2 Peter 1:16

2 Peter 1:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
• New International Version (NIV)For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

Context of 2 Peter 1:16

14I know that I will die soon. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that clearly. 15After I am no longer with you, I want you still to remember what I have told you. So I will make sure that you have something to help you not to forget. We told you that our Lord Jesus Christ is powerful. We also told you that he will return to earth again. We were not telling you false stories that came from people's clever ideas. Instead, we were telling you what we ourselves had seen. We ourselves saw that the Lord Jesus is very great. 17We were with him on the holy mountain when his Father God spoke to him. God gave honour to his Son, Jesus, and he said that Jesus is great. We ourselves heard God's voice speak to Jesus from heaven above where God rules with power. He said: ‘This is my Son and I love him. He makes me very happy.’

2 Peter 1:16 word by word

οὐ γὰρ σεσοφισμένοις μύθοις ἐξακολουθήσαντες ἐγνωρίσαμεν ὑμῖν τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν καὶ παρουσίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπόπται γενηθέντες τῆς ἐκείνου μεγαλειότητος.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• we haveἐξακολουθέωexakoloutheō · to followG1811
• notοὐou · noG3756
• cunningly devisedσοφίζωsophizō · to make wiseG4679
• fablesμῦθοςmuthos · mythG3454
• when we made knownγνωρίζωgnōrizō · to make knownG1107
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• the powerὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the powerδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• comingπαρουσίαparousia · comingG3952
• ofκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• wereγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• eyewitnessesἐπόπτηςepoptēs · eyewitnessG2030
• ofμεγαλειότηςmegaleiotēs · majestyG3168
• hisἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565

Cross-references for 2 Peter 1:16

• 2 Peter 3:3The first thing that you should understand is this. In the last days of this world, some people will laugh at you because you believe in God. These people will do whatever bad things they want to do.
• 1 Corinthians 1:17Christ did not send me to baptize people. But he did send me to tell God's good news to people. When I speak his message, I do not use clever words. It is Christ's death on the cross that has power to save people. I do not want to spoil that power with clever words.
• 1 Corinthians 2:1Christian friends, I came to tell you God's true message. I did not use clever words when I spoke to you. I did not try to make you think that I was very wise.
• 2 Corinthians 2:17Some people even tell God's message because they want to get a lot of money for themselves. But we are not like them. No, God himself has sent us to do this work. And he sees what we are doing. So we are honest and we speak God's message clearly, as Christ's servants should do.
• 2 Corinthians 4:2We refuse to do anything secretly that we might be ashamed of. We do not tell lies. We do not change God's message to deceive people. No. We tell God's true message clearly. God himself sees that we teach people in an honest way. Everyone should understand that we only do what is right.
• 2 Corinthians 12:16I did not give you trouble. You surely know that. But some of you say that I deceived you. You think that I was clever and I got money from you.
• Ephesians 4:14So then we will not be like children any more. Our minds will not become confused by strange ideas. We will not change what we believe, from one thing to another. Some people teach things that are not true. They do clever things to deceive people. But we will not agree with their false message.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:9When the enemy of God appears, he will be doing Satan's work. Satan will give him the power to do great things and miracles that are false.
• 1 Timothy 1:4Tell people not to listen to false stories. They should not always be studying long lists of their families' names from years ago. Those things do not help people. They only cause them to argue. Instead, they need to understand God's purpose for us. To do that, people must trust him.
• 1 Timothy 4:7But you must refuse to listen to false stories. Stories like that are not from God and only silly people believe them. Instead, learn to live well in a way that makes God happy.
• Matthew 28:18Jesus went near to them and he said to them, ‘God has given me authority over everyone and everything. I have all authority in heaven and in this world.
• Mark 9:1Jesus then said to them, ‘I tell you this: Some people who are standing here will see God begin to rule in his kingdom with great power. They will see that before they die.’
• John 17:2You gave me authority over all people. You did this so that I could give people life for ever. Those are the people that you gave to me.
• 1 Corinthians 5:4You have the authority of the Lord Jesus to do this. When you meet together as a group, my spirit will be with you. The power of our Lord Jesus will also be with you.
• Philippians 3:21He will change these weak bodies that we have now on this earth. He will make them become strong and beautiful, like his own body that he has in heaven. Christ will use his great power to do this. That is the power that he uses to rule over everything.

Commentaries on 2 Peter 1:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Cunningly devised fables - . I think, with Macknight and others, from the apostle's using , eye witnesses, or rather beholders, in the end of the verse, it is probable that he means those cunningly devised fables among the heathens, concerning the appearance of their gods on earth in human form. And to gain the greater credit to these fables, the priests and statesmen instituted what they called the mysteries of the gods, in which the fabulous appearance…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16For we have not followed cunningly devised fables - That is, fictions or stories invented by artful men, and resting on no solid foundation. The doctrines which they held about the coming of the Saviour were not, like many of the opinions of the Greeks, defended by weak and sophistical reasoning, but were based on solid evidence - evidence furnished by the personal observation of competent witnesses. It is true of the gospel, in general, that it is not…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. 16-18cleverly devised fables: The false teachers were probably claiming that the message about Christ’s return was only a helpful story and not a true event. we were eyewitnesses of His majesty: This refers to the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–9; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36). The transfiguration was a moment when the appearance of Jesus changed in a bright and glorious way. At that moment, Jesus was revealed as the glorious King, which pointed to his…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. For--reason why he is so earnest that the remembrance of these things should be continued after his death. followed--out in detail. cunningly devised--Greek, "devised by (man's) wisdom"; as distinguished from what the Holy Ghost teaches (compare 1Co 3:13). But compare also 2Pe 2:3, "feigned words." fables--as the heathen mythologies, and the subsequent Gnostic "fables and genealogies," of which the germs already existed in the junction of Judaism with…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Peter 1:16

• Apostles
• Fable
• Gospel
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Minister, Christian
• Peter
• Power
• Testimony

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Jesus Christ
• Calling
• Corruption
• Cunningly
• Diligence
• Escape

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