2 Peter 3:3-4 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Peter 3:3-7

To quicken and excite us to a serious minding and firm adhering to what God has revealed to us by the prophets and apostles, we are told that there will be scoffers, men who will make a mock of sin, and of salvation from it. God's way of saving sinners by Jesus Christ is what men will scoff at, and that in the last days, under the gospel. This indeed may seem very strange, that the New-Testament dispensation of the covenant of grace, which is spiritual and therefore more agreeable to the... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 2 Peter 3:3-4

3:3-4 To begin with, you are well aware that in the last days there will come mockers with their mocking, guiding their steps by the law of their own lusts and saying, "What has happened to the promise of his Coming? For, since the day when our fathers fell asleep, everything remains the same as it was from the foundation of the world." The characteristic of the heretics which worried Peter most of all was their denial of the Second Coming of Jesus. Literally, their question was: "Where is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Peter 3:3

Knowing this first ,.... In the first place, principally, and chiefly, and which might easily be known and observed from the writings of the apostles and prophets; see 1 Timothy 4:1 ; that there shall come in the last days scoffers , or "mockers"; such as would make a mock at sin, make light of it, plead for it, openly commit it, and glory in it; and scoff at all religion, as the prejudice of education, as an engine of state, a piece of civil policy to keep subjects in awe, as cant,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Peter 3:4

And saying, Where is the promise of his coming ?.... That is, of the coming of the Lord and Saviour, 2 Peter 3:2 ; the object of their scorn and derision, and whom they name not, through contempt; and the meaning is, what is become of the promise of his coming? where the accomplishment of it? The prophets foretold he would come; he himself said he would come again, John 14:3 ; the angels, at his ascension, declared he would come from heaven in like manner as he went up, Acts 1:11 ; and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Peter 3:3

Knowing this first - Considering this in an especial manner, that those prophets predicted the coming of false teachers: and their being now in the Church proved how clearly they were known to God, and showed the Christians at Pontus the necessity of having no intercourse or connection with them. There shall come - scoffers - Persons who shall endeavor to turn all religion into ridicule, as this is the most likely way to depreciate truth in the sight of the giddy multitude. The scoffers,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Peter 3:4

Where is the promise of his coming? - Perhaps the false teachers here referred to were such as believed in the eternity of the world: the prophets and the apostles had foretold its destruction, and they took it for granted, if this were true, that the terrestrial machine would have begun long ago to have shown some symptoms of decay; but they found that since the patriarchs died all things remained as they were from the foundation of the world; that is, men were propagated by natural... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Peter 3:3

Verse 3 3.Knowing this first. The participle knowing may be applied to the Apostle, and in this way, “I labor to stir you up for this reason, because I know what and how great is your impending danger from scoffers.” I however prefer this explanation, that the participle is used in place of a verb, as though he had said, “Know ye this especially.” For it was necessary that this should have been foretold, because they might have been shaken, had impious men attacked them suddenly with scoffs of... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Peter 3:4

Verse 4 4.Where is the promise. It was a dangerous scoff when they insinuated a doubt as to the last resurrection; for when that is taken away, there is no gospel any longer, the power of Christ is brought to nothing, the whole of religion is gone. Then Satan aims directly at the throat of the Church, when he destroys faith in the coming of Christ. For why did Christ die and rise again, except that he may some time gather to himself the redeemed from death, and give them eternal life? All... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Peter 3:1-9

The Divine commandment. A careful study of this passage is necessary to a clear understanding of the apostle's meaning, and of the place of this urgent exhortation in his argument. For such a study it may be welt to gather up his teaching here round three points. I. THE " WORD " OR " COMMANDMENT " HERE INTENDED . Concerning such we ask: 1 . By whom is it proclaimed? 2 . How is it to be received? 3 . What is it? The theme of both Epistles—Christ's coming. II. ... read more