatible with the guiding of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, multiple postulations have arisen over the exact answer to the confluent nature of Scripture.

The Dictation Theory, suggested by historical figures like Athenagoras and Hippolytus, has long since floundered because of its impractical, unreliable foundation. Some suggested this was a sort of "good possession" opposite of demon-possession. The Holy Spirit did not "possess" the writers, but guided them to record the proper details. William Lane Craig suggests a perceived fundamental problem with the Dictation Theory when he states that,

The fact that the various prophets differ in their style of writing disproves the dictation theory of inspiration. In the same way with respect to histories: since the Evangelists differ in precise wording of Jesus teaching, they are merely giving back the sense of what Jesus said [ipsissima vox], for which task they needed only good memory and honesty, not divine inspiration.[19]

More recently, one suggestion that has peaked interest in scholars, such as William Lane Craig, is the theory of media scientia, or “middle knowledge”. This theory suggests that God, before the Creation of the world, set circumstances into place that allowed the biblical writers to experience the necessary elements needed to record what He desired to be recorded in Scripture. This theory gives high credence to the omnipotent, omnibenevolent power of God, but again seems to indicate a violation of free will. But, what exactly is a violation of free will? God set these matters into course before the Creation, which included the creation of man. God’s divine foreknowledge before the creation of man cannot be considered incompatible with free will. A man may choose to follow or disobey God according to how he sees fit. God’s knowledge does not supersede that or change the outlook of man. This theory seems in some ways to be more compatible with statements like that of Luke at the beginning of his Gospel (vv. 1-4) when he states that,

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

The theory of Middle Knowledge is based on the identification of God’s directing of the biblical authors as opposed to strict dictation, which predicates copious challenges on the basis of human free will.

These are only two of the more historically prevalent arguments for inspiration. Countless other theories have been presented that try to resolve the seemingly incompatible nature of free will and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Regardless of the answer to this Scylla and Charybdis, the Bible has survived the ages, being the all-time bestseller, written in over 700 languages, and experienced by billions throughout the pre and post-Guttenberg ages.

Application of 2 Pet 1:16-21

What we learn from Scripture fulfills nothing if not applied to our lives and expressed to others. Therefore, increased attentiveness should be dedicated to 2 Pet 1:16-21, in which inspiration, inerrancy, and the true gospel are expressed as the fulfillment of God’s Word, both written in the Bible, and spoken in Creation. This pericope has received much criticism by multitudinous scholars, but still remains at the core of the Christian Apologetic’s repertoire as the source of reasoning the validity of God’s Holy Scriptures. In the end, the cautious approach taken towards accepting the book gives us confidence that we are correct in accepting it as profitable.

True Christians are convicted by their steadfast consecration to the inspired, inerrant Scriptures, and are willing to die to uphold that beloved Truth. This fact is substantiated by the martyrdoms of Stephen and the Apostles, believers of the past, and today, and their willingness to pay the ultimate price for the ultimate truth.

Peter’s rebuke of the false teachers serves as a reminder that Christians need to be sober and diligent because of the adversary and his wicked schemes (1 Pet 5:8; Eph 6:11). False teachers will always be a problem amongst Christians until the Parousia. While no specific date is known for His return (Mark 13:32), at any moment we could pass away in unquenchable flames (2 Pet 3). Therefore, zeal for God’s Word must be maintained and no tolerance can be granted to any deviant teachings. We must heed Scripture as Peter exhorts in his statement, “we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”