Jude 5–16

5 To enable believers to contend for the faith once delivered to them, Jude begins by recalling three biblical examples in which God judged those who departed from his ways.¹ Jude acknowledges that “you once fully knew” what he is about to tell them. Often what God’s people need most is not new information but reminders of truths they already know. The first example is the exodus. Jude states that “Jesus . . . saved a people out of the land of Egypt.” NT writers often refer to the exodus as a type of the salvation believers experience (1 Cor. 10:1–22; Heb. 3:7–4:10); Jude is unique in specifically identifying “Jesus” as the one who redeemed the Israelites.²

Even though Jesus saved the Israelites out of Egypt, he “afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” The verb “destroyed” (apōlesen) here refers to physical death, which is a picture of eternal destruction as well (Jude 11). Destruction came upon “those who did not believe.” Jude may have Israel’s golden calf incident in mind (Exodus 32–34), but verbal similarities suggest that Israel’s refusal to enter the Promised Land is in view (Num. 13:1–14:12).³ Because Israel rebelled in unbelief by refusing to enter the land, God condemned that generation of Israelites to wander forty years in the wilderness until they died (Num. 14:20–38). Jude’s point is clear: those who were delivered from Egypt were eventually judged because they did not persevere in faith in Yahweh and his promises. These events are types that instruct believers concerning how to live as God’s people.

6 The second biblical example is “the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling.” Jude refers to Genesis 6:1–4, where the “sons of God” took “the daughters of men” as their wives, but he interprets the story through Jewish tradition, most likely 1 Enoch 6–21 (cf. comment on 2 Pet. 2:4). Their sin was a failure to “stay within their own position of authority.” Scripture does not spell out the specific realms of angelic authority, but there are hints that some are assigned to specific roles (Dan. 10:18–21; Luke 1:18–38). Jude further explains that these angels “left their proper dwelling.” This verb (apoleipō) communicates a sense of finality in the act of leaving.⁴ Rather than remaining in their proper place of service, these angels crossed divinely appointed boundaries to engage in sexual immorality.

Because the angels departed from their proper realm, God “has kept” them “in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” Since the angels failed to keep (tēreō) their own position of authority, God “has kept” (tēreō) them in eternal chains until the last day. The perfect tense highlights these angels’ present state. The “eternal chains” ensure that these rebellious angels will never escape their imprisonment, while the “gloomy darkness” expresses their horrific state. This last expression is used elsewhere in Greek literature to describe the utter darkness of the netherworld,⁵ where they remain “until the judgment of the great day.” Although this exact expression is unusual, the concept is quite common. In Revelation 20:7–10 the Devil and his minions are cast into the lake of fire and sulfur to be tormented day and night for eternity. Not even privileged positions of authority shield one from divine judgment for sin.⁶

7 The third biblical example of God’s judgment coming on those who depart from his ways is “Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities.” Genesis 18–19 records the well-known story (cf. comments on 2 Pet. 2:6–8). The inhabitants of these cities “indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire.” The first expression translates a verb (ekporneuō) that in the LXX refers to behaving like a prostitute (Gen. 38:24; Hos. 1:2; 2:7), but it can also have the general sense of any prohibited sexual activity (Num. 25:1; Deut. 22:21). This imagery of acting as a prostitute is regularly used as a picture of idolatry (Ex. 34:13–16; Ezekiel 16). The second expression—“pursued unnatural desire”—could be rendered woodenly as “depart after other flesh.” This expression confirms that the sexual immorality in view includes (but is not limited to) homosexuality and other forms of deviant sexual behavior (Rom. 1:26–27).

Because of their sexual immorality, these cities “serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Jude’s language makes clear that this example stands for all to see.⁷ The word for “example” (deigma) is part of a word family used to portray events, people, or situations pointing beyond themselves to greater realities (John 13:15; James 5:10; 2 Pet. 2:6). These cities served as a public example “by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire,” Jude’s way of summarizing Genesis 19:24. He sees in this a picture of the “eternal fire” awaiting those who have departed from the gospel.

8 Jude now explicitly connects the false teachers threatening his readers to the examples mentioned in verses 5–7. These false teachers do three things. First, they “defile the flesh.” To “defile” (miainō) is to stain something, but by extension the word came to mean “to cause the purity of something to be violated by immoral behavior.”⁸ In the LXX this verb sometimes has a sexual sense (Gen. 34:5; Num. 5:14; Job 31:11), and it clearly has that sense in 1 Enoch 7:1, where it describes the actions of the fallen angels who took for themselves human wives. Rather than displaying the fruit of the Spirit, the false teachers produce works of the “flesh” (Gal. 5:19–23).

Second, the false teachers “reject authority.” Although “authority” (kyriotēs) refers to spiritual beings elsewhere (Eph. 1:21; Col. 1:16), here it likely refers to the divine authority the risen Lord Jesus exercises.⁹ Through their sinful lifestyles the false teachers reject the Lord Jesus Christ’s rightful rule over all creation.

Third, they “blaspheme the glorious ones.” In this context blasphemy has the more general sense of “demeaning slander.” The “glorious ones” are angelic beings, called this because of their radiant and glorious appearance. What Jude means is not entirely clear. It could be that the false teachers slandered the good angels involved in giving the Law,¹⁰ or that they spoke dismissively of evil angels and their power.¹¹ A final determination is difficult, but in either case the actions of the false teachers are in sharp relief to those of the archangel Michael (Jude 9).

They do these things by “relying on their dreams.” God had warned that false prophets would use dreams to mislead his people (Deut. 13:1–5), and this proved true in Israel’s history (Zech. 10:2). The false teachers are akin to the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day, who engaged in sexual immorality and rejected God’s authority on the basis of their alleged dreams (Jer. 23:9–40).

9 Jude illustrates the folly of the false teachers in their arrogant slander by drawing on Jewish tradition. The “archangel Michael” is the chief angel over Israel (Dan. 10:21; 12:1), who leads the spiritual battle against her enemies (Dan. 10:13; Rev. 12:7). Jewish literature records a number of traditions concerning him,¹² including the incident in which he was “contending with the devil” and “disputing about the body of Moses.” Deuteronomy 34:1–12 records the death of Moses but says nothing of the incident described here. According to Jewish tradition, the Devil argued with Michael over Moses’ body, claiming that since Moses was a murderer, his body belonged to him.¹³ In response, Michael “did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment”; in other words, he did not presumptuously assume authority of his own but merely invoked the Lord’s authority when he stated, “The Lord rebuke you.” This phrase is taken from Zechariah 3:2, where the Lord rebukes Satan for his charges against Joshua the high priest. Jude claims that Michael declared these words to the Devil instead of stating a charge of blasphemy against him. The point is not that such a charge was untrue, but rather that Michael did not presume the authority to make it.

Unlike Michael, the false teachers assumed for themselves the authority to make blasphemous judgments about angelic beings. If someone as powerful and holy as the archangel Michael declined to make a charge that was clearly correct, how much more restraint should mere humans exercise in rendering judgments against angelic beings they barely understand?

10 Jude now explicitly contrasts Michael with the false teachers in two ways. First, they “blaspheme all that they do not understand.” Again, “blaspheme” likely has the more general sense of “slander” or “revile.” The expression “all that they do not understand” refers at least to the angelic beings (“glorious ones”; v. 8) but probably extends beyond them to other spiritual matters. Clearly the false teachers do not understand “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3) or the fact that God’s judgment falls on those who depart from that faith (vv. 5–7).

Second, the false teachers “are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.” The verb translated “destroyed” (phtheirō) could refer to the false teachers’ corruption from their immoral practices (Eph. 4:22; Rev. 19:2) or to the eternal condemnation awaiting them on the last day (1 Cor. 3:17). Both senses fit here, although the first seems most likely. The instrument of their destruction is “all that they . . . understand instinctively.” The adverb “instinctively” (physikōs) highlights that the immoral actions of the false teachers flow from their fallen state. Because they are governed by their fallen natural instincts, they are “like unreasoning animals,” incapable of acting on the basis of anything other than instinct.

11 Jude now pronounces a prophetic “woe” on these false teachers based on three things they have done. Each is rooted in a well-known incident from the OT. First, “they walked in the way of Cain.” Walking is a common metaphor in Scripture for one’s manner of life (Ps. 1:1–2; Eph. 2:10; 4:1). The first son of Adam and Eve, Cain killed his brother Abel after the Lord rejected his offering but accepted Abel’s (Gen. 4:1–8). God punished Cain by making him a fugitive, and Cain eventually settled in the land of Nod (Gen. 4:9–16). Jewish literature remembered Cain’s treachery well, attributing to him greed, violence, lust, and, perhaps most relevant for Jude, the leading of people into wickedness.¹⁴ In the NT Cain is remembered as the murderer of righteous Abel (Heb. 11:4) and serves as an example of the hatred that leads to murder (1 John 3:12). So, while Jude may refer in general to Cain’s wickedness,¹⁵ Jude’s familiarity with Jewish tradition suggests he sees Cain as a type of the false teachers plaguing the church.

Second, the false teachers “abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error.” This is no mere flirtation with error; the false teachers have fully surrendered themselves to greed. Balaam was the prophet that Balak, king of Moab, paid to pronounce a curse upon Israel (Numbers 22–24; cf. comment on 2 Pet. 2:15–16).

Third, they “perished in Korah’s rebellion.”¹⁶ The Greek word used here for “rebellion” (antilogia) suggests a strong verbal element to the rebellion,¹⁷ as was the case with Korah. He led a rebellion against Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership of Israel, accusing them of exalting themselves above the people and lying to Israel about bringing them to a luxurious land (Numbers 16). The Lord judged Korah and his followers, as well as those who grumbled about God’s judgment. In Jewish tradition, Korah “became the classic example of the antinomian heretic.”¹⁸ Since Korah rebelled against God’s appointed leadership, Jude may be indicating that the false teachers are undermining the leadership of the church. In any case, their fate will be as Korah’s—destruction.

12–13 Jude now uses six vivid images to portray the false teachers, with all but the second coming from nature. First, they are “hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear.” As hidden reefs, their treachery lies just below the surface, destroying the unsuspecting. The false teachers feast alongside believers at their “love feasts,” the full meals in which the Lord’s Supper was commemorated (1 Cor. 11:17–34).¹⁹ They do so “without fear,” showing no concern for their sinful lives or the destruction they bring upon others.

Second, they are “shepherds feeding themselves.” Shepherds were a common metaphor for leaders in the OT. Because of God’s covenant with David (2 Samuel 7), David became the paradigm of a future shepherd-king who would rule over God’s people (Ezek. 34:23–24). As the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, Jesus fulfills that hope (John 10:11), appointing pastors as undershepherds to care for God’s people under his authority (1 Pet. 5:1–5). Instead of protecting and feeding God’s people, however, the shepherds Jude denounces are interested only in exploiting the sheep for their own benefit (Ezek. 34:1–8).

Third, the false teachers are “waterless clouds, swept along by winds.” Although clouds often symbolize God’s presence in Scripture (Ex. 13:21–22; Luke 9:34–36), here they portray the false teachers. They are like clouds that give the appearance of holding rain but in fact do not. In the LXX, the term “waterless” (anydros) often describes the desert, and in some cases it is used in contrast to the new creation God promises to bring (Isa. 35:7; 41:19; 43:19–20; 44:3). Also pertinent here is Proverbs 25:14—“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.” The false teachers lack the life-giving sustenance of the living water of the gospel, and thus they are blown around aimlessly by the winds of personal whims and doctrinal confusion.

Fourth, they are “fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted.” Scripture often describes God’s people as trees/plants/vines that he planted to bear fruit (Isa. 5:1–7; John 15:1–11). Jesus warned of false prophets who were wolves in sheep’s clothing and could be recognized by the fruit they bore (Matt. 7:15–20). God had promised to produce fruit in his people in the new creation (Isa. 65:21; Gal. 5:22–23). Trees in “late autumn” would be expected to hold fruit, but these false teachers do not. They are instead “twice dead,” which in this context could refer to the second death (Rev. 21:8) or could simply anticipate the next description of being “uprooted.” If the latter option is correct, the point is that the trees were already dead but then experienced a second death by being uprooted. The mention of a lack of rain, of fruit not being borne, and of stars not holding to their appointed courses (see sixth point, below) suggests Jude is borrowing language from 1 Enoch 80:2–6.

Fifth, they are “wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame.” The expression “wild waves” portrays the volatility and uncontrolled immoral behavior of the false teachers. Jude may borrow the expression “casting up the foam of their own shame” from Isaiah 57:20, where the wicked are said to be like “the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.” Just as waves dredge filth from the bottom of the sea and toss it to the surface, so the ungodliness of the false teachers overflows into public view.

Sixth, the false teachers are “wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” Unlike the saints, who will shine like stars in the resurrection (Dan. 12:3), the false teachers have departed from their proper sphere and thus merit judgment. For them, “the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” On “gloom” (zophos) see comment on Jude 6. This terrifying fate has been reserved forever; it will surely happen. Just as believers are “kept for Jesus Christ” (v. 1) and believers are to “keep [themselves] in the love of God” (v. 21), so too eternal condemnation is kept for God’s enemies.

14–15 Jude now connects the false teachers to another OT figure—“Enoch, the seventh from Adam” (Gen. 5:18–24). In a lengthy genealogy (Gen. 5:1–32), Enoch stands out as the only person who apparently does not die (Gen. 5:24). Despite only one other OT mention of Enoch (1 Chron. 1:3), Jewish literature engaged in significant speculation about him, and he became regarded as a recipient of heavenly visions and revelations, recorded in a series of books named after him.

Jude asserts that Enoch “prophesied” about the final judgment awaiting the false teachers: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.” While Jude quotes from 1 Enoch 1:9,²⁰ similar language occurs in several OT texts. Deuteronomy 33:2 states that God appeared on Mount Sinai with “ten thousands of holy ones.” Similarly, Daniel 7:10 describes a judgment scene around God’s throne in which “ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.” The imagery portrays God as a divine warrior, leading his heavenly hosts out to establish justice. The “holy ones” in view could be angels, based on the language of Deuteronomy 33:2, although in the very next verse “holy ones” seems to be parallel to “his people” (Deut. 33:3) A decision either way is difficult.

The Lord comes with his holy ones for two purposes. First, he does so “to execute judgment on all.” The literal phrase is “to do judgment,” a typical Semitic expression (Jer. 7:5; 22:3; John 5:27). This refers to the universal judgment on the last day. Second, he does so “to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness.” While the verb “convict” (elenchō) can have the sense of exposing something, here it has the stronger sense of “to bring a person to the point of recognizing wrongdoing,”²¹ often with a strong judicial sense (Jer. 2:19; Hos. 5:9; John 16:8–11). Those convicted are the “ungodly” (asebēs), a word stressing their fundamental orientation away from God.

The ungodly are convicted of two things. First, they are convicted of their “deeds of ungodliness.” Jude further describes these deeds as being “committed in such an ungodly way.” Their works are completely saturated in ungodliness, from their origin through their execution to their outcome. Second, they are convicted of “all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Special focus is now given to the words of the ungodly, which they use to blaspheme God and his ways. This last expression is especially relevant for the false teachers Jude was confronting, who blaspheme all they do not understand (v. 10).

16 Jude now offers five further descriptions of the false teachers. First, they are “grumblers” (gongystēs), from a word group regularly associated with the Israelites’ grumbling against God in the wilderness (Ex. 16:7–12; 1 Cor. 10:10). Jude may be echoing these traditions in addition to the generic concept of someone who murmurs or complains. Second, they are “malcontents” (mempsimoiros), those who complain about their lot in life; here the term is used “in a satirical comment about people who choose a deviant life style and then complain (with tongue in cheek?) that this is their ‘unfortunate fate.’”²²

Third, they are “following their own sinful desires,” or, more woodenly, “walking according to their own desires.” Jude repeats a verb (poreuomai) from verse 11 to link their sinful desires with Cain. Fourth, “they are loud-mouthed boasters”; literally “their mouths speak pompously.” The word rendered “boasters” (hyperonkos) refers to something swollen or puffed up to an excessive size. Their arrogance leads them to draw attention brashly to themselves through their boasting (2 Pet. 2:18). Fifth, they are “showing favoritism to gain advantage,” or, perhaps more literally, “marveling at the face for the sake of advantage.” The metaphor of respecting or marveling at the face was a common way to express the idea of showing partiality (cf. Rom. 2:11). These false teachers regularly look for some angle “to make themselves acceptable to those members of the community on whose generosity they depend for their living.”²³