In this context we refers to Peter and the other apostles, hence it is exclusive, since it does not include the readers of the letter. The switch from the singular “I” to the plural “we” is a device by which Peter identifies himself with the group of apostles who were with Jesus on earth and who therefore have authority over the church.
Did not follow may be rendered in some languages as “did not use,” “did not depend on” (see Good News Translation), here denying the implied idea that these myths were regarded by the apostles as true and valid. In certain languages this first clause will be expressed idiomatically; for example, “We did not weave made-up stories….”
Myths here is used in a derogatory, negative sense, referring to stories that are not true or that are just imaginary tales, but which are proclaimed and believed by some people to be true. This has not always been the understanding of the term “myth.” The old Greek myths, for instance, were used to express religious, moral, and philosophical truths, and therefore were regarded very highly. So what were these cleverly devised myths that Peter is referring to here? Commentaries suggest two possibilities:
1. They were speculations of the Gnostic teachers regarding God, the origin of the world, and especially regarding Jesus Christ. In contrast to these Gnostic teachers, Peter is saying that what he and the other apostles proclaim about Christ is solidly founded on history and prophecy and not on speculations.
2. The apostles’ message about Jesus was being branded as “myth” in the derogatory sense by Peter’s enemies, and Peter is answering that charge. It is very likely that what is especially being attacked as false is the Christian proclamation regarding the Parousia, or the second coming of Christ, which is mentioned in the second half of the verse and is the subject matter of much of chapter 3. The difficulties related to the Parousia, particularly the long delay in its coming, had led some believers to ridicule this belief, and false teachers had taken advantage of the situation in order to accuse the apostles of confusing myth with the truth. Peter vehemently denies all this. Instead he asserts that his message about Christ, and particularly about his second coming, is based both on prophecy and on reliable historical evidence.
Cleverly devised translates a Greek word that can also mean “cleverly made up,” “cleverly concocted,” “invented,” or “fabricated.” Cleverness here is understood in a derogatory sense. Myths can be translated in this context as “stories” (Good News Translation), “tales,” “legends,” “fairy tales.” In certain languages it is possible to talk about “binding stories,” meaning “making up stories cleverly,” or, as in English, we can say “spinning clever tales.”
We made known to you translates a verb that is frequently used in the New Testament for imparting a mystery or a special message received from God (see as examples Luke 2.15; John 15.15; Rom 16.26; Eph 6.19 “proclaim”; Col 1.27). This may also be rendered as “We told you.” What is made known here is the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Power and coming is another pair of words that may be interpreted in two ways:
1. They can be taken separately, with power being an attribute of Christ that was shown during his life and ministry, and especially at his resurrection. Coming, on the other hand, is a Greek term for the appearance of a god (parousia); when used of Christ it refers primarily to his future coming in glory (see Matt 24.3, 27; 1 Cor 15.23; 1 Thes 3.13; 4.15; James 5.7-8; 1 John 2.28). Some translations indicate clearly that these terms are taken separately: Jerusalem Bible “the power and the coming,” and New English Bible “the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming.”
2. On the other hand, the two terms can be taken together and treated as a hendiadys, with power describing coming, hence “coming with power,” “coming in power,” “powerful coming,” or “mighty coming” (Good News Translation). In other parts of the New Testament, power is closely linked with the second coming of Jesus (Matt 24.30; Mark 9.1; 13.26; Luke 21.27).
There is also another opinion to the effect that coming refers not to a future coming, but to Jesus’ first coming, that is, to his ministry, death, and resurrection. The reasons for this are, firstly, that the event referred to in this section is the Transfiguration, which in the Gospel narratives points forward to the resurrection rather than to the second coming, and secondly, that the writer at this point would not refer to an event that has not yet taken place, since he wants to argue from things that he was directly involved in.
Against the above it is argued that the term parousia is not used elsewhere in the New Testament for Jesus’ first coming, but only for his future coming. There is also some slight evidence in the early church that the Transfiguration was interpreted as anticipating the future coming of Christ.
On the whole, then, it is best to take coming here as referring to the return of Christ, and power as describing this return. Therefore in many languages the clause we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ can be rendered as “we told you how our Lord Jesus Christ will be coming in power” or “we told you how … will come and reveal his power.”
Peter describes himself and the apostles as eyewitnesses. The Greek word for this occurs only here in the New Testament; it was a technical term in the mystery religions, used of people who had gone through all the stages of initiation and were then allowed to watch the secret ritual. It is possible that this usage is echoed here, and that Peter was aware that, as eyewitnesses of the Transfiguration, he and the two other disciples had been privileged to see with their own eyes a special revelation from God. It is, however, also possible that the term is used here in its ordinary sense of being a spectator (see 1 Peter 2.12 and 3.2, where the verb form is used with this ordinary meaning, “see”). Good News Translation‘s “with our own eyes we saw” is a good alternative model.
What the disciples saw with their own eyes was Jesus’ majesty; the Greek word is usually used of divine greatness (Luke 9.43; Acts 19.27). Here it accents the supernatural quality of Jesus and the divine majesty that he received from God at the Transfiguration. Majesty may be translated in many languages as “dazzling light” or “splendor,” and the final sentence may be expressed as “We saw his dazzling light (or, splendor) with our own eyes.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Second Letter from Peter. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .