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2 Peter 1

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Salutation and God's Provision 1–4

1
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: ​
2
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: ​
4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ​

The Ladder of Christian Virtues 5–11

5
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; ​
6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. ​
8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. ​
10
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: ​
11
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Peter's Purpose and Impending Death 12–15

12
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. ​
13
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; ​
14
Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. ​
15
Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

The Surety of Apostolic Testimony 16–21

16
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ​
17
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ​
18
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: ​
20
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. ​
21
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Peter 1

Verse 1

like precious faith — Isotimos means of equal value or honour, and occurs only here in the New Testament. The faith is 'obtained' (lanchano, to receive by lot), a gift and not a wage, and is the same in worth as the apostles' own. It rests on 'the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ' (cf. Titus 2:13).

Verse 3

all things that pertain unto life and godliness — 'Given' is doreomai, to bestow freely; 'life' (zoe) and 'godliness' (eusebeia) come together. The call is 'to glory and virtue' (doxa, arete, the 'virtue' of v.5), and comes 'through the knowledge' (epignosis) of him, the word of vv.2, 8.

Verse 4

partakers of the divine nature — Koinonos is a sharer or partner; phusis is nature. The means are the 'promises', and the result is escape from 'corruption' (phthora) 'through lust' (epithymia). The same sharing is put as being 'partakers of his holiness' (Heb 12:10).

Verse 5

giving all diligence, add — Epichoregeo means to furnish besides, to supply fully; the same verb is 'ministered' in v.11, so what believers supply here is met by an abundant supply at the end. 'Diligence' is spoude, eagerness. The list in vv.5–7 begins with faith and ends in love.

Verse 7

brotherly kindness… charity — Philadelphia, affection for the brethren, is followed by agape, love. The first is enjoined in 'Let brotherly love continue' (Heb 13:1); love is the sign Christ gave: 'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples' (John 13:35). It closes the series begun at v.5.

Verse 9

cannot see afar off — Muopazo, to shut the eyes, to blink; it occurs only here in the New Testament. The man 'blind' to what lies far off has 'forgotten' the katharismos, the cleansing from 'his old sins' that came with his calling. Lacking the graces of vv.5–7 is forgetfulness of that cleansing.

Verse 10

make your calling and election sure — Bebaios is firm, stable (the 'more sure' of v.19). 'Calling' (klesis) and 'election' (ekloge) are made firm by the believer's own 'diligence' (spoudazo, related to v.5), and 'ye shall never fall' (ptaio, to stumble) is the promised result.

Verse 12

put you always in remembrance — Hupomimnesko, to remind quietly; its noun is the 'remembrance' of vv.13 and 3:1. The readers 'know them', yet need reminding, as in Phil 3:1, 'To write the same things to you… for you it is safe'. 'Present truth' is the truth pareimi, at hand with them.

Verse 13

this tabernacle — Skenoma, a tent, here the body as the dwelling of the soul: 'our earthly house of this tabernacle' (2 Cor 5:1). 'Stir up' is diegeiro, to wake fully; the same stirring by remembrance is repeated in 3:1. The duty lasts 'as long as I am' in the body.

Verse 14

put off this my tabernacle — Apothesis is a laying aside, a putting off; 'shortly' is tachinos, impending. Peter knows it 'as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me', which recalls Christ's word about the death by which Peter should glorify God (John 21:18–19).

Verse 16

cunningly devised fables — Muthos is a tale, a fiction; sophizo is to devise cleverly. Against it Peter sets epoptes, 'eyewitnesses', a word found only here in the New Testament, of Christ's megaleiotes, 'majesty'. The 'coming' is parousia, the word for his return.

Verse 17

a voice to him from the excellent glory — Peter was one of the three Christ took 'up into an high mountain apart' (Matt 17:1). The voice is that of Matt 17:5, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.' 'Excellent' is megaloprepes, befitting the greatest majesty.

Verse 19

a more sure word of prophecy — Bebaios, firm, as in v.10. 'Dark' is auchmeros, and 'day star' is phosphoros, light-bearer; both occur only here in the New Testament. The same star-figure, 'the bright and morning star', is Christ's own name for himself (Rev 22:16).

Verse 20

private interpretation — Idios means one's own; epilusis, found only here, is an unloosing, an explanation. The verse says where prophecy does not come from, and v.21 gives the reason ('For…'): it did not arise from the will of man but from the Holy Ghost.

Verse 21

moved by the Holy Ghost — Phero, to bear along. It is the same verb as 'came' in this verse and as the voice that 'came' in vv.17–18. The voice was borne from heaven, and the prophets were borne by the Spirit: 'The Spirit of the LORD spake by me' (2 Sam 23:2).