SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Peter 2000 – Page 2

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 1:16

Section 1:16–21

Peter assured those to whom he was writing that what they had learned about Jesus Christ was true

Peter assured the believers who would read his letter that the message which they had heard about Jesus Christ was true. He told them two reasons why they could be sure that this message was true: he himself had seen the majesty of Christ at the time of the Transfiguration, and also the OT prophets had spoken about Christ.

Paragraph 1:16–18

In the Greek text there is the word gar, “for,” which connects this paragraph to what precedes it. In this paragraph, Peter explained the first reason why people to whom he wrote could be sure that he wrote the truth. Another way to show how Peter linked this paragraph with what he had said before would be to say:

These things I have been telling you are true.

1:16a

cleverly devised fables: These are tales which are untrue—myths, fables —but which have been devised or invented to sound as if they are true. Peter said that he and the other apostles had not based their message on such tales which people had fabricated. He may have been thinking of the teaching of the false teachers which they based on human ideas (see 2:3a).

the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: There are two ways to interpret this part of the verse:

(1) The two words power and coming both refer to one thing, the return of Christ with great power. Good News Translation translates this part of the verse like this: “the mighty coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” There are other verses in the NT which speak of Christ returning with great power (see Matthew 24:30).

(2) The two words power and coming refer to two separate things. The word power refers to Christ’s earthly ministry, during which he performed many miracles, and the word coming refers to his second coming. New English Bible translates this part of the verse like this: “the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming.” Some commentators think that coming refers to Christ’s first coming. They think this because in the following verse, Peter referred to the Transfiguration. But in all the other places where the people who wrote the NT used this Greek word, parousia (“arrival, coming”), to refer to Christ, they used it to refer to his second coming and never to his first coming.

The first interpretation is the one recommended.

1:16b

His majesty: This means his splendor, his greatness, how very great he was.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:7

3:7

Just as God commanded the earth to be created, he has commanded that the present universe should continue until the day when he will judge the world and destroy wicked men. Then he will destroy the universe by fire.

3:7a

And by that same word: This refers to the word of God, which Peter first mentioned in verse 5. It means that in the same way as God used a word of command to create the universe, he is now commanding the future destruction of that universe.

3:7b

being kept for the day of judgment: The verb, which Berean Standard Bible translates as being kept, is the same verb as it translates with the verb “held” in 2:4c and “hold” in 2:9b. See the notes on these verses.

destruction: See note on 2:1e.

ungodly men: See note on 2:5a.

Paragraph 3:8–10

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:7

2:7–8

There was only one man living in Sodom who was not wicked. That was Lot. The wicked way the other people living in Sodom behaved saddened him, and God rescued him from the city before he burned it.

2:7b

distressed: This is a strong word which means “very upset, troubled.” Try to find a strong idiom in your language.

depraved conduct: This is the same word that Berean Standard Bible translated as “depravity” in verse 2. See the note on 2:2a.

the lawless: This refers to people who ignored the laws (human laws and God’s laws) and behaved as they wanted to.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:18

3:18a

Peter ended his letter by appealing to his readers to grow in the way that they trusted Christ. This is similar to the way he began his letter (see paragraph 1:5–9).

grow in the grace…of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: Scholars interpret these words in different ways:

(1) “grace” means “God’s blessing and favor.” According to this interpretation, Peter was telling the people to whom he was writing to continue to trust in Christ and obey him, so that Christ would bless them more and more.

(2) “grace of Christ” means “the good character/qualities of Christ.” According to this interpretation, Peter was telling the people to whom he was writing that they should try to develop in themselves more and more of the good character that Christ showed. This fits in with what Peter said at the beginning of his letter (see 1:5–9).

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1), if you need to be specific in your translation. If, however, you follow the second interpretation, you could say something like:

Try to live/behave more and more in the good way that Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and our Savior, lived.

The tense of the Greek verb (present imperative) shows that the action is continuous. Here is another way to translate this:

Continue to grow (Good News Translation)

grow in the…knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: This could mean:

(1) continually get to know our Lord better and better,

(2) continually increase what you know about our Lord. Learn more and more about how he lived and what he taught,

(3) get more and more of the knowledge which our Lord gives.

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation.

Section 3:18b

Peter said we should all praise Christ

The final words of the letter are often called a “doxology” in English, that is, they are words that Peter wrote to praise Christ.

Paragraph 3:18b

3:18b

Most of the letters in the NT end in a similar way. People understand the form of this sort of statement (literally “to him glory”) in different ways. You can translate it as a prayer (“may people honor him”), as a command (“honor him”), or as a statement (“honor belongs to him”).

glory: In this verse, you can translate this as “honor” or “praise.”

Amen: Not all versions include this final word. This is because it is not in some of the Greek manuscripts.

If there is already a Christian church in your area, they may already be using the word “Amen” in some form when they pray. If so, you should use the same word here. If however you want to translate this word, you can use an expression like, “let it be so.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 1:6

1:6a

self-control: This refers to a person controlling his own body, and refusing to do evil things even if he wants to do them.

1:6b

perseverance: This refers to being patient while suffering, and to being steadfast. Here is another way to translate this word:

endurance (New Revised Standard Version)

1:6c

godliness: See note on 1:3a.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:18

2:18

When the false teachers were teaching people, they used words and phrases which sounded very impressive and important, but really didn’t mean much. However, because what they said sounded impressive, it deceived people who had recently become Christians and encouraged them to live in an immoral way.

2:18a

lofty but empty words: Peter used two words in Greek which contrast with each other. The teaching of the false teachers was impressive or lofty (literally “very big, excessive”), but at the same time, it was also empty, it had no value or sense.

2:18b

Because what the false teachers said sounded so impressive, it deceived people and they believed it and acted in the way the false teachers said they could.

they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh: This refers to behaving in a sexually immoral way, acting according to what their bodies told them and what they wanted to do. See the note on 2:2a. The false teachers enticed the new Christians away from the truth by teaching them that they were free to act immorally if they wanted to.

2:18c

entice: The Greek word which Berean Standard Bible translates as entice here is the same word as Peter used in verse 14 (Berean Standard Bible “seduce”). It literally means “to lure/trap/catch with bait.” Peter has used it in a figurative way in both verses; what the false teachers say and what they promise (verse 19) sounds so good that it attracts people away from the true teaching and way to live, in the same way that a person uses bait to attract an animal so he can catch it.

those who are just escaping from others who live in error: This probably refers to people who had recently become Christians. Peter was probably referring to the same people as in verse 14, where he described them as “the unstable.” They were new Christians who did not yet completely understand all they believed.

Here Peter described becoming a Christian as “escaping from others who live in error.” Peter did not mean that they had run away from the non-Christians, but that they no longer behaved in the same wrong way as those people did.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 1:17

1:17a

For: Peter again used this word to link what he would say next with what he had said before. The Display of 1:17a shows one way to translate what Peter meant here.

honor and glory: These two words, honor and glory, are very similar in meaning. Some commentaries say two separate things are referred to: that “honor” refers to what God said and that “glory” refers to how Jesus shone brightly at the time that Peter was talking about. However other scholars think that they are a pair of words that Peter used together in this sentence in order to emphasize in a special way how much God honored Jesus. If that is how Peter used these words, it is possible to translate them together. For example:

greatly honored
-or-
truly honored (Contemporary English Version)

God the Father: This is what the Greek text and most English versions say. If in your language, you need to make clear who God is the father of, you should translate this:

God his Father (Living Bible)

1:17b

the Majestic Glory: Most commentaries say that this is a way of referring to God without mentioning his name. If you accept this interpretation, you should translate carefully in a way that ensures that both the voice and the Majestic Glory clearly refer to God the Father. One way to do this is to say “God who is very glorious” or “God who has great glory.”

However, other people think that the Majestic Glory referred to the bright cloud that the men who wrote the Gospel accounts spoke about (see Matthew 17:5).

1:17c

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: Peter quotes here the words that God the Father (speaking as a voice from heaven) spoke to Jesus, his Son, as recorded in the gospels. Check your translation of these words in Matthew 3:17 and 17:5 (similar in Mark 9:7 and Luke 3:22.) You should translate them the same way here.

This is My beloved Son: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as This is My beloved Son is literally “This is my son the beloved.” The words “the beloved” indicate here that Jesus was God the Father’s one and only dear son. This phrase does not imply that God has other sons whom he did not love.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

This is my own dear Son (Good News Translation)
-or-
This is my dearly loved Son (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
This person is my son. I love him.

My beloved Son: The phrase My…Son describes the relationship that Jesus had with God the Father. “God’s Son” or “the Son of God” is a title that was often used to refer to a savior who would be a descendant of King David. God would send this savior to rescue his people. This person was often referred to as the “Messiah” or “Christ.”

The title “the Son of God” also indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. The relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. The Son of God existed eternally as the Son with his Father.

In areas where people do not understand the title “the Son of God” in this way, you may want to include a footnote that explains the correct meaning. Here is a suggested footnote:

This title refers to Jesus. It indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It does not mean that God the Father had a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. Mary became pregnant with Jesus in a miraculous way by the Holy Spirit of God.

In some languages, it is natural to speak of a son as a “child,” without specifying male or female. If that is true in your language, you may use a more general term, such as:

my Child (A translation of the title “the Son of God” must include a familial term such as “son” or “child.” Translations such as “the man who is God,” “the divine man,” or “the God man” are not acceptable, since they do not retain familial language. Examples of acceptable translation options include “the Son who comes from God,” and “the divine/unique/eternal Son of God.”)

Other verses will usually make clear that Jesus was a male child. If you use a phrase such as “my male child,” be sure that it does not imply that God had another child who was female.

in whom I am well pleased: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I am well pleased means “I am delighted” or “I am very pleased/satisfied.”

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

He makes me very happy/pleased.
-or-
in him I take great delight (NET Bible)
-or-
he makes my heart glad

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:8

3:8–9

These verses contrast with verse 5. Peter said that there would be some things that the people who would scoff would deliberately ignore, but he appealed to the people to whom he sent his letter not to ignore or forget one important fact: God does not count time in the same way that we do. To him one thousand years is not a long time, and one day is not a short time; they are both the same.

Some people thought that Christ was late in fulfilling his promise to return. But Peter said that was not true but that the reason why he had not yet returned was that he was giving people time to repent, because he did not want to condemn and destroy anyone.

3:8a

Beloved: See the note on 3:1a.

do not let this one thing escape your notice: The Greek pronoun that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as your is not translated in most English versions. However, since it shows the contrast with “they” in verse 5, you should make this contrast clear in your translation.

3:8b

With the Lord: “Lord” in this verse and in the next verse may refer to Christ or God, but Bible scholars do not agree on which. These Notes will take “Lord” as referring to Christ in these verses. You may choose either, but be careful to be consistent.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 1:16

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:18

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 1:6

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 2:18

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 1:17

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 3:8

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