scripture

The Greek and Ge’ez that is translated “scripture” or “scriptures” in English is translated as “God’s word which people wrote” in Guerrero Amuzgo (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125), “paper writings” in Copainalá Zoque (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.), “writing that one believes” in Cherokee (putting the focus on the ones who interact with them rather the scriptures themselves) (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 101), and Toposa as “carved material” (source: Schröder 2026, p. 104).

For other translations of scripture see all scripture is inspired by God and examined the scriptures.

complete verse (2 Peter 1:20)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Peter 1:20:

  • Uma: “But more important that all else, you must remember this: what those prophets wrote, we may/can not explain-the-meaning-of according to our own desire.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But remember what I am saying here because it is very important, that there is no person who can simply by himself explain what was caused by God to be written in the holy-book.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And it’s very necessary that you understand that no one can explain properly the teaching written by the prophets of God long ago if the Holy Spirit has not caused him to understand it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Remember/Think-about this, because it’s extremely important: nothing has been prophesied which God caused-to-be-written which the prophet said of-his-own-accord.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Above all, you must really comprehend that there is really nothing at all of what was written by those prophets which has its origin in human perception/understanding.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is necessary that you know that the word written by the prophets of God in the Holy Book are not the prophets’ own thoughts which were written down.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Peter 1:20

Peter’s reference to the prophetic message now leads him to expound on the nature of prophecy and how it is interpreted. It is possible, as has been suggested in the discussion of the previous passage, that the false teachers have raised this issue and have objected to the way the prophetic word is being used to prove the truth of certain Christian teachings. It is in answer to these objections that Peter now explains the nature of prophecy. In this verse an individualistic approach to the interpretation of prophecy is rejected.

The expression First of all you must understand this marks out the statement that follows as very important and deserving of special attention. Similar phrases are used in other parts of the New Testament, such as Luke 12.39 (“But know this”), Gal 3.7 (“So you see”), and 2 Tim 3.1 (“But understand this”). In many languages the mention of “first” demands a “second,” but since there is no “second,” then the sense of importance needs to be substituted for “first”; for example, “The most important thing is that you understand….” It is not clear whether the information about to be shared is new or already known to the readers.

What is the meaning of the statement no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation Scripture most certainly refers to the Old Testament, and prophecy to particular parts of the Old Testament, primarily those parts that foretell future events. However, it is possible to take prophecy here and in verse 21 with the meaning “message from God,” in which case prophecy of scripture can be translated “the message of God contained in the Scriptures,” or possibly “a message announced by one of God’s messengers, which is contained in the Scriptures.”

Interpretation is a Greek word that occurs only here in the New Testament. Both the noun and the related verb are used for the explanation of riddles, puzzles, dreams, parables, and difficult passages of scripture. The Greek word translated is a matter of in this context can also be translated “belongs to” or “comes under the scope of.” But who is referred to in the expression one’s own interpretation As we will see, the answer to this question is decisive in determining the meaning of the whole statement, as the following possibilities show:

1. If one’s own is understood as referring to any person, then the statement can mean that no one can explain or interpret a prophecy of scripture with the use of his or her own powers alone. This meaning is echoed in some translations such as Good News Translation “no one can explain by himself a prophecy in the Scriptures,” Phillips “no prophecy of scripture can be interpreted by a single human mind,” and An American Translation “no prophecy of scripture can be understood through one’s own powers.” This connects the interpretation to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as stated in verse 21.

2. The statement can mean that what is being denied is private individual interpretation of prophecy; in this case what is being indirectly affirmed is the importance of the church or the Christian community. This is echoed in some translations as well; for example, Jerusalem Bible “the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual.”

3. If, however, one’s own is taken to refer to the prophet himself, then the statement would mean that the interpretation of scripture is not dependent on the prophet’s own ideas or efforts. Again, this is echoed in some translations; for example, New International Version “no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.”

Of these three alternatives, the first two seem preferable, with the second having a slight preference over the first. Taken as a whole, then, the statement is not suggesting that personal reading, reflection and interpretation of scripture is wrong. Rather the statement most probably asserts that the prophetic message should not be interpreted according to a person’s whims and fancies. This is of course directed at the false teachers referred to in the next two chapters, who are diluting Christian teaching and twisting it to suit their own fanciful ideas.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• The most important thing is that you understand that no one is able through his own ability (or, power) to explain a prophecy of God (or, a message announced by one of God’s spokesmen) which is contained in the Scriptures.

Or:
• … that you understand that one’s own interpretation of prophecy in the Scriptures is not the most important.

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Peter 1:20

1:20

In this verse and the next Peter emphasized that people can rely on prophecy because the prophets did not speak by their own wisdom, but rather spoke what the Spirit of God inspired them to speak.

Above all: The literal meaning of the Greek is “first.” Peter wanted to emphasize that what he would say next would be very important.

no prophecy…comes from one’s own interpretation: The Greek here is more literally “No prophecy…is a matter of one’s own interpretation” (see Revised Standard Version). It is unclear whose “interpretation” Peter is referring to. There are two main ways to understand this part of the verse:

(1) Some scholars believe it refers to the prophet’s own interpretation, that is, none of the OT prophets spoke any prophecy by his own power. This meaning fits with verse 21 which says it was God’s Spirit who inspired them.

(2) Other scholars believe it refers generally to any person who hears or reads an OT prophecy. No one who hears or reads an OT prophecy should explain/interpret it by his own power. Peter was saying that no person had the right to interpret Scripture according to that person’s own ideas. If this interpretation is the correct one, then in this verse Peter was referring ahead to chapter 2 where he would speak about false teachers who twisted the meaning of Scripture as they wished. For example:

the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual (The Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
No one can interpret any prophecy of Scripture himself (New English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1). If, however, you decide to accept the second interpretation, you could translate it like this:

You must understand that when a person reads the words of the prophets in Scripture and explains the meaning of those words according to his own thinking, he is not acting rightly.

This verse is very important for doctrine, so if you have footnotes in your translation, you should include a note that explains the interpretation which you have not followed in the main text.

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