2 Peter 3:5

2 Peter 3:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
• New International Version (NIV)But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
• New King James Version (NKJV)For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

Context of 2 Peter 3:5

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. 4They will say: ‘Christ promised that he would return to this world. But he has not returned! Our ancestors have already died, but since God made the world in the beginning, nothing has changed.’ These people choose to forget things that they really know. A long time ago, God spoke his word and he made the sky and the earth. He caused land to come up through water. He made the land to be separate from the water. 6Also, God used water to destroy that same world long ago. He spoke his word and he covered the land with water. 7But God has also spoken his word to say what will happen to the world in a future time. The sky and the earth that we see now will continue for a time. But God is keeping them until the day when he will destroy them with fire. On that day he will judge all people. He will destroy the people who have turned away from him.

2 Peter 3:5 word by word

λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καὶ γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι᾽ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• theyαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• willinglyθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• are ignorant ofλανθάνωlanthanō · be hiddenG2990
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• by the wordλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• the heavensοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• of oldἔκπαλαιekpalai · of oldG1597
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• standingσυνίστημι, συνιστάωsunistaō sunistanō sunistēmi · to commendG4921
• out ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• inδιάdia · through/because ofG1223

Cross-references for 2 Peter 3:5

• Proverbs 17:16Money does not help a foolish person, because he does not want to become wise.
• John 3:19God's Son has brought light into the world. But some people did not love the light. They loved the dark instead. That was because they were doing evil things. That is why God has decided to punish those people.
• Romans 1:28Those people decided that they did not need to know anything about God. So God let their minds become spoiled. As a result, they do bad things that people ought not to do.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:10He will do all kinds of bad things that deceive people. The people that he deceives are people that God will destroy. Those people believe false things because they have refused to accept God's true message. If they had loved that true message, God would have saved them.
• Genesis 1:6Then God said, ‘A wide space will appear between the waters. So the waters will be in two separate places.’
• Psalms 24:2The Lord built the foundation of the earth. He built it on the seas and the rivers.
• Psalms 33:6The word of the Lord made the heavens. When he spoke, all the stars in the sky appeared.
• Hebrews 11:3Because of faith, we understand about how God made the universe. He spoke his word to make it happen. In that way, God made all the things that we can see. He made them from things that nobody could see.
• Colossians 1:17God's Son was there before anything else was there. And now he causes everything to continue in its proper place.

Commentaries on 2 Peter 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of - They shut their eyes against the light, and refuse all evidence; what does not answer their purpose they will not know. And the apostle refers to a fact that militates against their hypothesis, with which they refused to acquaint themselves; and their ignorance he attributes to their unwillingness to learn the true state of the case. By the word of God the heavens were of old - I shall set down the Greek text of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of - ́ ̀ ̓̀ ͂ ́ Laithanei gar autous touto thelontasThere is some considerable variety in the translation of this passage. In our common version the Greek word ( ́ thelontas) is rendered as if it were an adverb, or as if it referred to their “ignorance” in regard to the event; meaning, that while they might have known this fact, they took no pains to do it, or that they preferred to have its recollection far from their…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-10Verses 5-10 Had these scoffers considered the dreadful vengeance with which God swept away a whole world of ungodly men at once, surely they would not have scoffed at his threatening an equally terrible judgment. The heavens and the earth which now are, by the same word, it is declared, will be destroyed by fire. This is as sure to come, as the truth and the power of God can make it. Christians are here taught and established in the truth of the coming of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Creation is the first evidence that the false teachers were wrong. Change does happen. If God made the world, then he is also able to destroy it. the earth was formed out of water and by water: See Genesis 1:2, 6–10.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. Refutation of their scoffing from Scripture history. willingly--wilfully; they do not wish to know. Their ignorance is voluntary. they ... are ignorant of--in contrast to 2Pe 3:8, "Be not ignorant of this." Literally, in both verses, "This escapes THEIR notice (sagacious philosophers though they think themselves)"; "let this not escape YOUR notice." They obstinately shut their eyes to the Scripture record of the creation and the deluge; the latter is…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Peter 3:5

• Earth
• Geology
• Infidelity

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Word of God
• Asleep
• Dissolve
• Hard
• Promise
• Wrest
• Compact; Compacted
• Forget; Forgetful

Commentaries on 2 Peter 3

• 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