In this verse and the next, Lot is singled out to show that God does make a distinction between righteous and wicked people, and that he does rescue the righteous from danger. The story of Lot is found in Gen 19.1-29.

Rescued can also mean “delivered,” “saved,” “preserved a person from someone or something,” “set free.” It is not the same word as “preserved” in verse 5.

Lot is here described as righteous, a word with many meanings but which in this context means “good” (Good News Translation), “upright,” or perhaps “doing God’s will.” Lot himself is not described as a good man in the Genesis account; in fact the actions recounted there show Lot not as righteous but as a person of questionable character. There are, however, references in some literature, both Jewish and Christian, that refer to Lot as righteous. The best-known passage is Wisdom of Solomon 10.6: “Wisdom rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing; he escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities.” The phrase righteous Lot (Good News Translation “Lot, a good man”) may be rendered in certain languages as “the good man Lot.”

Lot’s attitude toward the conditions of his environment is now described: he was greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked. This can be treated simply as a description of Lot or as a reason for Lot being regarded as righteous: he deserves to be called righteous because of his attitude toward evil; this latter possibility relates this verse to verse 8, which has further descriptions of Lot as a righteous man.

The expression greatly distressed is the passive form of a verb that means “subdue,” “torment,” “wear out,” “oppress,” “wear down.” In some languages this idea can be expressed idiomatically. Examples are “had a tormented heart or liver,” “his heart or liver was very heavy,” or “press hard upon his heart or liver.”

Licentiousness is the same word found in 2 Peter 2.2. See comments there for discussion.

The wicked translates a term that can mean “unprincipled,” “lawless” (Good News Translation), “morally corrupt,” and is used of people who disregarded divine and human laws and ordinances. This term is only used here and in 3.17 (“lawless”), and nowhere else in the New Testament.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• And if God rescued the good man Lot, whose heart (or, liver) was tormented by the indecent conduct of lawless men….

Or:
• God rescued the good man Lot, whose heart (or, liver) was every heavy when he saw the indecent actions of morally corrupt men.

Or:
• God rescued Lot, who, because he was good, had a very heavy heart (or, liver) when he saw …

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 .

Here again Peter addresses his readers directly, spelling out for them the consequences of what he has just said regarding the distortion and misinterpretation of scripture. Once again he addresses his readers with the intimate term beloved. Revised Standard Version retains the Greek form here and begins the verse with You therefore. It is clear from the context, however, that Peter is contrasting the attitude of the people he mentions in verse 16 with that of his own readers; therefore beginning the verse as Good News Translation does (“But you”) is much more appropriate.

Knowing this beforehand may also be expressed as “know in advance,” hence Good News Translation “you … already know this.” It is possible that what is meant by this is the content of the present letter; it is more likely, however, this this refers to what has been mentioned in the last part of verse 16, namely, that people destroy themselves by misinterpreting scripture.

Beware is literally “to guard” and is a term that has its origin in the military. It includes a sense of being on guard, watching out, being very careful, taking extra precaution. Carried away is literally “led away” in a negative sense; in this context it can be rendered as “to be overwhelmed,” “to be seduced,” “to succumb,” “to be lured.” Lest is no longer used very much in contemporary English; it is an expression that introduces a negative purpose. So lest you is equivalent to “so that you will not” (Good News Translation). Lest you be carried away may also be expressed as “so that lawless people do not lead you astray.”

Error recalls the previous verse, particularly the misinterpretation of the meaning of Paul’s ideas and the consequences of such distortions. Lawless was used to describe the people of Sodom in 2.7; here it gives a picture of the false teachers and their followers going beyond the restraints and limits of Christian moral and ethical teaching, hence “unprincipled” (Phillips).

Lose is literally “fall” (Good News Translation) with the idea of losing or being separated from something. Stability is the opposite of the term “unstable” in the previous verse. The Greek word describes not an abstract state or quality (“steadfastness”) but a firm, stable position, as that of a mountain or a large rock, for example. So Jerusalem Bible has “the firm ground that you are standing on,” and Phillips “your proper foothold.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• But you, friends, are already aware of this. Be very careful then, that lawless people will not lead you astray with their false teachings and you fall from your present stable condition.

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 .

Brotherly affection is used many times in the New Testament. In secular usage this word was used to describe affection between brothers and sisters and other family members. Later on it was used to describe a person’s concern for his or her own nation (for example, Jeremiah in relation to the Israelites, 2 Maccabees 15.14). In the New Testament, and among Christians, the word came to mean affection between fellow believers, including sympathetic concern for others and the care of those in need. Other ways to translate this term are “love and affection for your fellow Christians” or “concern for one another as brothers and sisters ought to have for each other.” Some languages will have a special word for love and affection of brothers and sisters for each other. That is the term to use here.

The last thing on the list is love, which appears also in other New Testament lists (2 Cor 6.6; Gal 5.22; Eph 4.2; 1 Tim 4.12; 6.11; 2 Tim 2.22; 3.10; Titus 2.2; Rev 2.19; and so on). As contrasted with brotherly affection, love is first of all not limited to family members or to fellow believers but is universal in scope and has as its object all people. Secondly, love is unmotivated, that is, it doesn’t expect anything in return, whereas brotherly affection has the element of a mutual love, which will be returned by the other person. Love in this context, then, is not referring to “love for God” but “love for others” and should be translated in this way. In certain languages love will be expressed using bodily parts such as the heart or liver; for example, “heart is warm towards,” “hold other people in one’s heart,” or “stomach moves for others.”

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 .

This verse, together with verse 19, describes the teaching of the false teachers and the effect of such teaching both on themselves and others, especially new converts to the Christian faith.

What they say is characterized as “bombastic nonsense” (New Revised Standard Version), literally, uttering loud boasts of folly. The expression loud boasts is also found in Jude 16 and translates a Greek word that means “boastful,” “haughty,” “bombastic,” “high sounding,” in other words, something that sounds much more impressive than it really is. Folly on the other hand translates a word that means “worthlessness,” “emptiness,” “futility,” or “purposelessness.” What it means, then, is that the false teachers make impressive, high sounding, and boastful speeches that are in fact worthless and devoid of any value whatsoever.

The effect of such teaching is that they entice with licentious passions of the flesh new converts to the faith. For entice see comments on verse 14; for licentious see comments on 2 Peter 2.2; and for passions see comments on verse 10, where the word is translated “lust.” The whole expression licentious passions of the flesh refers to sexual desires that are characterized by lust and that lead people to indulge in excessive and uncontrolled immorality. How do the false teachers use this to entice people? It seems that through their teaching they have justified indulgence in immoral acts by presenting these sexual acts as legitimate expressions of Christian freedom. And since this kind of life characterizes those who belong to pagan religions, those who are most easily affected by this attitude are the new converts. These new converts are described as people who have barely escaped from those who live in error. The word barely may mean “to a small extent,” which indicates that these people are not yet completely free of pagan influences. In favor of this view is the fact that escaped is a present participle, which can be rendered “in the process of escaping.” These people, then, were in the process of making a complete break with pagan society as a whole. More probably, however, barely means “for a short time” or “newly,” which indicates that these people are new converts who are not yet firmly established in the Christian faith and are therefore easily swayed by non-Christian influences.

Those who live in error are most probably non-Christians or pagans (as in Jerusalem Bible “who have only just escaped from paganism”). This use of error for pagan living is in accordance with New Testament usage (see, for instance, Rom 1.27; Titus 3.3 “led astray”). Live translates a verb that means “act,” “behave,” or “conduct oneself.” Error is literally “wandering,” but it is used figuratively for straying from truth, hence “deceit,” “deception,” when the wandering is caused by others. This final clause who have barely escaped from those who live in error should not be understood to mean that these people are literally running away from other people (pagans) who stray from the truth. What it means is that they have just begun to stop believing like those people who live their lives according to wrong ideas.

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 .

“We ourselves” (Good News Translation) accurately translates the Greek, where we is emphatic. The point here is not “we heard it and others didn’t” but “we heard it and therefore our witness is reliable.” However, where exclusive pronoun forms exist, they must be used, as this is referring to Peter and his two fellow disciples James and John. Furthermore, in some languages that have a special expression referring to three people (for example, “we three”), this expression should be used.

The declaration from heaven is “this voice borne from heaven” (Good News Translation “coming from heaven”). Heaven can be interpreted as another euphemism avoiding the name of God (as in the expression “kingdom of heaven,” which means “kingdom of God”). Here again the name of God can be included in the translation; for example, “this voice from God,” “this voice from God in heaven,” or even “God’s voice from heaven,” or “God’s voice speaking from heaven.” It has been noted also by some commentaries that a voice from heaven is a standard feature of apocalyptic visions, that is, visions that are revelations of God’s future plans and actions (see Dan 4.31; Rev 10.4, 8; 11.12; 14.13; and other passages). This means that the Transfiguration has been understood in some circles of the early church as a revelation of this type.

In the Gospel accounts the Transfiguration occurred on a high mountain (see Matt 17.1). Here this high mountain is described as the holy mountain, that is, a particular place considered sacred and set apart for the worship of God. It is not very likely that during the time of the writing of The Second Letter from Peter a special site for the Transfiguration had been identified and set aside by the Christian community. It is therefore very possible that this is a deliberate reference to Mount Zion, through a hint taken from Psa 2.6, where Zion is identified as a holy hill. It is not that the Transfiguration site is identified with Mount Zion, but that the significance of the Transfiguration is explained in the light of the prophecy of Psalm 2. In languages that have a word similar in meaning to the English word “sacred,” the translator should use that word in this context. Otherwise, if the only word available is one that means basically “pure” or “clean,” then the translator should say instead, for example, “God’s mountain.” See further discussion on holy at Jude 14.

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 .

By the same word recalls the first part of verse 5, hence Good News Translation “by the same command of God.” As noted in the discussion of verse 6 above, the three verses (5-7) may have God’s word as the common element. If, however, verse 6 is made to refer only to water, then the three verses will be related in a different way: word … water … word, which is what is called a chiastic pattern. The idea seems to be that, since God’s word has been proven as powerful and trustworthy in the act of creation, this same word can also be trusted when it proclaims that in the future the universe will be destroyed by fire.

The heavens and earth that now exist refers to the universe as it is at present, with now denoting the time of writing the letter. In the Bible heavens and earth can sometimes be taken as an idiom meaning “everything,” “the whole universe,” “all creation.”

Stored up for fire is unusual, since the word translated stored up is usually used for storing goods, treasures, and other valuable things, which are for use at a future time. For can also be interpreted as instrumental, “by means of” or “with”; but it is much more likely that for here defines purpose: the universe is being kept from destruction now (Good News Translation “preserved”), so that in the future it can be destroyed by means of fire. (See New English Bible “kept in store for burning,” and Translator’s New Testament “have been saved up … they will be burnt.”)

The idea of destruction by fire is found only in this passage and nowhere else in the New Testament. This has led some scholars to trace the background of this idea from non-biblical literature (Iranian or Stoic). However, the Old Testament does contain references to judgment by fire, not to destroy the universe but to punish the wicked (see, for example, Deut 32.22; Psa 97.3; Isa 30.30; 66.15-16; Mal 4.1 [3.19 in the Hebrew]). This is echoed in many parts of the Gospels (for instance, Matt 3.11; 5.22). In Jewish literature of the apocalyptic type, the Old Testament idea of judgment by fire has been developed into a picture of universal conflagration that will usher in the end of the world.

The two ideas of the punishment of the ungodly and the destruction of the world by fire are combined in the present verse. The day refers to the final day of judgment. The purpose of judgment is not to determine whether the ungodly are guilty or not, but rather to carry out the punishment that they deserve. For comments on judgment see Jude 15. Destruction is the result of such judgment: people will be punished to such an extent that they will be completely destroyed. For comments on destruction see 2.1, 3. For comments on ungodly see 2.5 and Jude 4.

An alternative model for this verse for languages that do not favor the passive is the following:
• But God is keeping (or, preserving) by that same command the heavens and earth that now exist, in order to destroy them with fire. He is keeping them for the day when he will judge and destroy people who don’t obey (or, honor) him.

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 .

As indicated in Revised Standard Version, this verse is a sort of a parenthetical statement. Its purpose is to further describe Lot’s attitude toward the evil people in Sodom. As in the previous verses, Good News Translation has converted this verse into a complete sentence.

That righteous man refers of course to Lot. For righteous, see 2 Peter 2.7 above.

The verse mentions three events with Lot as the doer or agent:

1. He lived among them, with them referring to the wicked people. This seems to be a general statement of setting.

2. He saw and heard what at the end of the verse is described as their lawless deeds. This describes Lot’s daily experience. Lawless deeds (Good News Translation “evil actions”) may also be expressed as “criminal behavior,” or “bad behavior.”

3. As a result of what he saw and heard, he was vexed in his righteous soul. This is actually an expansion of “greatly distressed” in verse 7. The verb for vexed can also mean “tormented,” “disturbed,” or “tortured,” either in a physical or in a mental sense. Here it focuses on the latter, since Lot did not suffer physically but mentally as a result of the wickedness of the people around him. Righteous soul has the same meaning as righteous man, and therefore in translation these can be combined, as Good News Translation has done under “That good man.” Righteous soul refers to the person himself, or to the person’s inner self, hence “his good heart,” “that good man’s heart” (New English Bible), “a good man suffering spiritual agonies” (Phillips).

This verse has the only occurrence of the phrase day after day in the New Testament. In some languages translators will find idiomatic expressions like the English, but in others it may be necessary to use an expression like “day and night.”

A model for this is as follows:
• While this good man lived among them, day after day (or, day and night) he was tormented in his heart because of their evil actions.

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 .

The letter ends very appropriately with a doxology, or expression of praise. The first part (grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) recalls previous parts of the letter: grace recalls 1.2; knowledge recalls 1.5 and 1.8; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ recalls 1.1, 1.8, and 1.11. Grace of course originates from and is given by Jesus Christ; knowledge may also be taken as knowledge imparted by Jesus Christ, although it is much more likely that this refers to the deeper understanding of the believers as they continue to study and meditate on the Good News of Jesus Christ. Grow is significant; it emphasizes the fact that it is not enough to refrain from being carried away or from losing your firm footing. More important than not falling is making a steady progress in your faith. The verb here is a present imperative, giving the sense of continuous action, as in Good News Translation “continue to grow.” Another translation model for the first part of this verse is:
• “But you should continue to experience more and more of the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and grow in your understanding of him.”

The concluding expression of praise is unusual in that it is addressed to Jesus Christ, whereas usually such praises are addressed to God. It should be noted, however, that in this letter God and Jesus Christ are given the same titles and attributes, such as “Savior” (1.1, 11; 2.20; 3.2, 15), “divine” (1.3, 4). Glory can be honor or greatness, but in the context of this doxology is better taken as “praise.” The day of eternity is also unique in the New Testament, where the usual expression would be “forever.” Perhaps this is a reference to the day of the Parousia, which is thought of as lasting forever. The actual phrase day of eternity occurs in Sirach 18.10: “Like a drop of water from the sea and a grain of sand, so are a few years among the days of eternity” (New Revised Standard Version).

For Amen see comments on Jude verse 25.

It has been noted by some scholars that this concluding verse of 2 Peter blends beautifully Greek, Jewish, and Christian ideas and expressions. It is therefore a fitting conclusion to the letter, which as we have seen uses Greek and Jewish ideas and transforms them into appropriate vehicles of the Christian message. In this way this letter presents Christians of later generations, even today, with a model of how the wealth of various cultures can be appropriated for the Christian faith without sacrificing or compromising its truths and its demands.

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 .