2 Peter 1:21

2 Peter 1:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
• New International Version (NIV)For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
• New King James Version (NKJV)for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Context of 2 Peter 1:21

19We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:21 word by word

οὐ γὰρ θελήματι ἀνθρώπου ἠνέχθη προφητεία ποτέ, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι ἐλάλησαν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• the prophecyπροφητείαprophēteia · prophecyG4394
• cameφέρωpherō̄ · to bear/leadG5342
• notοὐou · noG3756
• in old timeποτέpote · once/whenG4218
• by the willθέλημαthelēma · will/desireG2307
• of manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• menὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• spakeλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• byὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
• theπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• Holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40

Cross-references for 2 Peter 1:21

• Luke 1:70just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times;
• 2 Timothy 3:16All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,
• 1 Peter 1:11They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
• Deuteronomy 33:1This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.
• Joshua 14:6The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord promised Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.
• 1 Kings 13:1A man of God came, however, from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord while Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense.
• 1 Kings 17:18She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?”
• 2 Kings 4:7She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.”
• 2 Kings 6:10Consequently, the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly warned the king, so the king would be on his guard.
• 1 Chronicles 23:14As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
• 2 Chronicles 8:14According to the ordinances of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, of the Levites over their responsibilities to offer praise and to minister before the priests following the daily requirement, and of the gatekeepers by their divisions with respect to each temple gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.
• Numbers 16:28Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord sent me to do all these things and that it was not of my own will:
• 2 Samuel 23:2The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, his word was on my tongue.
• Micah 3:7Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners disappointed. They will all cover their mouths because there will be no answer from God.
• 2 Timothy 3:15and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
• Revelation 19:10Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Commentaries on 2 Peter 1:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21For the prophecy came not in old time - That is, in any former time, by the will of man - by a man's own searching, conjecture, or calculation; but holy men of God - persons separated from the world, and devoted to God's service, spake, moved by the Holy Ghost. So far were they from inventing these prophetic declarations concerning Christ, or any future event, that they were , carried away, out of themselves and out of the whole region, as it were, of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21For the prophecy came not in old time - Margin, or, “at any.” The Greek word ( ̀ pote) will bear either construction. It would be true in either sense, but the reference is particularly to the recorded prophecies in the Old Testament. What was true of them, however, is true of all prophecy, that it is not by the will of man. The word “prophecy” here is without the article, meaning prophecy in general - all that is prophetic in the Old Testament; or, in a…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-21Verses 16-21 The gospel is no weak thing, but comes in power, Ro 1:16. The law sets before us our wretched state by sin, but there it leaves us. It discovers our disease, but does not make known the cure. It is the sight of Jesus crucified, in the gospel, that heals the soul. Try to dissuade the covetous worlding from his greediness, one ounce of gold weighs down all reasons. Offer to stay a furious man from anger by arguments, he has not patience to hear…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-21comes from one’s own interpretation: This probably means that the prophets did not have to interpret God’s visions by themselves. God made the meaning clear to them so they could speak his message clearly and reliably.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. came not in old time--rather, "was never at any time borne" (to us). by the will of man--alone. Jr 23:26, "prophets of the deceit of their own heart." Compare 2Pe 3:5, "willingly." holy--One oldest manuscript has, "men FROM God": the emissaries from God. "Holy," if read, will mean because they had the Holy Spirit. moved--Greek, "borne" (along) as by a mighty wind: Ac 2:2, "rushing (the same Greek) wind": rapt out of themselves: still not in fanatical…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Peter 1:21

• Holy Spirit
• Prophecy
• Prophets
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Holy Ghost
• Calling
• Corruption
• Cunningly
• Diligence
• Escape
• Glory
• Prophecy

Commentaries on 2 Peter 1

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings