2 Peter 2:15

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ That punishment is for those who are always doing the evil that their sinful selves want to do. It is for those who hate the Lord's authority. These false teachers do whatever they want, and they are so proud of themselves. They are not afraid even to say bad things against the glorious ones. ¹⁰ and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and wilful, they are not afraid to revile the glorious ones, ¹⁰ namely them that walke after the flesshe in the lust of vnclennes and despyse the rulars. Presumpteous are they and stubborne and feare not to speake evyll of them that are in auctorite. ¹⁰ but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries; ¹⁰ and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority. Reckless, self-centered, they speak abusively of angelic majesties without trembling, ¹⁰ That punishment is especially for those who live by doing the evil things their sinful selves want and who hate authority. These false teachers are bold and do anything they want. They are not afraid to speak against the angels. ¹⁰ but chiefly those that walk after the flesh in the desire of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble to rail at dignities: ¹⁰ But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous [are they], self-willed; they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. ¹⁰ but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries; ¹⁰ But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government: presumptuous, self-willed; they are not afraid to rail at dignities:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

forsaken: 1 Samuel 12:23, 1 Kings 18:18, 1 Kings 19:10, Ezekiel 9:10, Proverbs 28:4, Hosea 14:8, Acts 13:10

Balaam: Numbers 22:5-7

who: Numbers 22:18-21, Numbers 22:23, Numbers 22:28, Numbers 31:16, Deuteronomy 23:4, Deuteronomy 23:5, Micah 6:5, Jude 1:11, Revelation 2:14

wages: Acts 1:18

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:21 - hating Numbers 22:7 - rewards of divination Numbers 22:19 - General Numbers 22:32 - thy way Numbers 25:18 - beguiled Numbers 31:8 - Balaam Joshua 7:21 - I coveted Joshua 13:22 - Balaam Judges 18:4 - hired me Judges 18:20 - heart 1 Kings 21:16 - Ahab rose up 2 Kings 5:20 - and take 2 Chronicles 16:4 - hearkened Psalms 50:16 - What Psalms 107:7 - he led Psalms 119:10 - O let me Proverbs 5:23 - in the Proverbs 18:2 - but Proverbs 25:14 - boasteth Isaiah 56:11 - they are Jeremiah 6:13 - For Jeremiah 51:13 - and the Ezekiel 14:11 - the house Micah 3:11 - and the prophets Zechariah 13:2 - cause Matthew 13:22 - the care Matthew 18:7 - but Matthew 23:14 - for ye Matthew 26:9 - General Matthew 26:15 - What Mark 14:11 - and promised Luke 9:25 - what Luke 22:5 - and covenanted John 2:16 - make John 11:51 - he prophesied Acts 5:2 - kept Acts 24:26 - hoped 1 Corinthians 5:11 - or covetous 1 Corinthians 9:27 - lest Philippians 4:17 - because 1 Thessalonians 2:5 - a cloak 1 Timothy 3:3 - not covetous 1 Timothy 6:5 - supposing 1 Timothy 6:9 - they 2 Timothy 3:2 - covetous 2 Timothy 3:4 - lovers of God 2 Timothy 4:10 - hath Titus 1:12 - liars 1 Peter 5:12 - true 2 Peter 2:2 - ways 2 Peter 2:3 - through

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing, so he rested from all his work.

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing.

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
On the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Genesis 2:2
And God fillide in the seuenthe dai his werk which he made; and he restide in the seuenthe dai fro al his werk which he hadde maad;

Genesis 2:2
and God completeth by the seventh day His work which He hath made, and ceaseth by the seventh day from all His work which He hath made.

Genesis 2:2
And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Which have forsaken the right way,.... The right way of the Lord, the way of truth, the Gospel of truth; or Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; the true way to eternal life, and which is the right way to eternal happiness; the way of life, righteousness, and salvation by Christ, the Christian faith, and the doctrine of it, which they once professed, but now relinquished:

and are gone astray; from the right way, the way of truth and holiness, into the paths of error and profaneness:

following the way of Balaam [the son] of Bosor; which Jude calls his error, Judges 1:11, and is the path of covetousness, uncleanness, and idolatry, sins which he was either guilty of himself, or taught, advised, and seduced others to; see Revelation 2:14. The Vulgate Latin version reads "Balaam [out of] Bosor", taking "Bosor" for the name of a place, of which "Balaam" was; but not "Bosor", but "Pethor", was the place of Balaam's residence, Numbers 22:5. The Arabic and Ethiopic versions supply, as we do, "the son of Bosor"; and the Syriac version reads, "the son of Beor", as in Numbers 22:5; for Beor and "Bosor" are the same names; the "sheva" being pronounced by "o", as it is by "oa" in "Boanerges", and the "ain" by "s". Moreover, the letters צ and ע are sometimes used for one another, as in צאן and עאן, ארץ and ארע, and so ע and ש, especially in the Chaldean dialect; and Peter now being at Babylon in Chaldea, see 1 Peter 5:13; it is no wonder that he so pronounced.

Who loved the wages of unrighteousness: which were the rewards of divination, Numbers 22:7; which were brought him for his divining or soothsaying, and may well be called unrighteous wages, since it was for doing unrighteous things, or things in an unrighteous manner; and these he loved, desired, and greedily coveted, and fain would he have taken Balak's gold and silver, and have cursed Israel, but was restrained by the Lord: he showed a good will to it, in going along with the messengers, and in building altars, and offering sacrifice in one place after another, in which there was a great resemblance between him and the men here spoken of.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which 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 (Lexicon) supposes that it was changed by the Greeks because it was more easily pronounced. The Septuagint, however, reads it as Βεὼρ Beōr - “Beor.” The meaning here is, that they IMitAted Balaam. The particular point to which Peter refers in which they imitated him, seems to have been the love of gain, or covetousness. Possibly, however, he might have designed to refer to a more general resemblance, for in fact they imitated him in the following things:

(1)In being professed religious teachers, or the servants of God;

(2)In their covetousness;

(3)In inducing others to sin, referring to the same kind of sins in both cases.

Balaam counselled the Moabites to entice the children of Israel to illicit connection with their women, thus introducing licentiousness into the camp of the Hebrews (Numbers 31:16; compare Numbers 25:1-9); and in like manner these teachers led others into licentiousness, thus corrupting the church.

Who loved the wages of unrighteousness - Who was supremely influenced by the love of gain, and was capable of being employed, for a price, in a wicked design; thus prostituting his high office, as a professed prophet of the Most High, to base and ignoble ends. That Balaam, though he professed to be influenced by a supreme regard to the will of God Numbers 22:18, Numbers 22:38, was really influenced by the desire of reward, and was willing to prostitute his great office to secure such a reward, there can be no doubt.

(1) The elders of Moab and of Midian came to Balaam with “the rewards of divination in their hand” Numbers 22:7, and with promises from Balak of promoting him to great honor, if he would curse the children of Israel, Numbers 22:17.

(2) Balaam was disposed to go with them, and was restrained from going at once only by a direct and solemn prohibition from the Lord, Numbers 22:11.

(3) Notwithstanding this solemn prohibition, and not with standing he said to the ambassadors from Balak that he would do only as God directed, though Balak should give him his house full of silver and gold, Numbers 22:18, yet he did not regard the matter as settled, but proposed to them that they should wait another night, with the hope that the Lord would give a more favourable direction in reference to their request, thus showing that his heart was in the service which they required, and that his inclination was to avail himself of their offer, Numbers 22:19.

(4) When he did obtain permission to go, it was only to say that which the Lord should direct him to say, Numbers 22:20; but he went with a perverse heart, with a secret wish to comply with the desire of Balak, and with a knowledge that he was doing wrong, Numbers 22:34, and was restrained from uttering the curse which Balak desired only by an influence from above which he could not control. Balaam was undoubtedly a wicked man, and was constrained by a power from on high to utter sentiments which God meant should be uttered, but which Balaam would never have expressed of his own accord.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 15. Which 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. Numbers 22:5, c., and "Numbers 23:1", &c.

The son of Bosor — Instead of βοσορ, BOSOR two ancient MSS. and some of the versions have βεωρ, Beor, to accommodate the word to the Hebrew text and the Septuagint. The difference in this name seems to have arisen from mistaking one letter for another in the Hebrew name, בעור Beor, for בצור Betsor or Bosor tsaddi צ and ain ע, which are very like each other, being interchanged.