Tree of Life Version
2 Peter 2:15
15They have abandoned the straight way. They have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
2 Peter 2:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
- New International Version (NIV)They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
- New King James Version (NKJV)They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
Context of 2 Peter 2:15
13They will be paid back for what they have done—evil for evil. They consider carousing in broad daylight a pleasure. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceitful pleasures while feasting together with you. 14They have eyes full of adultery that never stop sinning, enticing unstable souls. They have hearts trained in greed—a cursed brood! They have abandoned the straight way. They have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But he received a rebuke for his own wrongdoing. A dumb donkey spoke with a man’s voice and put a stop to the prophet’s madness. 17These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. The gloom of utter darkness has been reserved for them.
Read all of 2 Peter 22 Peter 2:15 word by word
εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν ἐπλανήθησαν, ἐξακολουθήσαντες τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ τοῦ Βοσόρ, ὃς μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Which have forsakenκαταλείπωkataleipō · to leave behindG2641
- the rightεὐθύςeuthus · StraightG2117
- wayὁδόςhodos · roadG3598
- and are gone astrayπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
- followingἐξακολουθέωexakoloutheō · to followG1811
- of BalaamΒαλαάμBalaam · BalaamG903
- of BosorΒοσόρ, ΒεώρBosor · BeorG1007
- whoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- lovedἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
- the wagesμισθόςmisthos · wageG3408
- of unrighteousnessἀδικίαadikia · unrighteousnessG93
Cross-references for 2 Peter 2:15
- 1 Samuel 12:23Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Adonai by ceasing to pray for you! Yet I will keep instructing you in the good and straight way.
- 1 Kings 18:18But he answered, “I have not troubled Israel. Rather, it is you and your father’s house—by forsaking the mitzvot of Adonai and going after the Baalim.
- 1 Kings 19:10“I have been very zealous for Adonai-Tzva’ot,” he said, “for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and slain Your prophets with the sword—and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it!”
- Ezekiel 9:10As for Me, my eye will not show pity nor will I spare. I will bring their conduct upon their head.”
- Proverbs 28:4Those who forsake Torah praise the wicked, but those who keep Torah stir them up.
- Hosea 14:8Those dwelling in his shadow will return. They will grow grain and bud like a vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
- Acts 13:10and said, “O you, full of all deceit and trickery, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness—will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
- Numbers 22:5He sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, at Pethor near the River in his native land, saying to him, “Look now, a people has come out of Egypt. See now, they cover the surface of the earth and are settling beside me.
- Numbers 22:18But Balaam answered Balak’s servants, “Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot cross beyond the mouth of Adonai my God, to do anything small or great!
- Numbers 31:16Why, they are the ones—because of Balaam’s advice—who caused Bnei-Yisrael to be unfaithful to Adonai in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was on the community of Adonai!
- Deuteronomy 23:4No Ammonite or Moabite is to enter the community of Adonai—even to the tenth generation none belonging to them is to enter the community of Adonai forever—
- Micah 6:5O My people, remember, please: What did Balak, king of Moab, propose? What did Balaam son of Beor answer him? From Shittim as far as Gilgal, so that you might acknowledge the righteous acts of Adonai.”
- Jude 1:11Woe to them! For they went the way of Cain; they were consumed for pay in Balaam’s error; and in Korah’s rebellion they have been destroyed.
- Revelation 2:14“But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who was teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before Bnei-Yisrael, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
- Acts 1:18(Now this man Judah bought a field with the reward of his wickedness. Falling headfirst, he burst open in the middle and his intestines splattered out.
Commentaries on 2 Peter 2:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Which have forsaken the right way - As Balaam did, who, although God showed him the right way, took one contrary to it, preferring the reward offered him by Balak to the approbation and blessing of God. The way of Balaam - Is the counsel of Balaam. He counselled the Moabites to give their most beautiful young women to the Israelitish youth, that they might be enticed by them to commit idolatry. See the notes on Numbers 22:5, etc., and Numbers 23:1…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Which have forsaken the right way - The straight path of honesty and integrity. Religion is often represented as a straight path, and to do wrong is to go out of that path in a crooked way. Following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor - See Numbers 22:5, following. In the Book of Numbers, Balaam is called the son of “Beor.” Perhaps the name Beor was corrupted into Bosor; or, as Rosenmuller suggests, the father of Balaam may have had two names. Schleusner…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-16Verses 10-16 Impure seducers and their abandoned followers, give themselves up to their own fleshly minds. Refusing to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ, they act against God's righteous precepts. They walk after the flesh, they go on in sinful courses, and increase to greater degrees of impurity and wickedness. They also despise those whom God has set in authority over them, and requires them to honour. Outward temporal good things are the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15who loved the wages of wickedness: Balaam asked God for guidance, but he still wanted to go his own way so that he could receive Balak’s money (see Numbers 22–24). The Old Testament account suggests that Balaam was greedy. Jewish tradition later expanded this idea (see Numbers Rabbah 20:10; Mishnah Avot 5:22; Philo, Moses 1:266–268).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. have--Some of the seducers are spoken of as already come, others as yet to come. following--out: so the Greek. the way--(Nu 22:23, 32; Is 56:11). son of Bosor--the same as Beor (Nu 22:5). This word was adopted, perhaps, because the kindred word Basar means flesh; and Balaam is justly termed son of carnality, as covetous, and the enticer of Israel to lust. loved the wages of unrighteousness--and therefore wished (in order to gain them from Balak) to…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Peter 2:15
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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