2 Peter 2:2

Contextual Overview

¹Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. ¹ Sometimes false prophets spoke to the people of Israel. False teachers will also sneak in and speak harmful lies to you. But these teachers don't really belong to the Master who paid a great price for them, and they will quickly destroy themselves. ¹ But among the people there were also false prophets, just as there will be false teachers among you. Under false pretenses they will introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and thus bring on themselves swift destruction. ¹ But there were false prophets also among the people, as there shall be also among you false teachers, who shall bring in by the bye destructive heresies, and deny the master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction; ¹ In the past there were false prophets among God's people. It is the same now. You will have some false teachers in your group. They will teach things that are wrong—ideas that will cause people to be lost. And they will teach in a way that will be hard for you to see that they are wrong. They will even refuse to follow the Master who bought their freedom. And so they will quickly destroy themselves. ¹ But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ¹ But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it. ¹ Bvt there were false prophets also among the people, euen as there shalbe false teachers among you: which priuily shall bring in damnable heresies, euen denying the Lorde, that hath bought them, and bring vpon themselues swift damnation. ¹ BUT there were false prophets also among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the LORD who has redeemed them, and thus bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ¹ But there also arose false prophets among the people, as among you also there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

many: Matthew 24:10-13, Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:19, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 13:14

pernicious ways: or, lascivious ways, as some copies read, by reason. Romans 2:24, 1 Timothy 5:14, Titus 2:5, Titus 2:8

ways: 2 Peter 2:15, 2 Peter 2:21, Psalms 18:21, Isaiah 35:8, Jeremiah 6:16, Matthew 7:14, Matthew 22:16, Mark 12:14, John 14:6, Acts 13:10, Acts 16:17, Acts 18:26, Acts 19:9, Acts 24:14

evil: 2 Peter 2:12, Acts 14:2, 1 Peter 2:12, Jude 1:10, Jude 1:15

Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:44 - utterly unclean Deuteronomy 31:29 - corrupt yourselves Ezra 4:2 - Let us Proverbs 19:27 - General Jeremiah 5:31 - prophets Jeremiah 23:14 - in the Jeremiah 29:8 - your dreams Jeremiah 44:15 - all the Ezekiel 12:24 - General Ezekiel 13:19 - for handfuls Matthew 13:41 - and they Matthew 18:7 - unto Mark 9:42 - offend Acts 5:36 - to whom Acts 8:10 - they Romans 16:17 - cause 1 Corinthians 11:19 - there 1 Corinthians 15:33 - evil Galatians 2:4 - unawares 1 Timothy 5:15 - General 2 Timothy 2:16 - for Titus 1:10 - there Hebrews 12:15 - and thereby James 3:6 - a world 1 Peter 4:14 - on 1 John 4:5 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came and then morning—that was the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything which he had made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
And God sawe euery thyng that he had made: and beholde, it was exceedyng good. And the euenyng & the mornyng were the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came—that was the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And many shall follow their pernicious ways,.... Their principles and their practices, which lead to destruction, The Complutensian edition, the Alexandrian copy, and six copies of Beza's, and others, read "their lasciviousnesses"; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "their luxuries"; and all the Oriental versions seem to have read in like manner. The Syriac version renders it, "their impurity"; and the Arabic version, "their unchastities"; and the Ethiopic version, "their lust"; and which seems to have respect to the impure conversation of the followers of Simon Magus, the Nicolaitans, the Gnostics, Carpocratians, and others, who indulged themselves in all unnatural lusts and uncleanness; and generally, when men make shipwreck of faith, they also do of a good conscience, and become immoral in their conversations; and yet, as destructive as their principles, and as dishonourable and scandalous as their practices be, many were, and are their followers; so it was foretold by Christ, Matthew 24:11, and so it has been, Revelation 13:3. The road both of error and wickedness is a broad one, in which many walk; and a multitude is no proof of the truth of a church or of the principles of men, nor to be followed:

by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of; that is, either Christ, who is truth itself, and the true way to eternal life and happiness; or the Gospel, the word of truth, which holds forth Christ the truth, and points to him, and every other truth, and nothing but truth; or the Christian religion, which is the true way, in opposition to all sects and heresies; and is what should be blasphemed and spoken against, either by these men or their followers; for the phrase may be rendered, "by whom", as it is in the Vulgate Latin version, and the meaning be, that they should, in a blasphemous way, speak and write against Christ and his truths, reproach and revile them, and in a virulent manner oppose them, and trample them under foot: "or for the sake of them", as other versions read; and as we do; "by reason of them"; they should be the occasion, by their impure lives, of the name of Christ, and his doctrines, being blasphemed by profane and irreligious men; see Romans 2:24. The Alexandrian copy, and one of Stephens's, read "the glory of truth"; and so the Ethiopic version, "the glory of his truth".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And many shall follow their pernicious ways - Margin: “lascivious.” A large number of manuscripts and versions read “lascivious” here - ἀσελγείαις aselgeiais - instead of “pernicious” - ἀπωλείαις apōleiais (see Wetstein), and this reading is adopted in the editions of the Greek Testament by Tittman, Griesbach, and Hahn, and it seems probable that this is the correct reading. This will agree well with the account elsewhere given of these teachers, that their doctrines tended to licentiousness, 2 Peter 2:10, 2 Peter 2:14, 2 Peter 2:18-19. It is a very remarkable circumstance, that those who have denied the essential doctrines of the gospel have been so frequently licentious in their own conduct, and have inculcated opinions which tended to licentiousness. Many of the forms of religious error have somehow had a connection with this vice. People who are corrupt at heart often seek to obtain the sanction of religion for their corruptions.

By reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of -

(1)Because they were professors of religion, and religion would seem to be held responsible for their conduct; and,

(2)Because they were professed teachers of religion, and, by many, would be understood as expounding the true doctrines of the gospel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Peter 2:2. Many shall follow — WILL follow, because determined to gratify their sinful propensities.

Pernicious ways — ταις απωλειαις. Their destructions; i.e. the heresies of destruction, or destructive opinions, mentioned above. But instead of απωλειαις, destructions, ασελγειαις, lasciviousnesses or uncleannesses, is the reading of ABC, and upwards of sixty others, most of which are among the most ancient, correct, and authentic. This is the reading also of both the Syriac, all the Arabic, the Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, Vulgate, Chrysostom, Theophylact, OEcumenius, and Jerome. A very few, and those of little repute, have the word in the text.

The word lasciviousnesses is undoubtedly the true reading, and this points out what the nature of the heresies was: it was a sort of Antinomianism; they pampered and indulged the lusts of the flesh; and, if the Nicolaitans are meant, it is very applicable to them, for they taught the community of wives, c. Griesbach has received this reading into the text.

By reason of whom — These were persons who professed Christianity and because they were called Christians, and followed such abominable practices, the way of truth-the Christian religion, βλασφημηθησεται, was blasphemed. Had they called themselves by any name but that of Christ, his religion would not have suffered.