SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Peter 2000 – Page 2

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:18

2:18

When the false teachers were teaching people, they used words and phrases which sounded very impressive and important, but really didn’t mean much. However, because what they said sounded impressive, it deceived people who had recently become Christians and encouraged them to live in an immoral way.

2:18a

lofty but empty words: Peter used two words in Greek which contrast with each other. The teaching of the false teachers was impressive or lofty (literally “very big, excessive”), but at the same time, it was also empty, it had no value or sense.

2:18b

Because what the false teachers said sounded so impressive, it deceived people and they believed it and acted in the way the false teachers said they could.

they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh: This refers to behaving in a sexually immoral way, acting according to what their bodies told them and what they wanted to do. See the note on 2:2a. The false teachers enticed the new Christians away from the truth by teaching them that they were free to act immorally if they wanted to.

2:18c

entice: The Greek word which Berean Standard Bible translates as entice here is the same word as Peter used in verse 14 (Berean Standard Bible “seduce”). It literally means “to lure/trap/catch with bait.” Peter has used it in a figurative way in both verses; what the false teachers say and what they promise (verse 19) sounds so good that it attracts people away from the true teaching and way to live, in the same way that a person uses bait to attract an animal so he can catch it.

those who are just escaping from others who live in error: This probably refers to people who had recently become Christians. Peter was probably referring to the same people as in verse 14, where he described them as “the unstable.” They were new Christians who did not yet completely understand all they believed.

Here Peter described becoming a Christian as “escaping from others who live in error.” Peter did not mean that they had run away from the non-Christians, but that they no longer behaved in the same wrong way as those people did.

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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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:19

2:19

The false teachers taught the people who had recently become Christians that they could live however they wanted to live because they were free. In other words, these teachers taught that God no longer required people to obey his laws. But in fact, the teachers were slaves to their own wicked behavior, and they themselves were not free to do what was right.

2:19a

freedom: Peter did not specify what the false teachers promised freedom from. Most probably they were promising that those who followed them would be free from the need to obey any rules on how a Christian should behave. They were probably teaching that Christians could therefore behave just as they wanted to, even immorally. In languages where there is no word for freedom, you could translate this as: “You are no longer under the law,” or “God does not require you to obey his laws any more.”

2:19b

slaves to depravity: The Greek word that Berean Standard Bible translates depravity is the same word that Peter used in 1:4, where Berean Standard Bible translated it “corruption.” See note on 1:4b. The wicked way that they behaved controlled them and would ruin them.

2:19c

For: This word links 19c to 19b. You may need to make the link clearer by saying something like “I call them slaves because….”

a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him: This was probably a well-known proverb. Peter quoted it to explain why he had called the false teachers “slaves of depravity” in 19b. They had allowed their desire to do wicked and immoral things control them and so now they were like slaves to those wicked actions and could behave in no other way.

mastered: The Greek word here means “overcome by, defeated by.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:20

2:20–22

It is not clear about whom Peter was speaking in these verses.

(1) He may have been referring to the false teachers. This is the most natural way to understand the Greek. Some English versions use the pronoun “they” here. As the false teachers have been the main subject of the verses which precede this verse, it seems that these versions follow this interpretation.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version)

(2) Some scholars say that Peter was referring to the people who had recently become Christians. Peter used the same verb (Berean Standard Bible “escaped”) in this verse as he had used in verse 18 when speaking of those who had recently become Christians.

(3) Or perhaps he was stating generally that if any person who had become a Christian returned to pagan ways, the result for him would be worse than if he had remained a pagan and had never become a Christian in the first place. Some versions translate the subject as referring to people in general. For example:

anyone (The Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
men (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(The Jerusalem Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Good News Translation)

This whole chapter has described the false teachers, and they are the subject of verses 18 and 19, so it seems most likely that verse 20 also refers to these teachers, though Peter’s words are also true about anyone who has turned away from following Christ. The Notes follow this interpretation. According to this interpretation, “If” at the beginning of the verse is stating a fact (as in 2:4). It is not referring to something that may or may not have happened. (See the last paragraph of the note in the introduction to 2:4–10a).

2:20

In the Greek, and in Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), and Good News Translation, this verse is one sentence, but you will probably need to break it into two or more sentences.

In the Greek text the word gar, which some versions translate as “for,” shows how Peter linked this verse to the verses which preceded it. Other versions like Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version leave the relationship implicit.

2:20a

corruption: Literally “defilement, pollution.” The Greek word that Peter used here is not the same as the one he used in 1:4b, but the underlying meaning is almost the same.

the world: This does not refer to the physical world which God created, but to the non-Christians among whom the people to whom Peter was writing lived. These people practiced many immoral customs which ruined people spiritually. When Peter wrote about the “corruption of the world” in this verse he was referring to such immoral customs. See also note on 1:4b.

2:20b

through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: Peter has already used the expression the knowledge of several times in this letter (see 1:2, 1:8 and the notes on those verses). It is by means of coming to know Christ that a person is able to escape from living in the wicked way the non-Christians live.

2:20c

entangled: When used literally the Greek word which Berean Standard Bible translates entangled means “entwined.” It is the word used when a woman plaits her hair. Here Peter used it figuratively and it means “to be involved in, mixed up with.” This part of the verse says that the false teachers have once more got involved in the wicked way of living from which they had escaped when they came to know Christ.

overcome by it again: This is the same Greek verb as Peter used in 19c, where Berean Standard Bible translates it “mastered.” Here again Peter was saying that the false teachers, despite having once become free from the wicked things which non-Christians do, once more were allowing those things to control them.

2:20d

their final condition: This phrase refers to the time when Peter was writing, the time after the false teachers had turned away from the true Christian teaching which they once followed.

it was at first: This phrase refers to the time before they became Christians.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:21

2:21

This verse further explains why the final result is worse for them than if they had never been Christians at all. The Greek text shows this relationship by using the link word “for,” which is left implicit in Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version. The Display line shows one way to translate the link.

This verse is one long and complex sentence in Greek. You may need to divide it into shorter sentences. The Display shows one way to do this.

2:21a

It would have been better: Peter wrote that it would have been better for these people never to have known Christ than to turn away after knowing him. The reason is that God punishes those who sin even though they know that they are sinning more severely than he punishes those who sin but who do not know that they are sinning. It may be necessary for you to state this explicitly in your translation or to explain the reason in a footnote to enable your readers to understand this verse clearly.

way of righteousness: This refers to the way a person should behave in order to do what is right, to behave in the way God wants them to.

2:21c

holy commandment: The holy commandment refers to God’s law which tells people how to behave.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:22

2:22

Peter ended his criticism of the false teachers by saying that what they had done was the same sort of stupid behavior as that of the dog and the pig in two proverbs which would have been well-known to the readers of Peter’s letter. It will be necessary for you to study the form of proverbs in your language, and then to translate these proverbs in the same style so that they sound like proverbs.

Paragraph 3:1–2

Peter said that he was writing this letter to remind them of what the prophets and the Lord Jesus, speaking through his apostles, had said.

3:1a

Beloved: You should try to find a term that you would use in your language to express affection for someone.

second letter: The first letter may have been the one we know as 1 Peter. But Peter probably wrote several letters while he was one of the church leaders, so we cannot be certain about this.

3:1b

reminders: Peter said here, as he had said in 1:12, that he wanted to remind the Christians to whom he was writing of what Christian teachers had taught them, so that they would not forget it.

to stir you to wholesome thinking: The Greek text says: “to rouse of-you…the pure mind.” There are two ways of understanding this part of the verse:

(1) He wanted to stimulate them to think pure and correct thoughts, rather than allowing the false teachers to contaminate their thoughts.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)

(2) The expression “the pure mind” means that their minds were already pure/sincere. “Rouse” means that Peter was wanting to strengthen their pure minds by reminding them of what the prophets and the Lord had said.

(King James Version, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

The difference between the two interpretations is slight. It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation, as Berean Standard Bible has done.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:2

3:2a

holy prophets: The basic meaning of the word holy is “having been set aside, separate from other things,” usually “having been set aside for God.” Things that people set aside from other things so that God can use them must be fit for him to use. That is why the word also means “not spoiled by sin,” and “pure/righteous.” In this verse the word holy has its basic meaning and means that God had set the prophets aside for himself so that he could use them. When Peter used the word holy here, he was not referring to whether the Old Testament prophets were righteous or not. So when you translate holy here, you should choose an expression which means “set apart for God” or “belonging to God,” rather than a word to mean “good” or “righteous.”

3:2b

commanded: Here commanded probably refers to everything that Christ taught, not just one thing which he taught.

your apostles: The NT uses the word “apostles” for different groups of people and so there are several different opinions among Bible scholars as to whom Peter meant here. Some think he meant the twelve apostles. Some include Paul. Some think he meant those of the twelve who brought the gospel to the people who were reading Peter’s letter. Others think “apostles” has the more general meaning of “missionaries.”

If in your language you translate the word “apostles” by a term which uses the verb “send,” you may need to be careful that the phrase you use here for “your apostles” does not give the wrong meaning of “the apostles you sent,” but rather “the apostles Christ sent to you.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:3

Paragraph 3:3–7

In this paragraph and the next one (3:8–10), Peter wrote about the people who would mock Christians for believing that Christ would return and would say that he would not return. Peter said that although Christ had not yet returned, he most certainly would return one day and that at that time God would destroy the earth.

3:3

Most importantly: The literal meaning of the Greek is “first of all.” Peter wanted to emphasize that what he would say next would be very important.

last days: This refers to the time between Jesus ascending to heaven and his return.

scoffers: This means “people who mock, laugh at, or ridicule something.” In this context, Peter was saying that they would mock what the Christians believed, especially that Christians expected that Christ would come back again. These people very possibly included the false teachers of chapter 2.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:10

2:10a

God will punish all people who do wrong. In verses 4–9, Peter had been talking about such people in general, but now in verse 10, he returned to the false teachers whom, he said, God would punish especially severely. He gave two reasons for this: their immoral behavior and the way they despised authority.

the flesh: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek word literally as flesh. This refers to the fact that people want to do what their bodies desire to do, even if this is something wrong. In this verse, Peter was referring to sinful sexual behavior which causes people to think and behave in an impure way.

authority: This probably refers to the right that God and Christ have to rule people. Good News Translation: “and despise God’s authority.” But some scholars think it means the right that any person has to rule people. If these scholars are correct, Peter was talking about people who not only despised God’s right to rule people but also despised the right that humans, for example government and church leaders, have to rule other people.

Paragraph 2:10b–13a

Peter was saying that the false teachers did all kinds of wicked things. They did not show respect for anyone, not even those greater than themselves. They behaved like wild animals, doing only what their bodies desired to do. Because they were so evil, and because they enticed others to behave as they themselves did, God would destroy them.

2:10b

Bold: This word can mean “courageous,” which is something good. But here it described people who dared to do all kinds of wrong things because they did not respect and fear God as people should respect and fear him, and because they did not care about other people.

self-willed: This word described people who were proud and stubborn. They did not listen to anyone else. Instead, they did exactly what they wanted to do.

2:10c

unafraid to slander: Most versions interpret these words like Berean Standard Bible in a way that refers to only one action. This is the most likely interpretation. Here is another example:

are not afraid of offending the glorious ones (The Jerusalem Bible)

Good News Translation follows the other interpretation and refers to two actions:

“they show no respect—instead they insult them.”

glorious beings: The literal meaning of the Greek is “glorious ones.” It is difficult to know to whom Peter was referring. The word may refer to:

(1) angels or other heavenly beings, maybe the wicked angels that Peter mentioned in verse 4. The parallel verses 8–11 in Jude clearly refer to angels.

(2) important people such as emperors, magistrates, or important church leaders. But this is less likely since the word usually refers to spiritual beings.

If possible, it is better to choose a neutral expression which could refer to any living beings, heavenly or human leaders. But if this is impossible, choose one of these interpretations and translate it that way. Then if you are using footnotes, explain the other interpretation in a note.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:18

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:19

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:20

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:21

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:22

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:2

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:10

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