2 Peter 2:15

2 Peter 2:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
• New International Version (NIV)They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
• New King James Version (NKJV)They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

Context of 2 Peter 2:15

13The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you. 14Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed. They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But he was rebuked for his transgression by a donkey, otherwise without speech, that spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. 17These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

2 Peter 2:15 word by word

εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν ἐπλανήθησαν, ἐξακολουθήσαντες τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ τοῦ Βοσόρ, ὃς μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν,Read the interlinear

• They have leftκαταλείπωkataleipō · to leave behindG2641
• straightεὐθύςeuthus · StraightG2117
• wayὁδόςhodos · roadG3598
• and wandered offπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
• to followἐξακολουθέωexakoloutheō · to followG1811
• theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• of BalaamΒαλαάμBalaam · BalaamG903
• of BeorΒοσόρ, ΒεώρBosor · BeorG1007
• whoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• lovedἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
• wagesμισθόςmisthos · wageG3408
• of wickednessἀδικίαadikia · unrighteousnessG93

Cross-references for 2 Peter 2:15

• 1 Samuel 12:23As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.
• 1 Kings 18:18“I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.
• 1 Kings 19:10“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”
• Ezekiel 9:10But as for Me, I will not look on them with pity, nor will I spare them. I will bring their deeds down upon their own heads.”
• Proverbs 28:4Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
• Hosea 14:8O Ephraim, what have I to do anymore with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing cypress; your fruit comes from Me.
• Acts 13:10and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
• Numbers 22:5he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.
• Numbers 22:18But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything small or great to go beyond the command of the LORD my God.
• Numbers 31:16“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.
• Deuteronomy 23:4For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.
• Micah 6:5My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”
• Jude 1:11Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed for profit into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.
• Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
• Acts 1:18(Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.

Commentaries on 2 Peter 2:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Which have forsaken the right way - As Balaam did, who, although God showed him the right way, took one contrary to it, preferring the reward offered him by Balak to the approbation and blessing of God. The way of Balaam - Is the counsel of Balaam. He counselled the Moabites to give their most beautiful young women to the Israelitish youth, that they might be enticed by them to commit idolatry. See the notes on Numbers 22:5, etc., and Numbers 23:1…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Which have forsaken the right way - The straight path of honesty and integrity. Religion is often represented as a straight path, and to do wrong is to go out of that path in a crooked way. Following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor - See Numbers 22:5, following. In the Book of Numbers, Balaam is called the son of “Beor.” Perhaps the name Beor was corrupted into Bosor; or, as Rosenmuller suggests, the father of Balaam may have had two names. Schleusner…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-16Verses 10-16 Impure seducers and their abandoned followers, give themselves up to their own fleshly minds. Refusing to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ, they act against God's righteous precepts. They walk after the flesh, they go on in sinful courses, and increase to greater degrees of impurity and wickedness. They also despise those whom God has set in authority over them, and requires them to honour. Outward temporal good things are the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15who loved the wages of wickedness: Balaam asked God for guidance, but he still wanted to go his own way so that he could receive Balak’s money (see Numbers 22–24). The Old Testament account suggests that Balaam was greedy. Jewish tradition later expanded this idea (see Numbers Rabbah 20:10; Mishnah Avot 5:22; Philo, Moses 1:266–268).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. have--Some of the seducers are spoken of as already come, others as yet to come. following--out: so the Greek. the way--(Nu 22:23, 32; Is 56:11). son of Bosor--the same as Beor (Nu 22:5). This word was adopted, perhaps, because the kindred word Basar means flesh; and Balaam is justly termed son of carnality, as covetous, and the enticer of Israel to lust. loved the wages of unrighteousness--and therefore wished (in order to gain them from Balak) to…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Peter 2:15

• Anarchy
• Apostasy
• Balaam
• Beor
• Covetousness
• Doctrines
• Minister, Christian
• Temptation
• Wicked (People)
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• Balaam
• Beor
• Bosor
• Chain
• Damnable
• Midianite
• Nicolaitanes
• Perish
• Privily
• Railing

Commentaries on 2 Peter 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings