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Jude 1

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Salutation and Apostolic Authority 1–2

1
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: ​
2
Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied.

The Urgency to Contend for the Faith 3–4

3
Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. ​
4
For there are certain men crept in privily, even they who were of old written of beforehand unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. ​

Historical Examples of Judgment 5–7

5
Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. ​
6
And angels that kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. ​
7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire. ​

The Condemnation of False Teachers 8–16

8
Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities. ​
9
But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. ​
10
But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed.
11
Woe unto them! for they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. ​
12
These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; ​
13
wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved for ever.
14
And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, ​
15
to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling words), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage.

Exhortation to Remain Faithful 17–23

17
But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; ​
18
that they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.
19
These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit. ​
20
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ​
21
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22
And on some have mercy, who are in doubt; ​
23
and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. ​

Doxology and Benediction 24–25

24
Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, ​
25
to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jude 1

Verse 1

brother of James — The name is Ioudas, Judas, and the 'servant' is doulos, bondservant. The brothers of the Lord are listed in Matt 13:55 as 'James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas'. 'Preserved' is tereo, to guard, the verb that returns in vv.6, 13 and 21.

Verse 3

earnestly contend — Epagonizomai, to struggle upon, an athletic word found only here in the New Testament. The faith is 'once delivered' (hapax, once for all) and is the 'common salvation' of all the saints; it is to be defended, not added to. Compare 'Fight the good fight of faith' (1 Tim 6:12).

Verse 4

crept in unawares — Pareisdyno, to slip in alongside by stealth, found only here in the New Testament; compare 'false brethren unawares brought in' (Gal 2:4). 'Lasciviousness' is aselgeia, licence without restraint. 2 Pet 2:1 describes the same men 'denying the Lord that bought them'.

Verse 5

afterward destroyed them that believed not — This is the first of three warnings (vv.5–7). Israel was 'saved… out of the land of Egypt' and then perished in the wilderness; 'they could not enter in because of unbelief' (Heb 3:19). Deliverance did not exempt those who did not believe.

Verse 6

kept not their first estate — 'Estate' is arche, beginning or rule, and 'kept' is tereo, the verb of v.1: they did not keep, and are now kept. 'Everlasting' is aidios, used elsewhere only of God's 'eternal power' (Rom 1:20). A parallel is 'chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment' (2 Pet 2:4).

Verse 7

set forth for an example — Deigma, a specimen, found only here, as is 'giving themselves over to fornication' (ekporneuo). 'Strange flesh' is literally other flesh. The cities were struck when 'the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire' (Gen 19:24); 2 Pet 2:6 calls them 'an ensample'.

Verse 8

filthy dreamers — Enypniazomai, to dream; their visions are the source of the defilement named next. 'Dominion' (kyriotes) is lordship, and 'dignities' (doxa) is literally glories. A like charge of speaking evil of dignities appears in 2 Pet 2:10.

Verse 9

Michael the archangel — Archangelos, chief angel. The 'railing accusation' (blasphemia) was withheld; he answered 'The Lord rebuke thee', echoing the words in Zech 3:2, 'The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan'. Compare 2 Pet 2:11, angels 'bring not railing accusation'.

Verse 11

the way of Cain… Balaam… Core — These are three warnings: Cain, the murderer of his brother (Gen 4); Balaam, who followed the error 'for reward' (misthos, wages; 2 Pet 2:15); and 'Core', the Greek form of Korah, who with Dathan and Abiram rose against Moses (Num 16:1). 'Perished in the gainsaying' puts the end in the past tense.

Verse 12

spots in your feasts of charity — Agape is love, here the common meal of the church. 'Spots' is spilas, a rock hidden in the sea, not a stain. 'Feeding themselves' is poimaino, literally to shepherd; the false shepherds tend only themselves. The images are clouds without water, trees twice dead and uprooted.

Verse 14

the seventh from Adam — Genesis counts Enoch as seventh: Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch (Gen 5:3–18). 'Ten thousands' is myrias, a myriad. Enoch 'walked with God' (Gen 5:24); the Lord's coming with his saints recalls Deut 33:2.

Verse 17

remember ye the words — Here the address turns from 'these' to 'beloved'. 'Spoken before' is proereo, foretold. The apostles' warning is recorded in 2 Pet 3:3, 'there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts', which is the point of v.18.

Verse 19

sensual, having not the Spirit — Psychikos, soulish, rendered 'natural' in 1 Cor 2:14, where the natural man 'receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God', and 'sensual' in Jas 3:15. They 'separate themselves' by dividing the church, being without the Spirit who unites it.

Verse 20

praying in the Holy Ghost — Against the 'sensual' who lack the Spirit (v.19), believers build 'on your most holy faith' (epoikodomeo, to build upon) and pray in the Spirit (Eph 6:18). The Holy Ghost, God and the Lord Jesus Christ are all named in vv.20–21.

Verse 22

making a difference — Diakrino, to discriminate or distinguish; the same verb is rendered 'contending' in v.9. Some are to receive compassion (eleeo, mercy), and others a sharper rescue (v.23). The manner is fitted to the person's state.

Verse 23

pulling them out of the fire — Harpazo, to snatch, as from a blaze; compare 'a brand plucked out of the fire' (Zech 3:2). The rescue is made 'with fear', and the 'garment' (chiton, the tunic next to the skin) spotted by the flesh is to be hated.

Verse 24

able to keep you from falling — Aptaistos, not stumbling, found only here in the New Testament. The verb phylasso, to guard, differs from tereo in v.21's 'Keep yourselves'. 'Faultless' (amomos) is without blemish; compare 'unblameable' (Col 1:22). 'Exceeding joy' is agalliasis.