2 Peter 2:1–3

The False Teachers’ Ungodly Lifestyle

2:1 But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.1 These false teachers2 will3 infiltrate your midst4 with destructive heresies,5 even to the point of6 denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring7 swift destruction on themselves. 2:2 And many will follow their debauched lifestyles.8 Because of these false teachers,9 the way of truth will be slandered.10 2:3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their11 condemnation pronounced long ago12 is not sitting idly by;13 their14 destruction is not asleep.

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1	sn There will be false teachers among you. Peter uses the same verb, γίνομαι (ginomai), in 2 Pet 2:1 as he had used in 1:20 to describe the process of inspiration. He may well be contrasting, by way of a catchword, the two kinds of prophets.
2	tn Grk “who”; verse 1 is one sentence in Greek, the second half constituting a relative clause.
3	sn By the use of the future tense (will infiltrate), Peter is boldly prophesying the role that false teachers will have before these Gentile believers. It was necessary for him to establish both his own credentials and to anchor his audience’s faith in the written Word before he could get to this point, for these false teachers will question both.
4	tn Grk “will bring in,” often with the connotation of secretiveness; “your midst” is implied.
5	tn Or “destructive opinions,” “destructive viewpoints.” The genitive ἀπωλείας (apōleias) could be taken either attributively (“destructive”) or as a genitive of destination (“leading to destruction”). Although the preferable interpretation is a genitive of destination, especially because of the elaboration given at the end of the verse (“bringing swift destruction on themselves”), translating it attributively is less cumbersome in English. Either way, the net result is the same.
6	tn Grk “even.” The καί (kai) is ascensive, suggesting that the worst heresy is mentioned in the words that follow.
7	tn Grk “bringing.” The present participle ἐπάγοντες (epagontes) indicates the result of the preceding clause.
8	tn “Debauched lifestyles” is literally “licentiousnesses,” “sensualities,” “debaucheries.”
9	tn Grk “because of whom,” introducing a subordinate clause to the first part of the verse.
10	tn Or “blasphemed,” “reviled,” “treated with contempt.”
11	tn Grk “to whom,” introducing a subordinate relative clause.
12	tn Grk “the ancient judgment.”
13	tn Grk “is not idle.”
14	tn Greek has “and their.” As introducing a synonymous parallel, it is superfluous in English.

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