2 Peter 2:1-22

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Peter 2:1-2

I. In the end of the former chapter there is mention made of holy men of God, who lived in the times of the Old Testament, and were used as the amanuenses of the Holy Ghost, in writing the sacred oracles; but in the beginning of this he tells us they had, even at that time, false prophets in the church as well as true. In all ages of the church, and under all dispensations, when God sends true prophets, the devil sends some to seduce and deceive, false prophets in the Old Testament, and false... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Peter 2:3-6

Men are apt to think that a reprieve is the forerunner of a pardon, and that if judgment be not speedily executed it is, or will be, certainly reversed. But the apostle tells us that how successful and prosperous soever false teachers may be, and that for a time, yet their judgment lingereth not. God has determined long ago how he will deal with them. Such unbelievers, who endeavour to turn others from the faith, are condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on them. The righteous Judge... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Peter 2:7-9

When God sends destruction on the ungodly, he commands deliverance for the righteous; and, if he rain fire and brimstone on the wicked, he will cover the head of the just, and they shall be hid in the day of his anger. This we have an instance of in his preserving Lot. Here observe, 1. The character given of Lot; he is called a just man; this he was as to the generally prevailing bent of his heart and through the main of his conversation. God does not account men just or unjust from one single... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Peter 2:10-22

The apostle's design being to warn us of, and arm us against, seducers, he now returns to discourse more particularly of them, and give us an account of their character and conduct, which abundantly justifies the righteous Judge of the world in reserving them in an especial manner for the most severe and heavy doom, as Cain is taken under special protection that he might be kept for uncommon vengeance. But why will God thus deal with these false teachers? This he shows in what follows. I.... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Peter 2:1

2:1 There were times when false prophets arose among the people, even as amongst you too there will be false teachers, men who will insidiously introduce destructive heresies and deny the Lord who bought them; and by so doing they will bring swift destruction on themselves. That there should arise false prophets within the Church was something only to be expected, for in every generation false prophets had been responsible for leading God's people astray and for bringing disaster on the... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Peter 2:1

In this verse Peter has certain things to say about these false prophets and their actions. (i) They insidiously introduce destructive heresies. The Greek for heresy is hairesis ( Greek #139 ). It comes from the verb haireisthai (compare Greek #140 ), which means to choose; and originally it was a perfectly honourable word. It simply meant a line of belief and action which a man had chosen for himself. In the New Testament we read of the hairesis ( Greek #139 ) of the Sadducees,... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Peter 2:2-3

2:2-3 And many will follow the way of their blatant immoralities and through them the true way will be brought into disrepute. In their evil ambition they will exploit you with cunningly forged arguments. Their sentence was settled long ago, and now it is not inactive, and their destruction is not asleep. In this short passage we see four things about the false teachers and their teaching. (i) We see the cause of false teaching. It is evil ambition. The word is pleonexia ( Greek #4124 ... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Peter 2:4-11

2:4-11 If God did not spare even angels who had sinned, but condemned them to the lowest hell and committed them to the pits of darkness, where they remain kept for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved in safety Noah, the preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when he despatched the flood on a world of impious men; if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, when he sentenced them to destruction and so gave an example of what would happen to those... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Peter 2:4-11

2 Peter 2:9-11 give us a picture of the evil man. Peter with a few swift, vivid strokes of the pen paints the outstanding characteristics of him who may properly be called the bad man. (i) He is the desire-dominated man. His life is dominated by the lusts of the flesh. Such a man is guilty of two sins. (a) Every man has two sides to his nature. He has a physical side; he has instincts, passions and impulses which he shares with the animal creation. These instincts are good--if they are... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Peter 2:12-14

2:12-14 But these, like brute beasts, knowing no law but their instincts, born only for capture and corruption, speak evil of the things about which they know nothing; they will be destroyed with their own corruption, and, like a man who is cheated, they will even lose the reward at which their iniquity aimed. They regard daylight debauchery as pleasure. They are spots and blots, revelling in their dissipations, carousing in their cliques amongst you. They have eyes full of adultery, eyes... read more

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