Day of the Lord

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in many English versions as “Day of the Lord” was rendered in Bengali as “Day of Judgement” in order to avoid confusion with the Lord’s day in the sense of Sunday.

elements

The Greek that is translated as “elements” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with Bestandteile der Welt or “components (or: “elements”) of the world.”

complete verse (2 Peter 3:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Peter 3:10:

  • Uma: “But the Lord will certainly come! And his arrival will be very startling, like the arrival of a thief. On that day the sky will be destroyed with a rumbling noise, every thing that is will be gone/stripped-away eaten by fire, and this world and all its contents will be burned up all-together.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But Isa Almasi our (incl.) Lord will really come back. His return will be sudden like the arrival of a thief. That day the people will hear a very loud noise and suddenly all things in the sky will melt through/by fire and the sky will disappear. Likewise everything there is here in the world/on earth including the world/the earth will burn also and disappear.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In spite of that, God will carry out just the same His destruction of the world. Mankind will be surprised suddenly, just like they would be surprised by a thief. On that day a crackling sound will be heard, and the sky will go out of existence. Everything will be broken up and completely burned. The whole earth and everything in it will be burned.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But the day when the Lord will come will arrive nevertheless, and his coming will be sudden like the arrival of a thief. On that day, there will be a loud (lit. strong) roaring-noise and the sky will disappear. The sun, the moon and the stars will also melt in the fire, and so also the earth and everything that is in the earth will be burned-up.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But well, even though that’s what he wants, the day really will come when he fulfills this promise of his to destroy the world. What this returning of the Lord is like, it’s like a thief whose time-when-he-will-steal isn’t known. But on that day, the sky/heaven will suddenly be removed, along with a roaring-noise. And all it contains will be destroyed by being totally burned up. The world will be like that too, including all it contains, being totally burned up also.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the day the Lord comes, the hour is not known by anyone, just like it is not known when the thief will arrive in the night. At that hour, the heavens will have loud sounds. All that is seen above, all will come to an end by burning. Here on earth, all that there is will burn.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

heaven

Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Aramaic all have one term only that refers to what can be expressed in English as “sky” or “heaven(s)” (as a physical and spiritual entity). While there is a slight overlap between the meaning of the two English terms, “sky” (from Old Norse sky meaning “cloud”) typically refers to the physical entity, and “heaven” (from Old English heofon meaning “home of God”) typically refers to the spiritual entity. While this enriches the English lexicon, it also forces English Bible translators to make decisions that can be found only in the context in the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. Most versions tend to use “heaven(s)” even if the meaning is likely “sky,” but the Contemporary English Version (NT: 1991, OT: 1995, DC: 1999) is an English translation that attempted to be more specific in the separation of the two meanings and was used as the basis for the links to verses used for this and this story (“sky”).

Norm Mundhenk (in The Bible Translator 2006, p. 92ff. ) describes the difficulty that English translations face (click or tap here to see more):

“A number of years ago an old lady asked me a question. What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away’? I do not remember what answer I gave, but I was surprised at how concerned she seemed to be about the verse. It was only later, after I had left her, that I suddenly realized what it was that she was so concerned about. She knew that death could not be far away, and all her life she had looked forward to being with God in heaven. But this verse said that ‘heaven will pass away’! What did that mean for her hopes? In fact, of course, in this verse Jesus was talking about the skies or the heavens, not about Heaven as the place of God’s presence. If I had realized the problem in time, I could easily have set the lady’s mind at rest on this question that was troubling her so much. However, I suspect that she is not the only person to be misled by the wording of this verse. Therefore, it is very surprising to find that even today many English versions (including the New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation) still say ‘heaven and earth’ in verses like Matt 24:35 and its parallels (Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33). The Contemporary English Version (CEV) and Phillips’ translation seem to be aware of the problem, and in Mark 13:31 both of these have ‘earth and sky’ instead of ‘heaven and earth.’ But in some other passages (such as Matt 5:18) the traditional wording is still found in both of those translations. The New Century Version (NCV) does have ‘earth and sky’ more consistently, and the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has ‘sky and earth’ in these passages. (Although ‘sky and earth’ is closer to the Greek, it seems more natural in English to say ‘earth and sky’; but either way, at least the meaning is correct.)

“Louw and Nida’s Lexical Semantics of the Greek New Testament (publ. 1992) suggests that the Greek expression being translated here, ho ouranos kai he ge is ‘a more or less fixed phrase equivalent to a single lexical unit’ and that it means everything that God created, that is, the universe. They then quote Mark 13:31 as an example, using ‘heaven and earth’ in their translation of it. However, they go on to say that there ‘may be certain complications involved in rendering ho ouranos kai he ge as ‘heaven and earth,’ since ‘heaven’ might be interpreted in some languages as referring only to the dwelling place of God himself. The referents in this passage are ‘the sky and the earth,’ in other words, all of physical existence, but not the dwelling place of God, for the latter would not be included in what is destined to pass away.’ In my opinion, English itself is one of the languages where the word ‘heaven’ will be interpreted as referring only to the dwelling place of God himself, and translations into English should not use ‘heaven’ in these passages. It is probably because these passages are so very familiar that translators do not realize the meaning they are giving their readers when they use the expression ‘heaven and earth’ here. In modern English we might talk about a rocket ‘soaring into the heavens,’ but we would certainly not describe it as ‘soaring into heaven,’ because ‘heaven’ is not another way of referring to the sky or to outer space.

“In fact, it is surely important in all languages to have some way of distinguishing the concept of ‘sky’ from the concept of ‘dwelling place of God.’ In these passages translators should never use a term meaning ‘the dwelling place of God.’ It may not be necessary to use a term meaning ‘sky’ either, if there is some other expression in the language which gives the correct meaning of ‘everything that has been created’ or ‘the universe.’ There are of course places in the New Testament where Heaven, as the place where God lives, is contrasted with the earth. In these passages, translators should be careful to give the correct meaning. A good example of this is in the Lord’s Prayer, in Matt 6:10: ‘Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Similarly, 1 Cor 15:47 says that ‘the first man [a reference to Adam] was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.’ Passages like these are referring to Heaven, not to the sky. Other NT passages where heaven refers to God’s dwelling place, in contrast with earth, are Matt 5:34-35, 16:19, 18:18, Acts 7:49, James 5:12, and Rev 5:3.
“Sometimes in the New Testament, the word ‘heaven’ is used because of the Jewish reluctance to use the name of God. ‘Heaven’ in these cases is used in place of ‘God’ and refers to God himself. This is the case in the many references in Matthew to ‘the kingdom of heaven’ where other gospels have ‘the kingdom of God’ (e.g., compare Matt 4:17 with its parallels in Mark 1:15 and Luke 10:9). It is also most likely the case in references like Matt 16:1, Luke 20:4, 5, John 3:27, and even perhaps Col 1:5.

“There are some places, such as Matt 11:25, where God is called ‘Lord of heaven and earth.’ Since God is of course the Lord of Heaven as well as of the universe, it may not matter so much which interpretation is given in these passages (others are Luke 10:21 and Acts 17:24). Nevertheless, the intended meaning here is likely to be ‘the universe.’ This is because this expression in Greek, as Louw and Nida say, is a set expression referring to everything that has been created. Acts 17:24 in fact combines the idea of the creation of the universe with the idea of God as Master or Lord of the universe. (…)

“Old Testament background The use of ‘heaven and earth’ in the New Testament is very similar to what we find in the Old Testament, because it is largely based on the Old Testament.

“The Old Testament begins with the story of creation, which is presented as the creation of the heavens and the earth, with lights to shine in the heavens and give light to the earth. Birds are created to live in the heavens, animals to live on earth, and fish to live in the sea (Gen 1:1-2:4).

“As we can see from the way the creation story is told, it is meant to be understood as the creation of the universe. Although in English the regions above the earth have traditionally been called ‘the heavens’ in the story of creation, they cannot be called ‘Heaven,’ in the sense of the place where God dwells. In terms of modern English, it would probably be better to say ‘the sky and the earth’ or ‘the earth and the sky.’ The story of creation then becomes an important theme throughout the Old Testament. (…)

“In most passages, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, when ‘heaven and earth’ or ‘the heavens and the earth’ are mentioned, the meaning is the created universe. It is not a reference to Heaven, as the dwelling place of God. In English, translators have not been careful to keep this distinction clear, and this is probably true in many other languages as well. However, as we have seen, this can lead to real confusion for ordinary Bible readers. It is better if translators find ways to make the meaning clear in these passages. ‘Heaven’ should be mentioned only in passages which clearly mean the dwelling place of God. In other passages, an expression should be used which means only ‘sky.’ Or else, the whole expression ‘heaven and earth’ can be translated in a way to show that the whole universe is meant.”

Other languages that have a semantic distinction similar to English include (click or tap here to see more):

  • Hungarian: ég — “sky”; menny — “heaven”
  • Tagalog: kalawakan — “sky”; langit/kalangitan — “heaven”
  • Swedish: sky — “sky”; Himmel — “heaven”
  • Loma: “up” — “sky”; “God’s place” — heaven”
  • Mossi: saase — “sky”; nyingeri — “the up above”(source for Loma and Mossi: Bratcher/Nida)
  • Roviana: mamaṉa — “sly”; maṉauru — “heaven” (an old word, meaning “empty, open space of the sky”) (source: Carl Gross)
  • Kayaw: mô̄la or “canopy-under”/mô̄khû̄la or “canopy-above-under” — “sky” (atmosphere where there is just air); mô̄khû̄ or “canopy-on/above” — “heaven” (invisible abode of God and angels)
  • Burmese: မိုး ကောင်း ကင်/moe kaungg kain — “sky”; ကောင်း ကင်/kaungg kain — “sky” or “heaven”; ကောင်း ကင်ဗုံ/kaungg kain bone — “heaven”
  • Mairasi: Sinyavi — an indigenous term that is used for both “sky” and heaven”; Surga — loanword from Sanskrit via Indonesian referring to “heaven” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: worl — “sky”; Boolanga-Yirakang Boodjer — “Country of God” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)

Many languages follow the original biblical languages in not making that distinction, such as (click or tap here to see more):

In some languages, such as Wandala, the vocabulary for terms for either “heaven” or “sky” is much richer than just to include those two distinction. While zhegela, the term that is specifically used for the physical sky was only used in early translations of the New Testament for “sky,” other terms such as samaya (used for both “sky” and “heaven”), zlanna (specifically used for the perfect abode of God and the goal of the faithful, as in Matthew 8:11), kwárá (a locational term used to speak of a chief’s rule [lit., “voice”] such as Matthew 3:2), or sleksire (“chieftaincy,” “kingship,” or “royalty” [originally from slekse “chief”] and used where there are no locational overtones, such as in Matthew 16:28) are used. (Source: Mona Perrin in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 51ff.)

The English translation by Sarah Ruden (2021) uses “sky” throughout. Ruden explains (p. li): “The Greek word ouranos refers evenhandedly to the physical sky and the place—often pictured as a royal court — where supreme divinity resides. ‘Sky’ seems generally better, first of all in avoiding the wackier modern imagery that comes with the English ‘heaven.’ And even when a supernatural realm is meant, ‘sky’ will often do, because the divine realm was thought to be located there, in addition to the weather and the heavenly bodies, whereas ‘heaven’ to us is fundamentally a religious term, and the ancients did not tend to separate linguistic domains in this way. I have retained the plural ‘skies’ where I see it in the Greek, because it is a Hebraism familiar in English translations of scripture and (I hope) not too archaic or jarring.”

Lord

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.

In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.

In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:

  • referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
  • meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
  • as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
  • or, most often, referring to Jesus

In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.

Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”

When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight

Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):

  • Navajo: “the one who has charge”
  • Mossi: “the one who has the head” (the leader)
  • Uduk: “chief”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “the one who commands”
  • Kpelle: “person-owner” (a term which may be applied to a chief)
  • Central Pame: “the one who owns us” (or “commands us”)
  • Piro: “the big one” (used commonly of one in authority)
  • San Blas Kuna: “the great one over all” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Guhu-Samane: Soopara (“our Supervisor”) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
  • Balinese: “Venerated-one” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Yanesha’: “the one who carries us” (source: Nida 1952, p. 159)
  • Northern Emberá: Dadjirã Boro (“our Head”)
  • Rarotongan: Atu (“master or owner of a property”)
  • Gilbertese: Uea (“a person of high status invested with authority to rule the people”)
  • Rotuman: Gagaja (“village chief”)
  • Samoan: Ali’i (“an important word in the native culture, it derives from the Samoan understanding of lordship based on the local traditions”)
  • Tahitian: Fatu (“owner,” “master”)
  • Tuvalu: Te Aliki (“chief”)
  • Fijian: Liuliu (“leader”) (source for this and six above: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. )
  • Bacama: Həmə miye: “owner of people” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Hopi: “Controller” (source: Walls 2000, p. 139)
  • Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
  • Ghomala’: Cyəpɔ (“he who is above everyone,” consisting of the verb cyə — to surpass or go beyond — and pɔ — referring to people. No human can claim this attribute, no matter what his or her social status or prestige.” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn )
  • Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
  • Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)

    We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.

    New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.

    Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )

  • Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
  • Angami Naga: Niepu (“master,” “owner”)
  • Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
  • Ao Naga: Kibuba (“human master,” “teacher,” “owner of property,” etc.) (source for this and two above: Nitoy Achumi in The Bible Translator 1992 p. 438ff. )
  • Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
  • Thai: phra’ phu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
  • Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
  • Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
  • Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
  • Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
  • Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)
  • Chichewa: Ambuye Ambuye comes from the singular form Mbuye which is used to refer to: (1) someone who is a guardian or protector of someone or group of people — a grandparent who has founded a community or village; (2) someone who is a boss or master over a group of people or servants and has absolute control over them; (3) owner of something, be it a property, animals and people who are bound under his/her rule — for people this was mostly commonly used in the context of slaves and their owner. In short, Mbuye is someone who has some authorities over those who call him/her their “Mbuye.” Now, when the form Ambuye is used it will either be for honorific when used for singular or plural when referring to more than one person. When this term is used in reference to God, it is for respect to God as he is acknowledged as a guardian, protector, and ruler of everything. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation).
  • Hdi uses rveri (“lion”) as a title of respect and as such it regularly translates adon in the Old Testament. As an address, it’s most often with a possessive pronoun as in rvera ɗa (“my lion” = “my lord” or “sir”). So, for example, Genesis 15:2 (“O Lord God”) is Rvera ɗa Yawe (“My lion Yahweh”) or Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 2:13: “May I find your grace [lit. good-stomach] my lion.” This ties in nicely with the imagery of the Lord roaring like a lion (Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8; Joel 3:16). Better still, this makes passages like Revelation 5:5 even richer when we read about rveri ma taba məndəra la Yuda, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”. In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is rveri ta ghəŋa rveriha “the lion above lions” (“lord of lords”). (Source: Drew Maust)

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”

See also Father / Lord.

Translation commentary on 2 Peter 3:10

It should be noted that Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation are different here, in that Good News Bible starts a new paragraph, whereas Revised Standard Version treats this verse as part of the paragraph that started in verse 8. In view of the fact that verses 8-15a seem to form a single unit dealing with the reasons for the delay of the Parousia and how Christians should live during the period of the delay, it seems best to follow the Revised Standard Version paragraphing at this point.

But connects this verse with the verse before it; it clears up any misunderstanding that may arise as a result of the assertion that the delay of the Parousia is due to God’s patience and his desire for everyone to be saved from judgment. Despite all of this, it is certain that the Lord will return, and the day of judgment will come. This is made clear by the word order in the Greek, in which will come is placed first and therefore is emphatic.

The day of the Lord is a popular biblical expression used for the end time. In the Old Testament the Day of the Lord refers to any event where God’s people (Israel) are victorious over God’s enemies (other nations). The defeat of God’s enemies is considered as God’s judgment on those people. It was only later that this act of judgment was understood to apply to Israel as well. In the present passage, as in the rest of the New Testament, this expression is used primarily for the Parousia, that is, when Jesus Christ returns in victory to judge all peoples, both living and dead. This can be made clear in translation; for example, “the day of the Lord’s coming,” “the day of the Lord’s return,” or “the day when the Lord returns.” The coming of the Lord is compared to the coming of a thief, which is unexpected or sudden, and this is brought out in many translations (for instance, Phillips “suddenly and unexpectedly as a thief,” New English Bible “unexpected as a thief”). Other possible translations are “The Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief does in the night,” or even “The Lord will come when no one expects him, just as a thief comes when no one is expecting him.” It is also possible to remove the figure of thief and simply translate the basis or ground of the comparison: “the day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly” or “The Lord will come suddenly at a time when he is not expected.” It is also suggested that the use of the picture of the thief carries with it an element of threat, especially for those who continue in their unrepentant ways. The use of this picture as a figurative expression for the end that is coming is common in the teachings of Jesus (see, for example, Matt 24.43-44; Luke 12.39-40), and in other parts of the New Testament (1 Thes 5.2; Rev 3.3; 16.15). It is important here to indicate clearly the ground or basis of comparison with a thief (unexpectedly, suddenly), in order to avoid the interpretation that the Lord is himself a thief.

And then refers back to day, hence Good News Translation “On that Day.” For heavens see comments on 2 Peter 3.5 above. Pass away is “disappear” (Good News Translation) or “vanish.”

With a loud noise translates the Greek word hroizēdon, which is considered to be onomatopoeic, that is, a word that sounds like the thing it names. In this case hroizēdon is used of hissing, crackling, and rushing sounds, sounds that are made by a snake, a fire, or an arrow. Here the sound being described is that of fire, referring to the roaring and crackling sounds of the sky as it burns down. Some translations try to do justice to this feature: Good News Translation “a shrill noise,” New English Bible “a great rushing sound,” Phillips “a terrific tearing blast,” Translator’s New Testament “a roaring sound,” Moffatt “a crackling roar.” In languages that use ideophones, translators should consider using one here.

What are the elements that are going to be dissolved with fire? There are at least four possible interpretations:

1. They are the rudiments of knowledge. This is based on the historical origin of the Greek word stoicheia, which can be literally rendered “things arranged in a row,” as, for instance, the letters of the alphabet. This meaning is reflected in Heb 5.12, where stoicheia is translated “first principles,”Good News Translation “first lessons.” This meaning, however, does not fit the present context.

2. They are the physical elements, namely earth, air, fire, and water. This was a common meaning of elements (Greek stoicheia). A prevalent idea among the Stoics was that, in the final conflagration, these four elements will be dissolved into the primary element, namely fire. Considering the Greek background of 2 Peter, this interpretation has some validity; it is, however, rather inappropriate in the present context, since elements comes right after the mention of heaven and before the mention of earth.

3. They are angelic or spiritual beings. In Paul’s letters, stoicheia is used in a similar manner, referring to spiritual powers (see for example, Gal 4.3; Col 2.8, 20).

4. They are the heavenly bodies: the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets. In other biblical references, these are also referred to as “the powers of the heavens” (see, for example, Isa 34.4; Matt 24.29). The use of stoicheia in this sense is attested in the literature of that time, both from Greek and Christian writers.

This last meaning is what most commentaries prefer, and consequently it is reflected in many translations, such as Good News Translation “the heavenly bodies,” and Moffatt “the stars.” Taking this meaning relates this part of the verse with the first part, which talks of the sky, whereas this second part refers to things located in the sky. This also makes the first two parts parallel to the third part of the verse, which talks of the earth and everything in it. A literal translation of elements here allows for all four possibilities but sacrifices clarity in the process, and so should be avoided. As is often said, if it means everything, it does not mean anything.

Dissolved is literally “destroyed.” With fire translates a Greek medical term for body temperature, particularly in connection with a high fever. So the expression can be rendered literally as “destroyed in the heat.” The picture here is that the heat is so intense that the heavenly bodies begin to melt and eventually are reduced to nothing. Some translations try to reflect this meaning: Good News Translation “burn up and be destroyed,” Jerusalem Bible “catch fire and fall apart,” New English Bible “disintegrate in flames,” Moffatt “be set ablaze and melt.”

And the works that are upon it is literally “its works,” which can mean all the results of both human and divine activity on earth, or in a wider sense, everything that is in the earth; hence Good News Translation “with everything in it,” Jerusalem Bible “and all that it contains,” New English Bible “with all that is in it.”

As can be seen from the Good News Translation text and footnote, there is a textual problem related to will be burned up. The UBS Greek New Testament has in its text “will be found,” and this is reflected in the New Revised Standard Version text “will be disclosed” and also New English Bible “will be laid bare.” Translator’s New Testament follows the UBS Greek text but translates this part as a rhetorical question: “will the earth and everything in it remain?” with “No” as the unspoken answer. Another way of understanding “will be found” is to take it as a so-called “divine passive” and interpret it as meaning “will be found by God,” that is, ready for God to examine. The picture that we have in the whole verse of the UBS Greek text is that, when heaven and all that is in it are destroyed, the earth will be laid bare, and all peoples will face the judgment of God. Revised Standard Version and Jerusalem Bible follow a variant found in a number of manuscripts. Good News Translation translates another variant, namely “will vanish.” Yet another variant is represented by An American Translation, “will melt away.” Two things should be noted here: first, that in the UBS Greek New Testament the rating given is “D,” which means that there is a very high degree of uncertainty with regard to the reading selected for the text; and secondly, treating the statement as a rhetorical question (as in Translator’s New Testament above) will result in a translation similar to TEV, with “will vanish” representing the unspoken answer to the rhetorical question. Since there is no clearly favored text, the translator may choose to follow any of the variant readings, with perhaps New Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible a slightly better choice. Or it may be wise to follow the choice of a translation in a related language that is known and widely used. In any case, translators should provide a footnote similar to that of Good News Translation. In some languages we may translate TEV’s “will vanish” as “will no longer exist.”

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• But the Lord will come when no one expects him, just as a thief does (or, comes when no one is expecting him). On that Day there will be a great roaring sound as the heavens (or, sky) disappear (or, vanish). The bodies in the sky will burn up and disintegrate, and the earth and everything that is in it will no longer exist (or, melt away).

Or for the final sentence:
• … and God will find the earth and all that is in it ready for him to judge …

Or:
• … When all this happens, will the earth and everything in it still remain?

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 3:10

3:10

Christ will return when no one is expecting him. At that time the universe will burn up and in that way God will completely destroy it.

3:10a

the Day of the Lord: In the OT this expression meant the day when God would defeat his enemies and punish them. But the people who wrote the NT used the expression to refer to the day when Christ would return to judge all people.

come like a thief: Christ will come suddenly, at a time when people do not expect him to come. It may be necessary to clearly state this in your translation, otherwise the people who read it might think that Peter was saying that Christ is like a thief. If many people who read your translation think that it is not good to compare Christ to a thief, even when someone explains the similarity to them, then you should omit the reference to a thief and just say what the verse means. You could say something like “he will come unexpectedly.” Peter put the verb “will come” at the beginning of the sentence in the Greek in order to emphasize that Christ will certainly come.

3:10b

with a roar: The Greek word that Berean Standard Bible translates roar means “a rushing or hissing sound,” for example, the sound that a bird makes when it flaps its wings, or the sound that water makes when it flows in a river. Here it describes the crackling and roaring sound of a big fire burning.

3:10c

the elements: Most commentators think this means the heavenly bodies, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars. But people in Peter’s time who spoke Greek also used this word to refer to the basic ingredients of the physical world such as earth, air, and water.

3:10d

the earth and its works: The majority of scholars understand this to refer to the contents of the earth, whether made by man or by God. Most English versions follow this interpretation. It is recommended that you do so too.

will be laid bare: There is a problem with the Greek text here. The English versions treat the problem in different ways:

(1) heurethōsetai “will be found.” Some Greek manuscripts say this. The difficulty with this word is to decide what it means in this context. Some scholars say it means that people’s deeds will be laid bare. At the time that God will judge people, he will expose the things that they have done. Others think that this is a rhetorical question: “Will the earth and everything in it be found?” With the implied answer: “No, certainly not.” Then it means “the earth and everything in it will not be found,” that is, they will have vanished.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible)

(2) kataka?setai “will be burned up.” Some Greek manuscripts say this.

(Revised Standard Version, The Jerusalem Bible)

(3) Some translations have “will disappear,” “vanish” which is equivalent to translating the first interpretation above as a rhetorical question.

(Good News Translation, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

Scholars are not certain what Peter wrote. It could be any of the three possibilities above. So it may be best to follow the choice of the major translation used in your area. If you are using footnotes, you should add a note mentioning what the other manuscripts say.

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