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Job 35
New English Translation

Elihu’s Third Speech[a]

35 Then Elihu answered:

2 “Do you think this to be[b] just
when[c] you say, ‘My right before God’?[d]
3 But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’[e]
and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’[f]
4 I[g] will reply to you,[h]
and to your friends with you.
5 Gaze at the heavens and see;
consider the clouds, which are higher than you.[i]
6 If you sin, how does it affect God?[j]
If your transgressions are many,
what does it do to him?[k]
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to God,
or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness affects only[l] a person like yourself,
and your righteousness only other people.[m]
9 “People[n] cry out

because of the excess of oppression;[o]
they cry out for help
because of the power[p] of the mighty.[q]
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator,
who gives songs in the night,[r]
11 who teaches us[s] more than[t] the wild animals of the earth,
and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12 Then[u] they cry out—but he does not answer—
because of the arrogance of the wicked.
13 Surely it is an empty cry[v]—God does not hear it;
the Almighty does not take notice of it.
14 How much less, then,
when you say that you do not perceive him,
that the case is before him
and you are waiting for him![w]
15 And further,[x] when you say
that his anger does not punish,[y]
and that he does not know transgression![z]
16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose;[aa]
without knowledge he multiplies words.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 35:1 sn This short speech falls into two sections: Elihu refutes Job’s claim that goodness avails nothing (35:2-8), asserting that when the cry of the afflicted goes unanswered they have not learned their lesson (35:9-16).
  2. Job 35:2 tn The line could be read as “do you reckon this for justice? Here “to be” is understood.
  3. Job 35:2 tn The word “when” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
  4. Job 35:2 tn The brief line could be interpreted in a number of ways. The MT simply has “my right from God.” It could be “I am right before God,” “I am more just/right than God” (identifying the preposition as a comparative min (מִן); cf. J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 463), “I will be right before God,” or “My just cause against God.”
  5. Job 35:3 tn The referent of “you” is usually understood to be God.
  6. Job 35:3 tn The Hebrew text merely says, “What do I gain from my sin?” But Job has claimed that he has not sinned, and so this has to be elliptical: “more than if I had sinned” (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 224). It could also be, “What do I gain without sin?”
  7. Job 35:4 tn The emphatic pronoun calls attention to Elihu who will answer these questions.
  8. Job 35:4 tn The Hebrew text adds, “with words,” but since this is obvious, for stylistic reasons it has not been included in the translation.
  9. Job 35:5 tn The preposition is taken here as a comparative min (מִן). The line could also read “that are high above you.” This idea has appeared in the speech of Eliphaz (22:12), Zophar (11:7-8), and even Job (9:8-11).
  10. Job 35:6 tn Heb “him” (also in v. 7); the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  11. Job 35:6 tn See Job 7:20.
  12. Job 35:8 tn The phrase “affects only” is supplied in the translation of this nominal sentence.sn According to Strahan, “Elihu exalts God’s greatness at the cost of His grace, His transcendence at the expense of His immanence. He sets up a material instead of a spiritual stand of profit and loss. He does not realize that God does gain what He desires most by the goodness of men, and loses what He most loves by their evil.”
  13. Job 35:8 tn Heb “and to [or for] a son of man, your righteousness.”
  14. Job 35:9 tn The word “people” is supplied, because the sentence only has the masculine plural verb.
  15. Job 35:9 tn The final noun is an abstract plural, “oppression.” There is no reason to change it to “oppressors” to fit the early versions. The expression is literally “multitude of oppression.”
  16. Job 35:9 tn Heb “the arm,” a metaphor for strength or power.
  17. Job 35:9 tn Or “of the many” (see HALOT 1172 s.v. I רַב 6.a).
  18. Job 35:10 tn There have been several attempts to emend the line, none of which are particularly helpful or interesting. H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 225) says, “It is a pity to rob Elihu of a poetic line when he creates one.”
  19. Job 35:11 tn The form in the text, the Piel participle from אָלַף (ʾalaf, “teach”) is written in a contracted form; the full form is מְאַלְּפֵנוּ (meʾallefenu).
  20. Job 35:11 tn Some would render this “teaches us by the beasts.” But Elihu is stressing the unique privilege humans have.
  21. Job 35:12 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) connects this verse to v. 11. “There” can be locative or temporal—and here it is temporal (= “then”).
  22. Job 35:13 tn Heb “surely—vanity, he does not hear.” The cry is an empty cry, not a prayer to God. Dhorme translates it, “It is a pure waste of words.”
  23. Job 35:14 sn The point is that if God does not listen to those who do not turn to him, how much less likely is he to turn to one who complains against him.
  24. Job 35:15 tn The expression “and now” introduces a new complaint of Elihu—in addition to the preceding. Here the verb of v. 14, “you say,” is understood after the temporal ki (כִּי).
  25. Job 35:15 tn The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit” (also “to appoint; to muster; to number”). When God visits, it means that he intervenes in one’s life for blessing or cursing (punishing, destroying).
  26. Job 35:15 tn The word פַּשׁ (pash) is a hapax legomenon. K&D 12:275 derived it from an Arabic word meaning “belch,” leading to the idea of “overflow.” BDB 832 s.v. defines it as “folly.” Several define it as “transgression” on the basis of the versions (Theodotion, Symmachus, Vulgate). The RSV took it as “greatly heed,” but that is not exactly “greatly know,” when the text beyond that requires “not know at all.” The NIV has “he does not take the least notice of wickedness.”
  27. Job 35:16 tn The word הֶבֶל (hevel) means “vanity; futility; to no purpose.”
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Job 34
Job 36
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Job 36
New English Translation

Elihu’s Fourth Speech[a]

36 Elihu said further:[b]

2 “Be patient[c] with me a little longer
and I will instruct you,
for I still have words to speak on God’s behalf.[d]
3 With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively,[e]
and to my Creator I will ascribe righteousness.[f]
4 For in truth, my words are not false;
it is one complete[g] in knowledge
who is with you.
5 Indeed, God is mighty; and he does not despise people,[h]
he[i] is mighty, and firm[j] in his intent.[k]
6 He does not allow the wicked to live,[l]
but he gives justice to the poor.
7 He does not take his eyes[m] off the righteous;
but with kings on the throne
he seats the righteous[n] and exalts them forever.[o]
8 But if they are bound in chains,[p]
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
9 then he reveals[q] to them what they have done,[r]
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
10 And he reveals[s] this[t] for correction,
and says that they must turn[u] from evil.
11 If they obey and serve him,
they live out their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness.[v]
12 But if they refuse to listen,
they pass over the river of death,[w]
and expire without knowledge.
13 The godless at heart[x] nourish anger,[y]
they do not cry out even when he binds them.
14 They die[z] in their youth,
and their life ends among the male cultic prostitutes.[aa]
15 He delivers the afflicted by[ab] their[ac] afflictions,
he reveals himself to them[ad] by their suffering.
16 And surely, he drew you[ae] from the mouth of distress,
to a wide place, unrestricted,[af]
and to the comfort[ag] of your table
filled with rich food.[ah]
17 But now you are preoccupied with the judgment due the wicked,
judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Be careful that[ai] no one entices you with riches;
do not let a large bribe[aj] turn you aside.
19 Would your wealth[ak] sustain you,
so that you would not be in distress,[al]
even all your mighty efforts?[am]
20 Do not long for the cover of night
to drag people away from their homes.[an]
21 Take heed, do not turn to evil,
for because of this you have been tested[ao] by affliction.
22 Indeed, God is exalted in his power;
who is a teacher[ap] like him?
23 Who has prescribed his ways for him?
Or said to him, ‘You have done what is wicked’?
24 Remember to extol[aq] his work,
which people have praised in song.
25 All humanity has seen it;
people gaze on it from afar.

The Work and Wisdom of God

26 “Yes, God is great—beyond our knowledge![ar]
The number of his years is unsearchable.
27 He draws up drops of water;
they distill[as] the rain into its mist,[at]
28 which the clouds pour down
and shower on humankind abundantly.
29 Who can understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?[au]
30 See how he scattered[av] his lightning[aw] about him;
he has covered the depths[ax] of the sea.
31 It is by these that he judges[ay] the nations
and supplies food in abundance.
32 With his hands[az] he covers[ba] the lightning,
and directs it against its target.
33 [bb] His thunder announces the coming storm,
the cattle also, concerning the storm’s approach.[bc]

Footnotes

  1. Job 36:1 sn This very lengthy speech can be broken down into the following sections: the discipline of suffering (36:2-25), the work and wisdom of God (36:26-37:24).
  2. Job 36:1 tn The use of וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef) is with the hendiadys construction: “and he added and said,” meaning “and he said again, further.”
  3. Job 36:2 tn The verb כָּתַּר (kattar) is the Piel imperative; in Hebrew the word means “to surround” and is related to the noun for crown. But in Syriac it means “to wait.” This section of the book of Job will have a few Aramaic words.
  4. Job 36:2 tn The Hebrew text simply has “for yet for God words.”
  5. Job 36:3 tn Heb “I will carry my knowledge to-from afar.” The expression means that he will give a wide range to knowledge, that he will speak comprehensively.
  6. Job 36:3 tn This line gives the essence of all of Elihu’s speech—to give or ascribe righteousness to God against the charges of Job. Dhorme translates this “I will justify my Maker,” and that is workable if it carries the meaning of “declaring to be right.”
  7. Job 36:4 tn The word is תְּמִים (temim), often translated “perfect.” It is the same word used of Job in 2:3. Elihu is either a complete stranger to modesty or is confident regarding the knowledge that he believes God has revealed to him for this situation. See the note on the heading before 32:1.
  8. Job 36:5 tn The object “people” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
  9. Job 36:5 tn The text simply repeats “mighty.”
  10. Job 36:5 tn The last two words are simply כֹּחַ לֵב (koakh lev, “strong in heart”), meaning something like “strong; firm in his decisions.”
  11. Job 36:5 tc There are several problems in this verse: the repetition of “mighty,” the lack of an object for “despise,” and the meaning of “strength of heart.” Many commentators reduce the verse to a single line, reading something like “Lo, God does not reject the pure in heart” (Kissane). Dhorme and Pope follow Nichols with: “Lo, God is mighty in strength, and rejects not the pure in heart.” This reading moved “mighty” to the first line and took the second to be בַּר (bar, “pure”).
  12. Job 36:6 tn Or “he does not keep the wicked alive.”
  13. Job 36:7 tc Many commentators accept the change of “his eyes” to “his right” (reading דִּינוֹ [dino] for עֵינָיו [ʿenayv]). There is no compelling reason for the change; it makes the line commonplace.
  14. Job 36:7 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the righteous) has been repeated from the first part of the verse for clarity.
  15. Job 36:7 tn Heb “he seats them forever and exalts them.” The last verb can be understood as expressing a logical consequence of the preceding action (cf. GKC 328 §111.l = “he seats them forever so that he exalts them”). Or the two verbs can be taken as an adverbial hendiadys whereby the first modifies the second adverbially: “he exalts them by seating them forever” or “when he seats them forever” (cf. GKC 326 §111.d). Some interpret this verse to say that God seats kings on the throne, making a change in subject in the middle of the verse. But it makes better sense to see the righteous as the subject matter throughout—they are not only protected, but are exalted.
  16. Job 36:8 tn Dhorme thinks that the verse is still talking about kings, who may be in captivity. But this diverts attention from Elihu’s emphasis on the righteous.
  17. Job 36:9 tn The verb נָגַד (nagad) means “to declare; to tell.” Here it is clear that God is making known the sins that caused the enslavement or captivity, so “reveal” makes a good interpretive translation.
  18. Job 36:9 tn Heb “their work.”
  19. Job 36:10 tn The idiom once again is “he uncovers their ear.”
  20. Job 36:10 tn The revelation is in the preceding verse, and so a pronoun must be added to make the reference clear.
  21. Job 36:10 tn The verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn; to return”) is one of the two major words in the OT for “repent”—to return from evil. Here the imperfect should be obligatory—they must do it.
  22. Job 36:11 tc Some commentators delete this last line for metrical considerations. But there is no textual evidence for the deletion; it is simply the attempt by some to make the meter rigid.
  23. Job 36:12 tn This is a similar expression to the one in Job 33:18, where the suggestion was made by many that it means crossing over the canal or river of death. Some retain the earlier interpretation of “perish by the sword” (cf. NIV).
  24. Job 36:13 tn The expression “godless [or hypocrite] in heart” is an intensification of the description. It conveys that they are intentionally godless. See Matt 23:28.
  25. Job 36:13 tn Heb “they put anger.” This is usually interpreted to mean they lay up anger, or put anger in their hearts.
  26. Job 36:14 tn The text expresses this with “their soul dies.”
  27. Job 36:14 tn Heb “among the male prostitutes” who were at the temple—the “holy ones,” with “holy” being used in that sense of “separated to that form of temple service.” So uncleanness and shame are some of the connotations of the reference. Some modern translations give the general sense only: “their life ends in shame” (NRSV); “and perish among the reprobate” (NAB); “die…after wasting their lives in immoral living” (NLT).
  28. Job 36:15 tn The preposition ב (bet) in these two lines is not location but instrument, not “in” but “by means of.” The affliction and the oppression serve as a warning for sin, and therefore a means of salvation.
  29. Job 36:15 tn Heb “his.”
  30. Job 36:15 tn Heb “he uncovers their ear.”
  31. Job 36:16 tn The Hebrew verb means “to entice; to lure; to allure; to seduce,” but these have negative connotations. The English “to persuade; to draw” might work better. The verb is the Hiphil perfect of סוּת (sut). But the nuance of the verb is difficult. It can be equivalent to an English present expressing what God is doing (Peake). But the subject is contested as well. Since the verb usually has an evil connotation, there have been attempts to make the “plaza” the subject—“the wide place has led you astray” (Ewald).
  32. Job 36:16 tn Heb “a broad place where there is no cramping beneath [or under] it.”
  33. Job 36:16 tn The word נַחַת (nakhat) could be translated “set” if it is connected with the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest,” but then “to lay to rest, to set”). Kissane translates it “comfort.” Dhorme thinks it could come from נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”) or נָחַת (nakhat, “to descend”). But his conclusion is that it is a dittography after “under it” (p. 545).
  34. Job 36:16 tn Heb “filled with fat.”
  35. Job 36:18 tn The first expression is idiomatic: the text says, “because wrath lest it entice you”—thus, beware.
  36. Job 36:18 tn The word is כֹּפֶר (kofer), often translated “ransom,” but frequently in the sense of a bribe.
  37. Job 36:19 tn The form in the MT is “your cry (for help).” See J. E. Hartley (Job [NICOT], 472-73) and E. Dhorme (Job, 547-48) on the difficulties.
  38. Job 36:19 tn This part has only two words לֹא בְצָר (loʾ betsar, “not in distress”). The negated phrase serves to explain the first colon.
  39. Job 36:19 tc For the many suggestions and the reasoning here, see the commentaries.
  40. Job 36:20 tn The meaning of this line is difficult. There are numerous suggestions for emending the text. Kissane takes the first verb in the sense of “oppress,” and for “the night” he has “belonging to you,” meaning “your people.” This reads: “Oppress not them that belong not to you, that your kinsmen may mount up in their place.”
  41. Job 36:21 tn Normally “tested” would be the translation for the Niphal of בָּחַר (bakhar). Although the Qal is employed here, the context favors “tested” rather than “chose.”
  42. Job 36:22 tn The word מוֹרֶה (moreh) is the Hiphil participle from יָרַה (yarah). It is related to the noun תּוֹרָה (torah, “what is taught” i.e., the law).
  43. Job 36:24 tn The expression is “that you extol,” serving as an object of the verb.
  44. Job 36:26 tn The last part has the verbal construction, “and we do not know.” This clause is to be used adverbially: “beyond our understanding.”
  45. Job 36:27 tn The verb means “to filter; to refine,” and so a plural subject with the drops of water as the subject will not work. So many read the singular, “he distills.”
  46. Job 36:27 tn This word עֵד (ʿed) occurs also in Gen 2:6. The suggestion has been that instead of a mist it represents an underground watercourse that wells up to water the ground.
  47. Job 36:29 tn Heb “his booth.”
  48. Job 36:30 tn The word actually means “to spread,” but with lightning as the object, “to scatter” appears to fit the context better.
  49. Job 36:30 tn The word is “light,” but taken to mean “lightning.” Theodotion had “mist” here, and so most commentators follow that because it is more appropriate to the verb and the context.
  50. Job 36:30 tn Heb “roots.”
  51. Job 36:31 tn The verb is יָדִין (yadin, “he judges”). Houbigant proposed יָזוּן (yazun, “he nourishes”). This has found wide acceptance among commentators (cf. NAB). G. R. Driver retained the MT but gave a meaning “enriches” to the verb (“Problems in the Hebrew text of Job,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 88ff.).
  52. Job 36:32 tn R. Gordis (Job, 422) prefers to link this word with the later Hebrew word for “arch,” not “hands.”
  53. Job 36:32 tn Because the image might mean that God grabs the lightning and hurls it like a javelin (cf. NLT), some commentators want to change “covers” to other verbs. Dhorme has “lifts” (נִשָּׂא [nissaʾ] for כִּסָּה [kissah]). This fit the idea of God directing the lightning bolts.
  54. Job 36:33 tn Peake knew of over thirty interpretations for this verse. The MT literally says, “He declares his purpose [or his shout] concerning it; cattle also concerning what rises.” Dhorme has it: “The flock which sniffs the coming storm has warned the shepherd.” Kissane: “The thunder declares concerning him, as he excites wrath against iniquity.” Gordis translates it: “His thunderclap proclaims his presence, and the storm his mighty wrath.” Many more could be added to the list.
  55. Job 36:33 tn The meaning of this verse is disputed; it may refer to cattle sensing the approaching storm.
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Job 35
Job 37
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Proverbs 23
New English Translation

23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
consider carefully[a] what[b] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat[c]
if you possess a large appetite.[d]
3 Do not crave that ruler’s[e] delicacies,
for[f] that food is deceptive.[g]
4 Do not wear yourself out to become rich;
be wise enough to restrain yourself.[h]
5 When you gaze upon riches,[i] they are gone,
for they surely make wings for themselves,
and fly off into the sky like an eagle![j]
6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person,[k]
do not crave his delicacies;
7 for he is[l] like someone who has calculated the cost[m] in his mind.[n]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you;
8 you will vomit up[o] the little bit you have eaten,
and will have wasted your pleasant words.[p]
9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool,[q]
for he will despise the wisdom of your words.[r]
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,
or take over[s] the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Protector[t] is strong;
he will plead their case against you.[u]
12 Apply[v] your heart to instruction
and your ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
even if you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike[w] him with the rod,
you will deliver him[x] from death.[y]
15 My child,[z] if your heart is wise,
then my heart also will be glad;
16 my soul[aa] will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.[ab]
17 Do not let your heart envy[ac] sinners,
but rather be zealous in fearing the Lord[ad] all the time.
18 For surely there is a future,[ae]
and your hope will not be cut off.[af]
19 Listen, my child,[ag] and be wise,
and guide your heart on the right way.
20 Do not spend time[ah] among drunkards,[ai]
among those who eat too much[aj] meat,
21 because drunkards and gluttons become impoverished,
and drowsiness[ak] clothes them with rags.[al]
22 Listen to your father who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Acquire[am] truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly;[an]
whoever fathers a wise child[ao] will have joy in him.
25 May your father and your mother have joy;
may she who bore you rejoice.[ap]
26 Give me your heart, my son,[aq]
and let your eyes observe my ways;
27 for a prostitute is like[ar] a deep pit;
a harlot[as] is like[at] a narrow well.[au]
28 Indeed, she lies in wait like a robber,[av]
and increases the unfaithful[aw] among men.[ax]
29 Who has woe?[ay] Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness[az] of the eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine.[ba]
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
when it sparkles[bb] in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly.[bc]
32 Afterward[bd] it bites like a snake,
and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,[be]
and your mind will speak perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the midst[bf] of the sea,
and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging.[bg]
35 You will say,[bh] “They have struck me, but I am not harmed!
They beat me, but I did not know it![bi]
When will I awake? I will look for another drink.”[bj]

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:1 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense of instruction with the infinitive absolute to emphasize the careful discernment required on such occasions. Cf. NIV “note well”; NLT “pay attention.”
  2. Proverbs 23:1 tn Or “who,” referring to the ruler (so ASV, NAB, TEV).
  3. Proverbs 23:2 sn The expression “put a knife to your throat” is an idiom that means “curb your appetite” or “control yourself” (cf. TEV). The instruction was from a time when people dealt with all-powerful tyrants. To enter the presence of such a person and indulge one’s appetites would be to take a very high risk.
  4. Proverbs 23:2 tn Heb “an owner of appetite.” The idiom בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ (baʿal nefesh) refers to someone who possesses a large appetite (cf. NAB “a ravenous appetite”). A person with a big appetite is in danger of taking liberties when invited to court.
  5. Proverbs 23:3 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the ruler mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. Proverbs 23:3 sn The final line gives the causal clause: The impressive feast is not what it appears to be; the king is not doing you a favor, but rather wants something from you or is observing you (K&D 17:104); cf. TEV “he may be trying to trick you.”
  7. Proverbs 23:3 sn Verses 1-3 form the sixth saying about being cautious before rulers (cf. Instruction of Amememope, chap. 23, 23:13-18). One should not get too familiar with rulers, for they always have ulterior motives. The Mishnah cites Gamaliel as warning that a ruler only draws someone into his court for his purpose, but in their day of trouble he will not be there to help them (m. Avot 2:3).
  8. Proverbs 23:4 tn Heb “from your understanding cease.” In the context this means that the person should have enough understanding to stop wearing himself out trying to be rich (cf. NRSV “be wise enough to desist”).
  9. Proverbs 23:5 tc The Kethib is הֲתָעוּף (hataʿuf), “do your eyes fly [light] on it?” The Qere is the Hiphil, הֲתָעִיף (hataʿif) “do you cause your eyes to fly on it?” But the line is difficult. The question may be indirect: If you cast your eyes on it, it is gone—when you think you are close, it slips away.tn The term “riches” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation based on the previous verse.
  10. Proverbs 23:5 sn This seventh saying warns people not to expend all their energy trying to get rich because riches are fleeting (cf. Instruction of Amememope, chap. 7, 9:10-11 which says, “they have made themselves wings like geese and have flown away to heaven”). In the ancient world the symbol of birds flying away signified fleeting wealth.
  11. Proverbs 23:6 tn Heb “an evil eye.” This is the opposite of the “good eye” which meant the generous man. The “evil eye” refers to a person who is out to get everything for himself (cf. NASB, NCV, CEV “selfish”). He is ill-mannered and inhospitable (e.g., Prov 28:22). He is up to no good—even though he may appear to be a host.
  12. Proverbs 23:7 tc The line is difficult; multiple options are possible. As vocalized, the Hebrew says “For, as he has calculated in his soul, so he is.” As it appears in the MT, the line appears to mean that the miser is the kind of person who has calculated the cost of everything in his mind as he offers the food. The LXX has: “Eating and drinking with him is as if one should swallow a hair; do not introduce him to your company nor eat bread with him.” A somewhat free rendering is common in the LXX of Proverbs, but we can infer a Hebrew text which says “For, like a hair in his throat, so he is.” The issue revolves around the letters שער (shin/sin, ʿayin, and resh). The MT reads שָׁעַר (shaʿar) “to calculate” while the LXX has read שֵׂעָר (seʿar) “hair.” The choice here affects which meaning of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) “soul, throat, breath, life, desire” that translators apply. However verbs of thinking typically relate to the mind (לֵבָב/לֵב; levav/lev, also translated “heart”) and not to the נֶפֶשׁ. The consonants could also be vocalized as שֹׁעָר (shoʿar) “something rotten [in one’s throat]” or שַׁעַר (shaʿar) “a gate [in one’s throat].” The readings taking נֶפֶשׁ to mean “throat” would picture an irritating experience. The Instruction of Amenemope uses “blocking the throat” in a similar saying (chapt. 11, 14:7 [ANET 423]). Most translations follow the MT, while the NRSV accepts the reading “hair.”
  13. Proverbs 23:7 tn The phrase “the cost” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the verb; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  14. Proverbs 23:7 tn Heb “soul.”
  15. Proverbs 23:8 sn Eating and drinking with a selfish miser would be irritating and disgusting. The line is hyperbolic; the whole experience turns the stomach.
  16. Proverbs 23:8 tn Or “your compliments” (so NASB, NIV); cf. TEV “your flattery.”sn This is the eighth saying; it claims that it would be a mistake to accept hospitality from a stingy person. He is always thinking about the cost, his heart is not in it, and any attempt at pleasant conversation will be lost.
  17. Proverbs 23:9 sn The mention of “the ears” emphasizes the concerted effort to get the person’s undivided attention. However, a fool rejects instruction and discipline.
  18. Proverbs 23:9 sn Saying number nine indicates that wisdom is wasted on a fool. The literature of Egypt has no specific parallel to this one.
  19. Proverbs 23:10 tn Or “encroach on” (NIV, NRSV); Heb “go into.”
  20. Proverbs 23:11 tn The participle גֹּאֵל (goʾel) describes a “kinsman redeemer.” Some English versions explicitly cite “God” (e.g., NCV, CEV) or “the Lord” (e.g. TEV). sn The Hebrew term describes a “kinsman-redeemer.” That individual would be a rich or powerful relative who can protect the family; he does this by paying off the debts of a poor relative, buying up the property of a relative who sells himself into slavery, marrying the widow of a deceased relative to keep the inheritance in the family, or taking vengeance on someone who harms a relative, that vengeance often resulting in delivering (“redeeming”) the relative from bondage. If there was no human “kinsman redeemer,” then the defenseless had to rely on God to perform these actions (e.g., Gen 48:16; Exod 6:6; Job 19:25; Isa 41-63). In the prophetic literature God is presented as the Redeemer in that he takes vengeance on the enemies (the Babylonians) to deliverer his people (kin). In this proverb the Lord is probably the Protector of these people who will champion their cause and set things right.
  21. Proverbs 23:11 sn This is the tenth saying; once again there is a warning not to encroach on other people’s rights and property, especially the defenseless (see v. 10; 22:22-23, 28).
  22. Proverbs 23:12 tn Heb “bring.” The Hiphil imperative “come; enter” means “to apply the heart,” to use the heart or mind in the process. The same would be true in the second half: “to bring the ears” would mean to listen very carefully. Cf. TEV “Pay attention.”
  23. Proverbs 23:14 tn Or “punish” (NIV). The syntax of these two lines suggests a conditional clause (cf. NCV, NRSV).
  24. Proverbs 23:14 tn Heb “his soul.” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= soul) for the whole (= person); see BDB 660 s.v. 4.
  25. Proverbs 23:14 tn The term שְׁאוֹל (sheʾol, “Sheol”) in this context probably means “death” (so NIV, NCV, NLT) and not the realm of the departed (wicked) spirits (cf. NAB “the nether world”). In the wisdom of other lands, Ahiqar 6:82 says, “If I strike you, my son, you will not die.” The idea is that discipline helps the child to a full life; if the child dies prematurely, it would be more than likely a consequence of not being trained by discipline. In the book of Proverbs the “death” mentioned here could be social as well as physical.
  26. Proverbs 23:15 tn Heb “my son,” although the context does not limit this exhortation to male children.
  27. Proverbs 23:16 tn Heb “my kidneys”; in biblical Hebrew the term was used for the innermost being, the soul, the central location of the passions. Cf. NASB, NIV “my inmost being.”
  28. Proverbs 23:16 sn This twelfth saying simply observes that children bring joy to their parents when they demonstrate wisdom. The quatrain is arranged in a chiastic structure (AB:B'A'): The first line (A) speaks of wisdom in the child, and it is paired with the last line (A') which speaks of the child’s saying what is right. In between these brackets are two lines (B and B') concerning joy to the parent.
  29. Proverbs 23:17 tn The verb in this line is אַל־יְקַנֵּא (ʾal yeqanneʾ), the Piel jussive negated. The verb means “to be jealous, to be zealous”; it describes passionate intensity for something. In English, if the object is illegitimate, it is called “envy”; if it is correct, it is called “zeal.” Here the warning is not to envy the sinners. The second colon could use the verb in the positive sense to mean “but rather let your passion burn for the fear of the Lord.”
  30. Proverbs 23:17 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” This expression features an objective genitive: “fearing the Lord.”
  31. Proverbs 23:18 tn Heb “end” (so KJV); ASV “a reward.”
  32. Proverbs 23:18 sn The saying is an understatement; far from being cut off, the “hope” will be realized in the end. So this saying, the thirteenth, advises people to be zealous for the fear of the Lord, their religion, rather than for anything that sinners have to offer.
  33. Proverbs 23:19 tn Heb “my son,” but the immediate context does not limit this to male children.
  34. Proverbs 23:20 tn Heb “do not be among,” but in the sense of “associate with” (TEV); “join” (NIV); “consort…with” (NAB).
  35. Proverbs 23:20 tn The verb סָבָא (savaʾ) means “to imbibe; to drink largely.” The participial construction here, סֹבְאֵי־יַיִן (soveʾe yayin), describes “drunkards” (cf. NLT) which is somewhat stronger than saying it refers to “people who drink too much” (cf. NIV, TEV).
  36. Proverbs 23:20 tn The verb זָלַל (zalal) means “to be light; to be worthless; to make light of.” Making light of something came to mean “to be lavish with; to squander,” especially with regard to food. So it describes “gluttons” primarily, but in the expression there is also room for the person who wastes a lot of food as well.
  37. Proverbs 23:21 tn Here “drowsiness” is a metonymy of effect or adjunct, put for the drunkenness and gluttony that causes it. So all of it, the drunkenness and the drowsiness that comes from it, brings on the ruin (cf. CEV “you will end up poor”). Likewise, “rags” is a metonymy of adjunct, associated with the poverty brought on by a dissolute lifestyle.
  38. Proverbs 23:21 sn This is the fourteenth saying, warning about poor associations. Drunkenness and gluttony represent the epitome of the lack of discipline. In the Mishnah they are used to measure a stubborn and rebellious son (m. Sanhedrin 8). W. G. Plaut notes that excessive drinking and eating are usually symptoms of deeper problems; we usually focus more on the drinking because it is dangerous to others (Proverbs, 241-42).
  39. Proverbs 23:23 tn Heb “buy” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “Invest in truth.”sn The sixteenth saying is an instruction to buy/acquire the kind of life that pleases God and brings joy to parents. “Getting truth” would mean getting training in the truth, and getting wisdom and understanding would mean developing the perception and practical knowledge of the truth.
  40. Proverbs 23:24 tc The Qere reading has the imperfect יָגִיל (yagil) with the cognate accusative גִּיל (gil) which intensifies the meaning and the specific future of this verb.
  41. Proverbs 23:24 tn The term “child” is supplied for the masculine singular adjective here.
  42. Proverbs 23:25 tn The form תָגֵל (tagel) is clearly a short form and therefore a jussive (“may she…rejoice”); if this second verb is a jussive, then the parallel יִשְׂמַח (yismakh) should be a jussive also (“may your father and your mother have joy”).
  43. Proverbs 23:26 tn Heb “my son”; the reference to a “son” is retained in the translation here because in the following lines the advice is to avoid women who are prostitutes.
  44. Proverbs 23:27 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
  45. Proverbs 23:27 tn Heb “foreign woman” (so ASV). The term נָכְרִיָּה (nokhriyyah, “foreign woman”) often refers to a prostitute (e.g., Prov 2:6; 5:20; 6:24; 7:5). While not all foreign women in Israel were prostitutes, their prospects for economic survival were meager and many turned to prostitution to earn a living. Some English versions see this term referring to an adulteress as opposed to a prostitute (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  46. Proverbs 23:27 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  47. Proverbs 23:27 sn In either case, whether a prostitute or an adulteress wife is involved, the danger is the same. The metaphors of a “deep pit” and a “narrow well” describe this sin as one that is a trap from which there is no escape. The “pit” is a gateway to Sheol, and those who enter are as good as dead, whether socially or through punishment physically.
  48. Proverbs 23:28 tn The noun חֶתֶף (khetef) is defined by BDB 369 s.v. as “prey,” while HALOT 365 s.v. defines it as “robber.” This is the only occurrence of the word in the OT, but HALOT also cites two uses in Ben Sirah. The related verb (חָתַף, khataf) means “to snatch away” according to both dictionaries (BDB 368-69 s.v.; HALOT 365 s.v.), while the cognates assembled by HALOT have a different nuance: Akkadian “to slaughter,” Syriac “to break to pieces,” and an Arabic noun meaning “death.” Like the noun, the verb only occurs once in the OT, Job 9:12. In this passage the noun could have either a passive sense (what is seized = prey), or an active sense (the one who seizes = a robber, bandit). The traditional rendering is “prey” (KJV); most modern English versions have the active sense (“robber” or similar; cf. NIV “like a bandit”). Since the prepositional phrase (the simile) is modifying the woman, the active sense works better in the translation.
  49. Proverbs 23:28 tn The verb בָּגַד (bagad), here a participle, means “to act treacherously, with duplicity, or to betray.” Such a woman induces men to prove unfaithful to their wives and to the law of God. Dahood repoints it as בְּגָדִים (begadim, “garments”), saying that she collects garments in pledge for her service (M. Dahood, “To Pawn One’s Cloak,” Bib 42 [1961]: 359-66). But that is far-fetched; it might have happened on occasion, but as a common custom it is unlikely. Besides that, the text in the MT makes perfectly good sense without such a change.
  50. Proverbs 23:28 sn Verses 26-28 comprise the seventeenth saying; it warns the young person to follow the instructions about temptations because there are plenty of temptresses lurking about.
  51. Proverbs 23:29 sn The eighteenth saying is about excessive drinking. The style changes here as the sage breaks into a vivid use of the imagination. It begins with a riddle describing the effects of drunkenness (v. 29) and gives the answer in v. 30; instructions follow in v. 31, with the consequences described in v. 32; the direct address continues in vv. 33 and 34; and the whole subject is concluded with the drunkard’s own words in v. 35 (M. E. Andrews, “Variety of Expression in Proverbs 23:29-35, ” VT 28 [1978]: 102-3).
  52. Proverbs 23:29 sn The Hebrew word translated “dullness” describes darkness or dullness of the eyes due to intoxication, perhaps “redness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NCV, NLT “bloodshot eyes.” NAB understands the situation differently: “black eyes.”
  53. Proverbs 23:30 sn The answer to the question posed in v. 29 is obviously one who drinks too much, which this verse uses metonymies to point out. Lingering over wine is an adjunct of drinking more wine; and seeking mixed wine obviously means with the effect or the purpose of drinking it.
  54. Proverbs 23:31 tn Heb “its eye gives.” With CEV’s “bubbling up in the glass” one might think champagne was in view.
  55. Proverbs 23:31 tn The expression is difficult. The imagery has some similarity to Song 7:9, although the parallel is not exact. The verb is the Hitpael imperfect of הָלַךְ (halakh); and the prepositional phrase uses the word “upright; equity; pleasing,” from יָשָׁר (yashar). KJV has “when it moveth itself aright”; much more helpful is ASV “when it goeth down smoothly.” Most recent English versions are similar to ASV. The phrase obviously refers to the pleasing nature of wine.
  56. Proverbs 23:32 tn Heb “its end”; NASB “At the last”; TEV (interpretively) “The next morning.”
  57. Proverbs 23:33 tn The feminine plural of זָר (zar, “strange things”) refers to the trouble one has in seeing and speaking when drunk.
  58. Proverbs 23:34 tn Heb “heart.” The idiom here means “middle”; KJV “in the midst.”
  59. Proverbs 23:34 sn The point of these similes is to compare being drunk with being seasick. One who tries to sleep when at sea, or even worse, when up on the ropes of the mast, will be tossed back and forth.
  60. Proverbs 23:35 tn The phrase “You will say” is supplied in the translation to make it clear that the drunkard is now speaking.
  61. Proverbs 23:35 sn The line describes how one who is intoxicated does not feel the pain, even though beaten by others. He does not even remember it.
  62. Proverbs 23:35 tn The last line has only “I will add I will seek it again.” The use of אוֹסִיף (ʾosif) signals a verbal hendiadys with the next verb: “I will again seek it.” In this context the suffix on the verb refers to the wine—the drunkard wants to go and get another drink.
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2 Peter 3
New English Translation

The False Teachers’ Denial of the Lord’s Return

3 Dear friends, this is already the second letter I have written[a] you, in which[b] I am trying to stir up[c] your pure mind by way of reminder: 2 I want you to recall[d] both[e] the predictions[f] foretold by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.[g] 3 Above all, understand this:[h] In the last days blatant scoffers[i] will come, being propelled by their own evil urges[j] 4 and saying,[k] “Where is his promised return?[l] For ever since[m] our ancestors[n] died,[o] all things have continued as they were[p] from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately suppress this fact,[q] that by the word of God[r] heavens existed long ago and an earth[s] was formed out of water and by means of water. 6 Through these things[t] the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water. 7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.[u]

8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice,[v] that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise,[w] as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish[x] for any[y] to perish but for all to come to repentance.[z] 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes,[aa] the heavens will disappear[ab] with a horrific noise,[ac] and the celestial bodies[ad] will melt away[ae] in a blaze,[af] and the earth and every deed done on it[ag] will be laid bare.[ah] 11 Since all these things are to melt away[ai] in this manner,[aj] what sort of people must you[ak] be, conducting your lives in holiness and godliness,[al] 12 while waiting for and hastening[am] the coming of the day of God?[an] Because of this day,[ao] the heavens will be burned up and[ap] dissolve, and the celestial bodies[aq] will melt away in a blaze![ar] 13 But, according to his promise, we are waiting for[as] new heavens and a new earth, in which[at] righteousness truly resides.[au]

Exhortation to the Faithful

14 Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting for[av] these things, strive to be found[aw] at peace, without spot or blemish, when you come into his presence.[ax] 15 And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation,[ay] just as also our dear brother Paul[az] wrote to you,[ba] according to the wisdom given to him, 16 speaking of these things in all his letters.[bb] Some things in these letters[bc] are hard to understand, things[bd] the ignorant and unstable twist[be] to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures.[bf] 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned,[bg] be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men[bh] and fall from your firm grasp on the truth.[bi] 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge[bj] of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on[bk] that eternal day.[bl]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 3:1 tn Grk “I am already writing this [as] a second letter.” The object-complement construction is more smoothly rendered in English a bit differently. Further, although the present tense γράφω (graphō) is used here, English convention employs an epistolary past tense. (The Greek epistolary aorist might have been expected here, but it also occurs in situations unlike its English counterparts.)
  2. 2 Peter 3:1 tn The relative pronoun is plural, indicating that the following statement is true about both letters.
  3. 2 Peter 3:1 tn Or “I have stirred up, aroused.” The translation treats the present tense verb as a conative present.
  4. 2 Peter 3:2 tn Grk “to remember.” “I want you” is supplied to smooth out the English. The Greek infinitive is subordinate to the previous clause.
  5. 2 Peter 3:2 tn “Both” is not in Greek; it is supplied to show more clearly that there are two objects of the infinitive “to remember”—predictions and commandment.
  6. 2 Peter 3:2 tn Grk “words.” In conjunction with πρόειπον (proeipon), however, the meaning of the construction is that the prophets uttered prophecies.
  7. 2 Peter 3:2 sn Holy prophets…apostles. The first chapter demonstrated that the OT prophets were trustworthy guides (1:19-21) and that the NT apostles were also authoritative (1:16-18). Now, using the same catch phrase found in the Greek text of 1:20 (τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες, touto prōton ginōskontes), Peter points to specific prophecies of the prophets as an argument against the false teachers.
  8. 2 Peter 3:3 tn Grk “knowing this [to be] foremost.” Τοῦτο πρῶτον (touto prōton) constitute the object and complement of γινώσκοντες (ginōskontes). The participle is loosely dependent on the infinitive in v. 2 (“[I want you] to recall”), perhaps in a telic sense (thus, “[I want you] to recall…[and especially] to understand this as foremost”). The following statement then would constitute the main predictions with which the author was presently concerned. An alternative is to take it imperativally: “Above all, know this.” In this instance, however, there is little semantic difference (since a telic participle and imperatival participle end up urging an action). Cf. also 2 Pet 1:20.
  9. 2 Peter 3:3 tn The Greek reads “scoffers in their scoffing” for “blatant scoffers.” The use of the cognate dative is a Semitism designed to intensify the word it is related to. The idiom is foreign to English. As a Semitism, it is further incidental evidence of the authenticity of the letter (see the note on “Simeon” in 1:1 for other evidence).
  10. 2 Peter 3:3 tn Grk “going according to their own evil urges.”
  11. 2 Peter 3:4 tn The present participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) most likely indicates result. Thus, their denial of the Lord’s return is the result of their lifestyle. The connection to the false teachers of chapter 2 is thus made clear.
  12. 2 Peter 3:4 tn Grk “Where is the promise of his coming?” The genitive παρουσίας (parousias, “coming, advent, return”) is best taken as an attributed genitive (in which the head noun, promise, functions semantically as an adjective; see ExSyn 89-91).
  13. 2 Peter 3:4 tn The prepositional phrase with the relative pronoun, ἀφ᾿ ἧς (aph’ |ēs), is used adverbially or conjunctively without antecedent (see BDAG 727 s.v. ὅς 1.k.).
  14. 2 Peter 3:4 tn Grk “fathers.” The reference could be either to the OT patriarchs or first generation Christians. This latter meaning, however, is unattested in any other early Christian literature.
  15. 2 Peter 3:4 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
  16. 2 Peter 3:4 tn Grk “thus,” “in the same manner.”
  17. 2 Peter 3:5 tn The Greek is difficult at this point. An alternative is “Even though they maintain this, it escapes them that…” Literally the idea seems to be: “For this escapes these [men] who wish [it to be so].”
  18. 2 Peter 3:5 tn The word order in Greek places “the word of God” at the end of the sentence. See discussion in the note on “these things” in v. 6.
  19. 2 Peter 3:5 tn Or “land,” “the earth.”
  20. 2 Peter 3:6 tn The antecedent is ambiguous. It could refer to the heavens, the heavens and earth, or the water and the word. If the reference is to the heavens, the author is reflecting on the Genesis account about “the floodgates of the heavens” being opened (Gen 7:11). If the reference is to the heavens and earth, he is also thinking about the cosmic upheaval that helped to produce the flood (Gen 6:11). If the reference is to the water and the word, he is indicating both the means (water) and the cause (word of God). This last interpretation is the most likely since the final nouns of v. 5 are “water” and “word of God,” making them the nearest antecedents.
  21. 2 Peter 3:7 tn Grk “the ungodly people.”
  22. 2 Peter 3:8 tn The same verb, λανθάνω (lanthanō, “escape”) used in v. 5 is found here (there, translated “suppress”).
  23. 2 Peter 3:9 tn Or perhaps, “the Lord is not delaying [the fulfillment of] his promise,” or perhaps “the Lord of the promise is not delaying.” The verb can mean “to delay,” “to be slow,” or “to be hesitant.”
  24. 2 Peter 3:9 tn Grk “not wishing.” The participle most likely has a causal force, explaining why the Lord is patient.
  25. 2 Peter 3:9 sn He does not wish for any to perish. This verse has been a battleground between Arminians and Calvinists. The former argue that God wants all people to be saved, but either through inability or restriction of his own sovereignty does not interfere with peoples’ wills. Some of the latter argue that the “any” here means “any of you” and that all the elect will repent before the return of Christ, because this is God’s will. Both of these positions have problems. The “any” in this context means “any of you.” (This can be seen by the dependent participle which gives the reason why the Lord is patient “toward you.”) There are hints throughout this letter that the readership may be mixed, including both true believers and others who are “sitting on the fence” as it were. But to make the equation of this readership with the elect is unlikely. This would seem to require, in its historical context, that all of these readers would be saved. But not all who attend church know the Lord or will know the Lord. Simon the Magician, whom Peter had confronted in Acts 8, is a case in point. This is evident in contemporary churches when a pastor addresses the congregation as “brothers, sisters, saints, etc.,” yet concludes the message with an evangelistic appeal. When an apostle or pastor addresses a group as “Christian” he does not necessarily think that every individual in the congregation is truly a Christian. Thus, the literary context seems to be against the Arminian view, while the historical context seems to be against (one representation of) the Calvinist view. The answer to this conundrum is found in the term “wish” (a participle in Greek from the verb boulomai). It often represents a mere wish, or one’s desiderative will, rather than one’s resolve. Unless God’s will is viewed on the two planes of his desiderative and decretive will (what he desires and what he decrees), hopeless confusion will result. The scriptures amply illustrate both that God sometimes decrees things that he does not desire and desires things that he does not decree. It is not that his will can be thwarted, nor that he has limited his sovereignty. But the mystery of God’s dealings with humanity is best seen if this tension is preserved. Otherwise, either God will be perceived as good but impotent or as a sovereign taskmaster. Here the idea that God does not wish for any to perish speaks only of God’s desiderative will, without comment on his decretive will.
  26. 2 Peter 3:9 tn Grk “reach to repentance.” Repentance thus seems to be a quantifiable state, or turning point. The verb χωρέω (chōreō, “reach”) typically involves the connotation of “obtain the full measure of” something. It is thus most appropriate as referring to the repentance that accompanies conversion.
  27. 2 Peter 3:10 tn Grk “in which.”
  28. 2 Peter 3:10 tn Or “pass away.”
  29. 2 Peter 3:10 tn Or “hissing sound,” “whirring sound,” “rushing sound,” or “loud noise.” The word occurs only here in the NT. It was often used of the crackle of a fire, as would appear appropriate in this context.
  30. 2 Peter 3:10 tn Grk “elements.” Most commentators are agreed that “celestial bodies” is meant, in light of this well-worn usage of στοιχεῖα (stoicheia) in the 2nd century and the probable allusion to Isa 34:4 (text of Vaticanus). See R. Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter [WBC], 315-16 for discussion.
  31. 2 Peter 3:10 tn Grk “be dissolved.”
  32. 2 Peter 3:10 tn Grk “being burned up.”
  33. 2 Peter 3:10 tn Grk “the works in it.”
  34. 2 Peter 3:10 tc ‡ One of the most difficult textual problems in the NT is found in v. 10. The reading εὑρεθήσεται (heurethēsetai), which enjoys by far the best support (א B K P 0156vid 323 1175 1241 1739txt 1852) is nevertheless so difficult a reading that many scholars regard it as nonsensical. (NA27 lists five conjectures by scholars, from Hort to Mayor, in this text. All conjectures were eliminated in the NA28 apparatus) As R. Bauckham has pointed out, solutions to the problem are of three sorts: (1) conjectural emendation (which normally speaks more of the ingenuity of the scholar who makes the proposal than of the truth of the conjecture, e.g., changing one letter in the previous word, ἔργα [erga] becomes ἄργα [arga] with the meaning, “the earth and the things in it will be found useless”); (2) adoption of one of several variant readings (all of which, however, are easier than this one and simply cannot explain how this reading arose, e.g., the reading of P72 which adds λυόμενα [luomena] to the verb—a reading suggested no doubt by the threefold occurrence of this verb in the surrounding verses: “the earth and its works will be found dissolved”; or the simplest variant, the reading of the Sahidic mss and a couple of other ancient versions, οὐχ [ouch] preceding εὑρεθήσεται—“will not be found”); or (3) interpretive gymnastics which regards the text as settled but has to do some manipulation to its normal meaning. Bauckham puts forth an excellent case that the third option is to be preferred and that the meaning of the term is virtually the equivalent of “will be disclosed,” “will be manifested.” (That this meaning is not readily apparent may in fact have been the reason for so many variants and conjectures.) Thus, the force of the clause is that “the earth and the works [done by men] in it will be stripped bare [before God].” In addition, the unusualness of the expression is certainly in keeping with the author’s style throughout this little book. Hence, what looks to be suspect because of its abnormalities, upon closer inspection is actually in keeping with the author’s stylistic idiosyncrasies. The meaning of the text then is that all but the earth and mankind’s works will be destroyed. Everything will be removed so that humanity will stand naked before God. Textually, then, on both external and internal grounds, εὑρεθήσεται commends itself as the preferred reading.
  35. 2 Peter 3:11 tn Grk “all these things thus being dissolved.”
  36. 2 Peter 3:11 tn Or “thus.”
  37. 2 Peter 3:11 tc ‡ Most mss have a pronoun with the infinitive—either ὑμᾶς (humas, “you”; found in A C P Ψ 048vid 33 1739 M, the corrector of P72, the second corrector of א, and many other witnesses), ἡμᾶς (hēmas, “we”; read by א* 5 630 2464), or ἑαυτούς (heautous, “[you your]selves/[we our]selves,” read by 1243). But the shorter reading (with no pronoun) has the support of P72*,74vid B 1175. Though slim, the evidence for the omission is nevertheless the earliest. Further, the addition of some pronoun, especially the second person pronoun, seems to be a clarifying variant. It would be difficult to explain the pronoun’s absence in some witnesses if the pronoun were original. That three different pronouns have shown up in the mss is testimony for the omission’s authenticity. Thus, on external and internal grounds, the omission is preferred. For English style requirements, however, some pronoun has to be added. NA27 has ὑμᾶς in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity, while NA28 drops the brackets.tn Or “you.”
  38. 2 Peter 3:11 tn Grk “in holy conduct and godliness.”
  39. 2 Peter 3:12 tn Or possibly, “striving for,” but the meaning “hasten” for σπουδάζω (spoudazō) is normative in Jewish apocalyptic literature (in which the coming of the Messiah/the end is anticipated). Such a hastening is not an arm-twisting of the divine volition, but a response by believers that has been decreed by God.
  40. 2 Peter 3:12 sn The coming of the day of God. Peter elsewhere describes the coming or parousia as the coming of Christ (cf. 2 Pet 1:16; 3:4). The almost casual exchange between “God” and “Christ” in this little book, and elsewhere in the NT, argues strongly for the deity of Christ (see esp. 1:1).
  41. 2 Peter 3:12 tn Grk “on account of which” (a subordinate relative clause in Greek).
  42. 2 Peter 3:12 tn Grk “being burned up, will dissolve.”
  43. 2 Peter 3:12 tn See note in v. 10 on “celestial bodies.”
  44. 2 Peter 3:12 tn Grk “being burned up” (see v. 10).
  45. 2 Peter 3:13 tn Or possibly, “let us wait for.” The form in Greek (προσδόκωμεν, prosdokōmen) could be either indicative or subjunctive. The present participle in v. 14, however, is best taken causally (“since you are waiting for”), suggesting that the indicative is to be read here.
  46. 2 Peter 3:13 tn The relative pronoun is plural, indicating that the sphere in which righteousness dwells is both the new heavens and the new earth.
  47. 2 Peter 3:13 tn Grk “dwells.” The verb κατοικέω (katoikeō) is an intensive cognate of οἰκέω (oikeō), often with the connotation of “taking up residence,” “settling down,” being at home,” etc. Cf., e.g., Matt 2:23; Acts 17:26; 22:12; Eph 3:17; Col 1:19; 2:9. Hence, the addition of the adverb “truly” is implicit in the connotation of the verb in a context such as this.
  48. 2 Peter 3:14 tn Grk “dear friends, waiting for.” See note in v. 13 on “waiting for.”
  49. 2 Peter 3:14 sn The Greek verb used in the phrase strive to be found is the same as is found in v. 10, translated “laid bare.” In typical Petrine fashion, a conceptual link is made by the same linkage of terms. The point of these two verses thus becomes clear: When the heavens disappear and the earth and its inhabitants are stripped bare before the throne of God, they should strive to make sure that their lives are pure and that they have nothing to hide.
  50. 2 Peter 3:14 tn “When you come into” is not in Greek. However, the dative pronoun αὐτῷ (autō) does not indicate agency (“by him”), but presence or sphere. The idea is “strive to be found {before him/in his presence}.”
  51. 2 Peter 3:15 tn The language here is cryptic. It probably means “regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation.” In the least, Peter is urging his audience to take a different view of the delay of the parousia than that of the false teachers.
  52. 2 Peter 3:15 sn Critics generally assume that 2 Peter is not authentic, partially because in vv. 15-16 Paul is said to have written scripture. It is assumed that a recognition of Paul’s writings as scripture could not have happened until early in the 2nd century. However, in the same breath that Paul is canonized, Peter also calls him “brother.” This is unparalleled in the 2nd century apocryphal works, as well as early patristic writings, in which the apostles are universally elevated above the author and readers; here, Peter simply says “he’s one of us.”
  53. 2 Peter 3:15 sn Paul wrote to you. That Paul had written to these people indicates that they are most likely Gentiles. Further, that Peter is now writing to them suggests that Paul had already died, for Peter was the apostle to the circumcised. Peter apparently decided to write his two letters to Paul’s churches shortly after Paul’s death, both to connect with them personally and theologically (Paul’s gospel is Peter’s gospel) and to warn them of the wolves in sheep’s clothing that would come in to destroy the flock. Thus, part of Peter’s purpose seems to be to anchor his readership on the written documents of the Christian community (both the Old Testament and Paul’s letters) as a safeguard against heretics.
  54. 2 Peter 3:16 tn Grk “as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things.”
  55. 2 Peter 3:16 tn Grk “in which are some things hard to understand.”
  56. 2 Peter 3:16 tn Grk “which.” The antecedent is the “things hard to understand,” not the entirety of Paul’s letters. A significant principle is seen here: The primary proof texts used for faith and practice ought to be the clear passages that are undisputed in their meaning. Heresy today is still largely built on obscure texts.
  57. 2 Peter 3:16 tn Or “distort,” “wrench,” “torture” (all are apt descriptions of what heretics do to scripture).
  58. 2 Peter 3:16 sn This one incidental line, the rest of the scriptures, links Paul’s writings with scripture. This is thus one of the earliest affirmations of any part of the NT as scripture. Peter’s words were prophetic and were intended as a preemptive strike against the heretics to come.
  59. 2 Peter 3:17 tn Grk “knowing beforehand.”
  60. 2 Peter 3:17 tn Or “lawless ones.” sn These unprincipled men. The same word is used in 2:7, suggesting further that the heretics in view in chapter 3 are the false teachers of chapter 2.
  61. 2 Peter 3:17 tn Grk “fall from your firmness.”
  62. 2 Peter 3:18 tn The term “knowledge” (γνῶσις, gnōsis) used here is not the same as is found in 2 Pet 1:2, 3, 8; 2:20. This term is found in 1:5 and 1:6.
  63. 2 Peter 3:18 tn Or “until.”
  64. 2 Peter 3:18 tc The vast bulk of mss adds ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”) at the end of this letter, as they do almost all the rest of the NT books (only Acts, James, and 3 John lack a majority of witnesses supporting a concluding ἀμήν). The omission in B 1241 1243 1739* 1881 2298 appears to be original, although the fact that some of the best and earliest Alexandrian witnesses (P72 א A C P Ψ 5 33 81 436 442 1611 1735 1739c 1852 2344 2492 co), along with several other mss, the Byzantine text, and early versions (vg sy), add the particle renders such a judgment less than iron-clad. NA27 places the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity, while NA28 omits the word.tn Grk “day of eternity.”
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