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

19So we regard the words of the prophets as confirmed beyond all doubt. You’re doing well by paying attention to their words. Continue to pay attention as you would to a light that shines in a dark place as you wait for day to come and the morning star to rise in your hearts. 20First, you must understand this: No prophecy in Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever originated from humans. Instead, it was given by the Holy Spirit as humans spoke under God’s direction.

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 1:70He made this promise through his holy prophets long ago.
• 2 Timothy 3:16Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval.
• 1 Peter 1:11So they tried to find out what time or situation the Spirit of Christ kept referring to whenever he predicted Christ’s sufferings and the glory that would follow.
• Deuteronomy 33:1Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites with this blessing before he died.
• Joshua 14:6Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea about you and me.
• 1 Kings 13:1A man of God from Judah had come to Bethel. When he arrived, Jeroboam was standing at the altar to offer a sacrifice.
• 1 Kings 17:18The woman asked Elijah, “What do you and I have in common, man of God? Did you come here to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
• 2 Kings 4:7She went and told the man of God. He said, “Sell the oil, and pay your debt. The rest is for you and your children.”
• 2 Kings 6:10Then the king of Israel would send someone to the place that the man of God told him about. Elisha warned them so that they would be on their guard. He did this repeatedly.
• 1 Chronicles 23:14The sons of Moses, the man of God, were counted with the tribe of Levi.
• 2 Chronicles 8:14As Solomon’s father David had directed, he set up the divisions of priests for their service and the ⌞divisions of⌟ Levites for their appointed places. ⌞The Levites⌟ were to lead in praising ⌞the Lord⌟ and to serve beside the priests by doing whatever needed to be done each day. Solomon also set up divisions of doorkeepers at every gate because this is what David, the man of God, had commanded.
• Numbers 16:28Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord sent me to do all these things and that it wasn’t my idea:
• 2 Samuel 23:2“The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me. His words were on my tongue.
• Micah 3:7Seers will be put to shame. Those who practice witchcraft will be disgraced. All of them will cover their faces, because God won’t answer them.
• 2 Timothy 3:15From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. They have the power to give you wisdom so that you can be saved through faith in Christ Jesus.
• Revelation 19:10I bowed at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Don’t do that! I am your coworker and a coworker of the Christians who hold on 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