3:6
through which: The literal meaning of the Greek is “by which.” In Greek the word “which” is plural, and there are different opinions concerning what it refers to:
(1) Some people think it refers to the water in verse 5, and this is how most English versions translate it; see also Good News Translation: “and it was by water also.” There is a problem because the word “which” is plural. This may be because Peter was thinking of the water from above and the water from the seas (see Genesis 7:11). Or he may be thinking of “water” as plural, because the word for “water” in the Hebrew language in which the OT was written is always plural.
(2) Others believe it refers to the water and the word (of God) in verse 5. It was by his word and by water that God created the world, and he used them both to destroy the world. According to this interpretation, the same idea—the word of God—occurs in each of the three verses 5–7. These people think it is unlikely that Peter would use a plural pronoun to refer to a single substance (water), and that he would then also repeat the word “water” later in the same sentence. So for these reasons they prefer this second interpretation.
It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1).
the world of that time: Peter has already talked about the flood in 2:5. There he spoke about “the ancient world” and probably he meant the same thing here. This expression then refers to all living creatures on the earth, especially people.
But some scholars think it refers to the whole universe including the heavens and the earth. If it did mean the whole universe here, it would match Peter’s reference to the present heavens and earth in verse 7. This is one reason why some people accept this interpretation.
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