3:16a

such matters: This could refer to:

(1) General teaching about the Lord’s return, as in verses 9–15a.

(2) Exhortation about how people should live in a pure manner because they remember that the Lord will return. In verses 14–15a, Peter exhorted the people to whom he was writing to live in this way.

If it is possible for you to use a general expression here like most English versions, you should do so.

3:16b–c

Peter said that “some parts” of Paul’s letters were difficult to understand and so those who did not understand clearly what they believed changed the meaning of them, and also of other parts of Scripture. Peter was also saying that doing this would cause God to destroy them. Maybe Peter was thinking of the false teachers he wrote about in chapter two, and saying that they were among those who did this.

Peter referred to Paul’s letters at the same time as he was referring to other Scripture. This shows that already the Christians recognized that God had authorized Paul to write letters to groups of Christians in order to teach them what God wanted them to know.

ignorant: This means “unlearned, uneducated.” In this context, the word is not referring to ordinary education. It refers to people who have not learned what Christians should believe.

unstable: This means “not firm in their faith.” Peter also used this word in 2:14c. Read again the note on that verse.

distort: This means “twist, change, explain in a wrong way.” Peter meant that some people were saying that what Paul wrote meant something different from what it really meant.

the rest of the Scriptures: Peter was probably referring to the OT and also to some other Christian writings.

destruction: See note on 2:1e.

Paragraph 3:17–18a

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.