2 Peter 2:1–22

2:1 Peter now begins to address the problem directly. He starts with a historical analog, reminding his readers that “false prophets also arose among the people.” Throughout Israel’s history, false prophets arose, leading people astray with supposed visions, oracles, and dreams (Jer. 14:13–14). God instructed Israel to distinguish true from false prophets (Deut. 13:1–5; 18:20–22). Because the OT was “written for our instruction” (Rom. 15:4), believers should not be surprised that “there will be false teachers among you” (2 Pet. 2:1). Fulfillment of Jesus’ promise on the Mount of Olives had already begun (Matt. 24:11). With the advent of the “latter days,” Satan has intensified his efforts to lead God’s people astray through false prophets and teachers (1 Tim. 4:1–5; 1 John 2:18–27). Designating them as false teachers rather than false prophets may suggest that these individuals did not claim to receive direct revelation from God.

Peter describes the false teachers’ actions in three ways. First, they would “secretly bring in destructive heresies.” The verb translated “secretly bring in” (pareisagō) was used in Greek literature to describe the introduction of new doctrines to a preexisting set of beliefs.¹ The false teachers did not hide what they were teaching but were probably “covering up the degree to which their teaching differs from the accepted apostolic teaching.”² They were introducing “destructive heresies”—teaching contrary to the OT Scriptures and apostolic tradition, thus distorting the gospel and leading to the destruction of teacher and student alike (3:1–13).

Second, the false teachers were “even denying the Master who bought them.” Through his death, Jesus has purchased his people (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Although these false teachers at one time had given the appearance of being slaves of Christ (2 Pet. 2:20–21), they in fact denied him by their false doctrine and immoral lifestyle.³ Rather than submit to the one they claim to call Lord, they will hear the Lord say on the last day, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23).

Third, they were “bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” The remainder of the chapter will elaborate on this description, but the point is clear enough: these false teachers were inviting the swift and cataclysmic judgment of eternal destruction that God would render to all who disobey the gospel.

2:2 Peter now turns his attention to those who will embrace the false teachers’ message: “many will follow their sensuality.” On “follow,” see comment on 1:16. Many will follow the false teachers’ “sensuality” (aselgeia), which refers to “lack of self-constraint which involves one in conduct that violates all bounds of what is socially acceptable.”⁴ In the NT this word regularly appears in vice lists, often with a sexual connotation (Mark 7:22; Rom. 13:13; 2 Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19; 1 Pet. 4:3). The reference to Lot’s distress over the “sensual conduct of the wicked” (2 Pet. 2:7) confirms a sexual connotation here.

Peter further asserts that “because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.” Describing a faithful life as a “way” is common in Scripture (cf. Ps. 1:1–6; Prov. 3:5–6; James 1:8). The particular expression “way of truth” occurs elsewhere in Genesis 24:48 (where God leads Abraham’s servant “in the way of truth” [LXX] to the right bride for Isaac) and Psalm 119:30 (where the psalmist asserts, “I have chosen the way of truth” [LXX Ps. 118:30]). This phrase highlights the contrast between the true gospel and the message of the false teachers.

Thus it is the gospel itself that “will be blasphemed” by the false teachers. Peter may be echoing Isaiah 52:5 (LXX), in which the prophet laments that God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles. Paul quotes this same verse in Romans 2:24 to argue that the sinful disobedience of the Jews has brought about a similar blaspheming of God’s name. Here it is the sinful lives of the false teachers leading people to dismiss the way of truth as just another path to self-indulgence.

2:3b These false teachers will not escape punishment for their misdeeds; instead, Peter promises, “their condemnation from long ago is not idle.” “Condemnation” refers to God’s judgment of eternal damnation on these false teachers who claim to be believers but in fact are not. God decreed this condemnation “long ago,” but the delay should not be misinterpreted to indicate that their condemnation is “idle.” To amplify this point, Peter adds that “their destruction is not asleep.” As the protector of his people, God does not “slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:4). The destructive heresies the false teachers propagate lead to their own eternal destruction, just as the present heavens and earth are preserved for “the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Pet. 3:7). God’s delay in bringing final judgment leads some to scoff (3:1–10), concluding that perhaps such judgment is so “asleep” as to never awaken. Rest assured, Peter asserts, that is not the case.

2:4 Verses 4–10a are one long sentence in Greek, structured as an “if/then” statement with several “if’s” leading to a two-part “then.” This complex sentence draws on three OT examples to support Peter’s claim that the false teachers will not escape eternal condemnation. The first example comes from Genesis 6:1–4: Peter states that “God did not spare angels when they sinned.” Rather than spare them, God “cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.” According to Genesis 6:1–4, the nature of the angels’ sin was marrying human women they found attractive and producing offspring with them. Despite never being mentioned again in the OT, this event is mentioned and explained in a number of non-inspired Jewish texts.⁶ That Peter says God “cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness” suggests he is drawing on 1 Enoch 6–21.⁷ According to this tradition, these angels taught their human wives all kinds of secrets/mysteries relating to magic, medicine, plants, etc., in addition to engaging in sexual immorality. Peter may have chosen this particular OT example (understood against the backdrop of Jewish traditions) because these fallen angels engaged in unnatural sexual immorality and were supposed to exercise a teaching ministry for the benefit of humanity that instead led to their condemnation. So, too, the false teachers of Peter’s day use “false words” and “sensual passions of the flesh” to exploit and ensnare people (2 Pet. 2:3, 18).

Regardless of the particulars, the main point of the illustration is clear enough: God did not spare angelic beings who corrupted those under their charge but instead sentenced them to eternal condemnation. God’s delay in executing final justice should not be mistaken for apathy; it is instead a sign of his great mercy in granting time for repentance (3:8–9; Rom. 2:4). On the last day, God will leave no account unsettled or outstanding.

2:5 Peter’s second example is the next event in Genesis: the flood. Unlike the previous example, however, this example includes two components: judgment and deliverance. This twofold focus corresponds to the main point of this section stated in 2:9: God knows how to judge the wicked and rescue the godly. First is the element of judgment: God “did not spare the ancient world . . . when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.” Peter repeats “spare” (pheidomai) from the previous verse, linking the two examples together, as they are in Genesis 6. After a description of the sin of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1–4, the following verses recount God’s sorrow at the rampant and pervasive wickedness on the earth and his decision to “de-create” the world through the flood (Gen. 6:5–7). The flood as an act of God’s judgment became paradigmatic, as later biblical writers used flood imagery to portray God’s punishment of sin (Isa. 28:1–2; 30:27–31; Jer. 47:2–4), including Peter later in this letter (2 Pet. 3:5–7). “Ungodly” (asebēs) refers to those who do not orient their lives toward God.

Next is the element of rescue: “[God] preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others.” Because Noah found favor in God’s eyes, he was “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Gen. 6:8–9). He was “a herald” (kēryx), “an official entrusted with a proclamation”;⁸ the early Christians used this word for those who preached the gospel (1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). Noah preached “righteousness” (dikaiosynē). Peter has already linked our standing before God through the gospel to “the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:1) and later in this chapter will refer to the gospel as the “way of righteousness” (2:21). According to 3:13, the new heavens and earth will be a place where “righteousness dwells.” Peter links the message of Noah to the gospel the apostles preach. Just as Noah proclaimed the righteousness of God and called the wicked to repent of their sins, so too heralds of the gospel announce the way of righteousness that calls sinners to trust in Christ.

Noah was not the only one saved; there were “seven others” with him.⁹ Noah’s wife, along with their three sons and their wives, joined him in the ark (Gen. 6:18). In a sense, then, Noah is portrayed as a faithful teacher of the gospel, in contrast to the false teachers Peter is repudiating. Noah faithfully communicated the truth of what God revealed to him and led his family to take refuge from God’s judgment. That is what a true teacher of the gospel is called to do: proclaim God’s judgment against sin and call people to take refuge in Jesus Christ from God’s righteous wrath.

2:6 Peter now turns to his third OT example (2:6–8), and like the previous one it contains the contrasting elements of judgment (v. 6) and salvation (vv. 7–8). Again Peter begins with judgment: “by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction.” The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that God destroyed them (Gen. 18:1–19:29; cf. Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:44–58). Peter describes their fate as “extinction” (katastrophē), a word referring to a “condition of total destruction, with the implication that nothing is in its customary place or position.”¹⁰

In doing this, God was “making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.” God’s purpose in destroying these two cities was not confined to judging their sin; he also purposed this event to serve as a warning of the greater final judgment awaiting the ungodly on the last day. Like the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah became a recurring picture of judgment in Scripture (Deut. 29:23; Isa. 13:19; Jer. 49:18; 50:40; Amos 4:11; Zeph. 2:9) and functions as a type of the sudden judgment that will come at Christ’s return (Luke 17:29).¹¹

2:7 With the judgment laid out in verse 6, Peter moves to salvation in verse 7, stating that God “rescued righteous Lot.” Lot was Abraham’s nephew (Gen. 11:27) who settled near Sodom because of the superior quality of the land (Gen. 13:10–13). Lot welcomed angelic visitors into his home, and when confronted by the men of the city he offered to send out his virgin daughters for the crowd to do with as they pleased rather than sending out the visitors (Gen. 19:1–11). These two angelic visitors led Lot safely out of the city, although his wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at Sodom (Gen. 19:12–22). Lot settled in the city of Zoar (Gen. 19:23–29). Based on what Scripture tells us about Lot, Peter’s calling him “righteous” may seem surprising. Although some Jewish writers criticized Lot (Philo, De ebrietate 1.164), others agree with Peter’s assessment; Wisdom of Solomon 10:6 states that wisdom “rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing; he escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities.”¹² Despite Lot’s clear flaws, Abraham considered him righteous (Gen. 18:22–33), and Lot did obey the angels in fleeing the city.

The remainder of this verse further explains Lot’s “righteousness”: he was “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked.” The verb rendered “greatly distressed” (kataponeō) means “to cause distress through oppressive means.”¹³ In Jewish literature the term often referred to the plight of Jewish people as oppressed by foreign powers (3 Macc. 2:2, 13; Josephus, Antiquities 7.124; 17.252). This distress was caused “by the sensual conduct of the wicked”; woodenly this phrase reads, “by the conduct of lawless ones in sensuality.” “Conduct” (anastrophē) refers to the totality of a person’s life, what we today might call “lifestyle.” Peter uses this word frequently to describe how a person lives: “Keep your conduct [“lifestyle”] among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:12). He asks his readers to consider “what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness” in light of our hope for a new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 3:11). Like the false teachers Peter is countering (2:2), the wicked in Lot’s day were characterized by “sensuality,” a word emphasizing their lack of self-restraint, especially manifested in sexual immorality (2:7).

2:8 Peter further explains Lot’s distress, noting that he “was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.” The verb rendered “tormenting” (basanizō) appears several times in the Gospels in the context of either physical illness (Matt. 8:6) or demons’ asking Jesus not to punish them (Matt. 8:29; Luke. 8:28). In Jewish literature the word tended to refer to either the righteous’ suffering at the hands of the wicked (2 Macc. 7:13) or the punishment awaiting the wicked (2 Macc. 7:17; Wisd. Sol. 12:23). The imperfect tense of the verb here portrays the torment of “his righteous soul” as continual, caused by “their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.” The persistent wickedness of the city tormented Lot as he “lived among them day after day.” The rare verb translated “live” (enkatoikeō) has the more specific sense of “live as a resident.”¹⁴ As Lot interacted “day after day” with his neighbors, their wickedness constantly tormented him.

2:9 After a lengthy series of “if” clauses (2:4–8), Peter at last arrives at the subsequent “then.” Two things follow from the statements of 2:4–8. First, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.” By using the verb “rescue” (rhyomai), Peter makes a direct link to God’s rescue of Lot mentioned in 2:7. This rescue is for the “godly” (eusebēs), those whose lives are oriented toward God through a right relationship with him through Jesus Christ (cf. 1:3, 6–7; 2:5–6). The godly are rescued “from trials” (peirasmos), which refers to “an attempt to make one do something wrong.”¹⁵ Jesus instructed his disciples to pray, “lead us not into temptation [peirasmon]” (Matt. 6:13). First Peter 1:6–7 indicates that its readers “now for a little while, . . . have been grieved by various trials” to test the genuineness of their faith. So they should “not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Pet. 4:12). As believers experience the trials of resisting false teachers and dealing with the fallout from their false doctrine, they can move forward in the confidence that God will see them through.

Second, the Lord knows how “to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” In contrast to Noah, the herald of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:5), and righteous Lot (vv. 7–8), the false teachers are “unrighteous” (adikos). Just as the angels who sinned are being “kept until the judgment” (v. 4), so too the unrighteous are being kept by God “under punishment” (kolazō), a rare word that has the sense of cutting off.¹⁶ In both Greek and Jewish literature it often referred to God’s punishment of the wicked (1 Esd. 8:24; 2 Macc. 6:14; 4 Macc. 18:5). Those who reject God and the gospel of Jesus Christ are being kept for the day of judgment; as John puts it, “the wrath of God remains” on them (John 3:36).

2:10b Peter begins his blistering description of the false teachers by calling them “bold and willful.” While boldness in preaching the gospel is good (Phil. 1:14), here it has the sense of an audacious and presumptuous arrogance. They are “willful” (authadēs), stubbornly asserting their own agenda and following their own impulses instead of submitting to God’s will.²⁰ Thus they are the opposite of godly overseers, who “must not be arrogant [authadēs]” (Titus 1:7). Furthermore, these false teachers “do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones.” When confronted with the divine, whether God himself or one of his heavenly messengers, a common human response is to “tremble” (Matt. 28:4; Acts 7:32). Yet these false teachers do not do so, even as they slander “the glorious ones,” which most likely refers to evil spiritual beings.²¹ Peter does not indicate just how the false teachers slandered these evil spiritual beings; perhaps they “were mocking the possibility that their sins might put them at the mercy of such evil spiritual beings.”²²

2:11 In contrast to the audacious false teachers, the “angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them.” Peter generalizes the point made in Jude 9 by arguing, in essence, that “Good angels do not venture to announce judgment over evil angels. They leave such judgment to the Lord.”²³ Depending on the textual variant, the angels’ reluctance to judge takes place either “before the Lord” or “from the Lord.” The former focuses on the angels’ service in God’s presence, while the latter recognizes the Lord’s use of angels to reveal his judgments.

2:12 Peter resumes his scathing description of the false teachers: “these, . . . will also be destroyed in their destruction.” By using “also,” Peter links the destruction of these particular false teachers to the general principle of God’s punishing the unrighteous (2 Pet. 2:9). The ESV captures well the wordplay in Greek between “will be destroyed” (phtheirō) and “destruction” (phthora). This word family occurs regularly in the LXX, where it can refer to something corrupt (Gen. 6:11) or destructive (1 Chron. 20:1; Jer. 13:9). Peter may echo Isaiah 24:3, which, in describing cosmic judgment, notes, “The earth shall be destroyed with destruction.”²⁴ If so, Peter is placing the destruction of the false teachers within the larger context of God’s cataclysmic judgment on creation itself (2 Pet. 3:1–13). The Greek is unclear as to whether Peter means the false teachers will be destroyed with (“also”) the “irrational animals” or with the “glorious ones” (i.e., evil spiritual beings; cf. comment on 2:10b); either way, the destruction of the false teachers is certain.

Peter gives four further descriptions of the false teachers. First, they are “like irrational animals.” The false teachers’ wickedness is such that they act in a subhuman fashion; their humanity is obscured by behavior befitting animals incapable of relating to God. Second, they are “creatures of instinct.” Instead of being directed by the Holy Spirit and pursuing qualities characterizing growth in godliness, they are controlled by their instinctive impulses, like animals. Third, they are “born to be caught and destroyed.” Although these false teachers give the appearance of being free and of avoiding the consequences for their wickedness, they are in fact like animals who are caught for food and thus destroyed. No matter how hard they run, they will not outpace God’s righteous judgment. Fourth, the false teachers are “blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant.” While they no doubt present themselves as experts on what they teach, Peter asserts that their slanderous words are rooted in ignorance. He may specifically have in mind their audacity in reviling “the glorious ones” (2:10).

2:13 The opening clause of this verse further explains the false teachers’ destruction. They are “suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing.” The verb rendered “suffering wrong” (adikeō) comes from the same word family used seven times in this section to contrast the righteous (2:5, 7, 8, 21) with the unrighteous false teachers (2:9, 13, 15) and is reinforced by the word “wrongdoing” (adikia). This word family also stresses the judicial nature of the suffering; they are experiencing God’s just condemnation of their sin. This is the “wage” they have earned for their wickedness.

Peter shifts from their fate back to their immorality: “They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime.” The word for “pleasure” (hēdonē) always has a sinful connotation in the NT (Luke 8:14; Titus 3:3; James 4:1–3); it “represents one of the many forces which belong to the world of unsanctified carnality, which strive against the work of God and His Spirit and which drag man back again into the kingdom of evil.”²⁵ These false teachers pursue pleasure as they “revel in the daytime.” To revel (tryphē) is to engage “in a fast, self-indulgent lifestyle.”²⁶ They are so brazen in their reveling that they do it in broad daylight.

Peter continues: “They are blots and blemishes.” Whereas Christ died to present the church “without spot [spilon]” (Eph. 5:27), these false teachers are “blots” (spiloi) on the purity of the church. Under the old covenant, “blemishes” (mōmos) disqualified a person from offering sacrifice (Lev. 21:17–23) or an animal from being used for sacrifice (Lev. 22:20–25); likewise, the false teachers are blemishes, making them unfit to lead God’s people. These false teachers are “reveling in their deceptions,” finding joy in the lies they propagate to lead people astray. The false teachers are even so brazen as to do this “while they feast with you.” In the early church, believers gathered regularly to share a meal (Acts 2:42–47), and in the context of this larger meal often celebrated the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17–34). The revelry of the false teachers intruded into even the most sacred of celebrations, turning a meal intended to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and anticipate his return into an occasion for immorality and deception.

2:14 Peter provides five more descriptions of the false teachers. (1) “They have eyes full of adultery.” Again Peter highlights the sexual immorality of the false teachers, perhaps echoing Jesus’ teaching (Matt. 5:27–30). They are constantly looking for someone to seduce or take advantage of.²⁷ As such they are (2) “insatiable for sin.” The rare Greek word rendered “insatiable” (akatapaustos) highlights the incessant appetite for sin²⁸ and probably in this case sexual immorality that cannot be satisfied. Perhaps the false teachers sought to turn their love feasts into a Greco-Roman banquet, where, in addition to food and sacrifices offered to various deities, immoral entertainment (sometimes sexual in nature) was common.²⁹

As if their own sin were not bad enough, (3) “they entice unsteady souls.” James 1:14 uses this same verb to describe temptation. Like skilled fishermen, the false teachers use bait to lure into sin those who are not established in sound doctrine (2 Pet. 2:18). (4) “They have hearts trained in greed.” Like athletes who train for competition, the false teachers have “trained” (gymnazō) their hearts in the pursuit of greed. Unlike Paul, who trained himself in godliness to preach the gospel faithfully (1 Cor. 9:24–26; 1 Tim. 4:7), these false teachers have focused their energies on the accumulation of wealth. Rather than guarding their hearts (Prov. 4:23), they ignore or disregard Jesus’ stern warnings that “you cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13) and that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Finally, they are (5) “accursed children.” Instead of being obedient children (1 Pet. 1:14), they stand under divine condemnation (Isa. 57:4; Eph. 2:3).

2:15–16 Far from adhering to the gospel, the false teachers are “forsaking the right way.” The decision to depart from the gospel was an intentional and willful one. In the OT, “right way” refers to believing what God calls his people to believe and living as God calls them to live (Ps. 1:1–6; Isa. 33:15; 40:3). By turning away from the true path of the gospel, these false teachers “have gone astray.” Whereas all of us “were straying like sheep,” genuine believers “have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:25); by contrast, these false teachers are “denying the Master who bought them” (2 Pet. 2:1).

The combination of sexual immorality and greed reveals that the false teachers “have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor.” Numbers 22–24 records how Balak, king of Moab, attempted to hire Balaam to pronounce curses on Israel. After initially refusing, Balaam accepted Balak’s money and agreed to curse Israel. But instead of pronouncing curses, Balaam delivered four oracles blessing Israel and foretelling the Messiah. Having failed to curse Israel, Balaam suggested that the Moabites entice Israel away from Yahweh through sexual immorality and idolatry (Num. 31:16). Balaam became an example of those who try to put stumbling blocks in front of God’s people (Deut. 23:5–6; Josh. 13:22; 24:9; Neh. 13:2; Mic. 6:5; Jude 11; Rev. 2:14). Peter focuses on Balaam’s greed when he elaborates that he “loved gain from wrongdoing.” Jewish literature emphasized Balaam’s prevarication, greed, and sexual immorality.³⁰ Some in the church at Pergamum “[held to] the teaching of Balaam,” putting stumbling blocks before God’s people, such as food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality (Rev. 2:14). Like Balaam, the false teachers propagated their lies and sexual immorality to line their pockets (2 Pet. 2:3, 14).

On his way to meet with Balak, Balaam “was rebuked for his own transgression.” Balaam’s “transgression” was his willingness to accept Balak’s money in exchange for cursing Israel. As a result, “a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” The angel of the Lord stood in front of Balaam’s donkey, causing it to turn aside from the path (Num. 22:22–35). In anger, Balaam struck the donkey, and in response the donkey spoke! Only then did God open Balaam’s eyes to see the angel of the Lord, who warned Balaam to speak only what God put into his mouth. Even this “irrational animal” (cf. 2 Pet. 2:12) had more insight and fear of the Lord than the alleged prophet! But this is what it took for God to “[restrain] the prophet’s madness.” The madness in view may be Balaam’s willingness to claim to speak for God when in reality he was not, or the folly of trying to curse those whom God had promised to bless (cf. Gen. 12:1–3)

2:17 Peter resumes his rapid-fire description of the false teachers. They are “waterless springs and mists driven by a storm.” “Springs” (pēgai) are an image of the eschatological salvation promised by the prophets (Isa. 35:7; 41:18; 49:10). When God condemns the idolatry of Judah, he declares, “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters” (Jer. 2:13). Rather than being sources of the life-giving waters of the gospel, the false teachers are waterless springs. “Mists” (homichlai) were often associated with darkness or hidden things (Isa. 29:18; Amos 4:13; Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15), which fits the imagery here of being “driven by a storm.” This same word for “storm” (lailaps) occurs in Job 38:1 (LXX), where the Lord appears to Job in the midst of a whirlwind. Instead of being rooted in the gospel, the false teachers are blown around with every wind of false doctrine. For these false teachers, “the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.” Peter repeats language from 2 Peter 2:4 to highlight the hopelessness of their eternal state.

2:18 This verse provides the reason why “the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved” for the false teachers: “They entice . . . those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.” On “entice,” see comment on 2:14. The false teachers are pictured as fishermen trying to lure those who have not yet succumbed to their wiles but are in imminent danger of doing so. Whereas believers have “escaped the corruption that is in the world” (1:4), the targets of the false teachers “are barely escaping” the false teachers who live in error. The verb “live” (anastrephō) means “to conduct oneself in terms of certain principles.”³¹ This same verb occurs in 1 Peter 1:17, where Peter calls believers to “conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.” Instead of obeying this command, however, the false teachers are living in the realm of “error.”

The false teachers entice the vulnerable in two ways. First, they entice by “speaking loud boasts of folly.” Peter may be echoing Daniel 11:36, where a prophesied king will “exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods.” Through these false teachers, Satan is preparing the web of lies and deceit that he will use to deceive the world. Despite their bravado, the boasts of the false teachers are nothing but “folly” (mataiotēs), a word highlighting the emptiness of life apart from God (Eccles. 1:2).

Second, the false teachers entice “by sensual passions of the flesh.” Sinful passion is personified as working in the world to produce corruption (2 Pet. 1:4) and is a defining characteristic of the false teachers (2:10). Peter appears to have sexual passions in view here, evidenced by the use of the word “sensual” (aselgeia). The very sensuality that ensnared the false teachers (2:2) and Lot’s neighbors (2:7) has become the bait by which the false teachers lure the vulnerable into their web of deceit.

2:19 To lure the vulnerable, the false teachers “promise them freedom.” In 1 Peter 2:16 the apostle exhorted his readers to “live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” In contrast, the freedom the false teachers promise is likely freedom from final judgment and moral restraints (2 Pet. 2:14).³² Peter notes the irony that those who peddle the promise of freedom are in fact “slaves of corruption [phthora].” This is the same word translated “destruction” in 2:12, where it referred to the fate of the false teachers. Corruption has such a grip on these false teachers that it owns them.

This observation proves a general principle: “Whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” The verb “overcomes” (hēttaomai) occurs in Isaiah (LXX) and in Josephus to describe military conquest. Sin and corruption are pictured as powers that conquer a person. Such a person is “enslaved” (douloō); corruption has gained complete mastery over him. These verbs are both in the perfect tense, stressing that this is the state/condition of the person described. Slavery to sin takes many forms, but in the end the result is the same: death (Rom. 6:20–23). Only the gospel can deliver from its grip (Rom. 6:17–18).

2:20 Peter now further explains his proverbial statement concerning slavery in the previous verse with an “if . . . then” statement. The basic condition is “if they are overcome.” The circumstances of their being overcome are indicated by two participles. The first provides the time frame: “after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The word for “defilement” (miasma) is closely related to the word translated “defiling” (miasmos) in 2:10, which described the passion of the false teachers who were under God’s righteous condemnation. This escape came “through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” By using language similar to 1:2–11, Peter indicates these people have professed faith in Christ at some point but have since proved their profession to be false. The second participle explains why they have been overcome: “they are again entangled in” the defilements of the world. Unlike the good soldier who avoids entanglement with worldly affairs (2 Tim. 2:4), the false teachers are “entangled” (emplekō) in the same kind of sin that characterized their life before professing Christ.

As a result, “the last state has become worse for them than the first.” Those who have professed faith in Christ but then returned unrepentantly to their sinful ways are in a worse state than before their profession (Heb. 6:4–8). Peter likely echoes Jesus’ own teaching in Matthew 12:43–45, where he describes a man who, after having a demon cast out of him, ends up with seven evil spirits worse than the first; as a result, “The last state of that person is worse than the first” (Matt. 12:45).

2:21 Peter reinforces the point of 2:20. He begins by restating his claim from the previous verse: “It would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness.” The expression “way of righteousness” refers to the true gospel of Jesus Christ and its entailments for a life of obedience to God (Job 24:12–13; Matt. 21:32), which the false teachers knew but did not follow. Because of them, “the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Pet. 2:2), and in their greed they have instead “followed the way of Balaam” (2:15). On “righteousness,” see comment on 2:5.

“After knowing” the way of righteousness, these individuals “turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.” Jesus had warned that “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62), but that is exactly what these people have done. Knowledge is not enough. “Holy commandment” is another way of speaking of instruction in how to live the Christian life that flows from the gospel. Peter likely uses the singular term “commandment” to emphasize the totality of the body of Christian instruction rather than a specific command (cf. 2 Pet. 3:2). This commandment was “delivered” to them, a verb (paradidōmi) highlighting the passing on of the apostolic message (Jude 3).

Peter’s larger theological point is that God’s judgment on people such as these will be more severe than the judgment on those who never made any profession of faith in Christ. That does not mean that ignorance will excuse anyone’s sin. But those who claim to believe the gospel but then return to a habitual pattern of unrepentant sin in their rejection of Jesus will be far worse off on judgment day.

2:22 Peter concludes with two proverbs illustrating how the false teachers are like irrational animals. The first (“The dog returns to its own vomit”) is likely drawn from Proverbs 26:11: “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” In the ancient world, dogs were rarely pets; they were instead scavengers or perhaps on occasion used in herding or guarding. As such, comparing someone to a dog was never positive (1 Sam. 17:43; 2 Sam. 16:9; Phil. 3:2).

The second proverb compares the false teachers to pigs: “the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” Although there does not appear to be a specific OT precursor to this expression, there are parallels in both Jewish and Greco-Roman sources.³³ Jews were known for their refusal to eat pork (Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8), something many pagans could not understand. But even among pagans, pigs were considered dirty animals, well known for their propensity to enjoy wallowing in mud even after being washed. By returning to their sinful pre-conversion lifestyle, these false teachers are like recently washed pigs wallowing in the mud.

Peter may also be echoing the teaching of Jesus, who said, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” (Matt. 7:6). It was common for Jews to regard Gentiles as dogs and pigs; Peter takes these terms and applies them to the false teachers, on the basis not of ethnicity but of how they live.