Instead of the account of the murmurings of the Israelites in Egypt, which is found in Jude, Peter substitutes the story of the Flood, perhaps for the following reasons:
1. In various writings of that time, the Flood was closely connected with the fallen angels; in fact the flood was supposed to have been punishment that resulted from the activity of the fallen angels and their offspring.
2. It is likely that this choice was influenced by 1 Peter (see 3.20).
3. The Flood story has overtones of the last judgment, since it reminds people of the end of the world.
4. Finally, the Flood account serves as a good example of God’s act of punishing sinners and rewarding the righteous, and is therefore appropriate to 2 Peter.
The world denotes not only the world of human beings but also the universe as a whole. The Flood is understood to have a universal scope and thus is an appropriate reminder of the coming judgment that will also affect the whole world. However, for practical purposes in languages that do not have words or expressions that can refer to both the world of humans and the universe at the same time, translators should use a word that applies to the “world” of humans (world of the ungodly in the final sentence). The world before the flood is characterized as ancient. Peter seems to divide history into three stages: the ancient world, the present world, and the new world that will come about as a result of the day of the Lord. Ancient may be rendered as “a long time ago” or “many generations ago.”
The world of the ungodly means the same as the ancient world and echoes Gen 6.5-7, 12-13. The word for ungodly is used in other parts of this letter and is a favorite word also in (see Jude 4 and the discussion there). In Jewish tradition the people who lived at the time of the flood committed the same sins as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Ungodly may also be expressed as “people who disobey God,” “people who do not worship God,” “people who have no use for God,” or “people who are not faithful to God.”
Noah, however, was saved from the Flood. In the Genesis account Noah is described as a good man with no faults (Gen 6.9-10; 7.1). He is held up by Jewish tradition as an example of moral excellence. Noah then stands for those faithful Christians who will be saved from the judgment that is coming.
Noah is described as a herald of righteousness (Good News Translation “who preached righteousness”). While the Old Testament does not contain any account of Noah as a preacher, there are many references in Jewish (and Christian) tradition regarding his preaching to the people of the Flood generation. For example, the Jewish historian Josephus writes that Noah was “displeased” at the behavior of the people and tried to persuade them “to change their dispositions and their acts for the better”. In another publication known as “The Sibylline Oracles,” a long sermon of Noah is recorded. Righteousness here is an ethical term, with the meaning of upright moral behavior, or in its wider sense, living according to God’s will and purpose. A herald of righteousness will need to be radically restructured in many languages; for example, “who proclaimed (taught, announced, said) that people should live good lives according to God’s will and purpose.”
The word for preserved can also be “saved,” “protected,” “kept safe,” or even “protected from death.” In addition to Noah, the seven others saved were his wife, his three sons, and their wives (Gen 8.18). It is worth noting that the Greek is literally “Noah the eighth person,” which is an idiomatic way of saying “Noah with seven other people.” At any rate, the number of people saved in the Flood is eight, and many commentaries find this number significant. It is noted, for instance, that the eighth day is associated with the new creation, since the old creation was accomplished in seven days. Christians have associated the eighth day with Jesus’ resurrection, which in turn is linked with the new creation. It is not certain, however, whether Peter had all of this in mind, although it should be noted that the number eight also appears in relation to Noah and the flood in 1 Peter 3.20. What is important for the translator is that, if the number eight is regarded as significant, then it should at least be retained in the translation; for example, “but protected the eighth person Noah, who preached righteousness, and seven other people from death, when he brought…,” or “but protected Noah and seven other people from death, when he brought … Noah, who was the eighth person, preached that people should live good lives following the will and purpose of God,” or even “but protected Noah the eighth person, who was the one who preached that people … He and seven others did not drown when God caused the Flood to cover the world of people who did not worship him.”
One other thing needs to be noted. Revised Standard Version follows the ordering of the Greek text. It is clear, however, from the grammar of the text that the note about Noah is an embedded clause, and that when he brought … connects directly with the ancient world. Good News Translation has restructured the verse so that the embedded clause is put at the end of the verse. In many languages a similar restructuring needs to be done in order to ensure that the translation is clear and conforms to the rules of naturalness in these languages. The clause when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly can be restructured as “when he caused a flood to cover the world where people who disobeyed him lived” or “when he caused water to entirely cover the world where people who disobeyed him lived.”
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 .