New Living Translation
2 Peter 2:18
18They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.
2 Peter 2:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
- New International Version (NIV)For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.
Context of 2 Peter 2:18
16But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice. 17These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. 19They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. 20And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.
Read all of 2 Peter 22 Peter 2:18 word by word
Ὑπέρογκα γὰρ ματαιότητος φθεγγόμενοι δελεάζουσιν ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις σαρκὸς ἀσελγείαις τοὺς ἀποφεύγοντας τοὺς ἐν πλάνῃ ἀναστρεφομένους,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- when they speakφθέγγομαιphtheggomai · to speakG5350
- great swellingὑπέρογκοςhuperogkos · boastfulG5246
- of vanityματαιότηςmataiotēs · futilityG3153
- they allureδελεάζωdeleazō · to enticeG1185
- throughἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the lustsἐπιθυμίαepithumia · desireG1939
- of the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
- wantonnessἀσέλγειαaselgeia · debaucheryG766
- those that were cleanὄντωςontōs · reallyG3689
- escapedὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- escapedἀποφεύγωapopheugō · to escapeG668
- from them who liveἀναστρέφωanastrepho · to live/returnG390
- errorπλάνηplanē · errorG4106
Cross-references for 2 Peter 2:18
- Psalms 52:1Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
- Psalms 73:8They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.
- Daniel 4:30As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’
- Daniel 11:36“The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place.
- Acts 8:9A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
- Jude 1:13They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.
- Revelation 13:5Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months.
- Romans 13:13Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.
- James 5:5You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.
- 2 Peter 2:20And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.
- 2 Peter 1:4And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
- Acts 2:40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
Commentaries on 2 Peter 2:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18They speak great swelling words of vanity - The word ̔ signifies things of great magnitude, grand, superb, sublime; it sometimes signifies inflated, tumid, bombastic. These false teachers spoke of great and high things, and no doubt promised their disciples the greatest privileges, as they themselves pretended to a high degree of illumination; but they were all false and vain, though they tickled the fancy and excited the desires of the flesh; and indeed…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18For when they speak great swelling words of vanity - When they make pretensions to wisdom and learning, or seem to attach great importance to what they say, and urge it in a pompous and positive manner. Truth is simple, and delights in simple statements. It expects to make its way by its own intrinsic force, and is willing to pass for what it is worth. Error is noisy and declamatory, and hopes to succeed by substituting sound for sense, and by such tones…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-22Verses 17-22 The word of truth is the water of life, which refreshes the souls that receive it; but deceivers spread and promote error, and are set forth as empty, because there is no truth in them. As clouds hinder the light of the sun, so do these darken counsel by words wherein there is no truth. Seeing that these men increase darkness in this world, it is very just that the mist of darkness should be their portion in the next. In the midst of their…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18those who are just escaping: The false teachers cleverly targeted new believers. These were people who had only recently committed themselves to Christ.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. allure--Greek, "lay baits for." through--Greek, "in"; the lusts of the flesh being the element IN which they lay their baits. much wantonness--Greek, "by licentiousness"; the bait which they lay. clean escaped--Greek, "really escaped." But the oldest manuscripts and Vulgate read, "scarcely," or "for but a little time"; scarcely have they escaped from them who live in error (the ungodly world), when they are allured by these seducers into sin again…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Peter 2:18
In the dictionaries
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
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