2 Peter 2:20

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

after: Matthew 12:43-45, Luke 11:24-26, Hebrews 6:4-8, Hebrews 10:26, Hebrews 10:27

escaped: 2 Peter 2:18, 2 Peter 1:4

through: 2 Peter 1:2

the latter: Numbers 24:20, Deuteronomy 32:29, Philippians 3:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:6 - General Exodus 14:5 - Why have we Leviticus 13:20 - in sight Leviticus 13:55 - after Leviticus 14:43 - General Leviticus 25:10 - proclaim 1 Samuel 19:10 - sought Ezra 9:14 - we again Job 8:7 - thy latter Job 23:11 - his way Job 24:13 - nor abide Psalms 85:8 - but Proverbs 2:13 - leave Proverbs 14:14 - backslider Jeremiah 34:11 - General Ezekiel 33:13 - if he Ezekiel 33:18 - General Ezekiel 46:9 - he that entereth in Hosea 4:10 - left Hosea 6:4 - for Matthew 5:13 - if Matthew 7:27 - General Matthew 21:19 - Let Mark 11:14 - No Luke 6:49 - the ruin Luke 8:13 - which Luke 9:62 - No Luke 11:26 - and the John 6:66 - of his John 15:6 - he Acts 5:13 - of Acts 5:31 - a Saviour Acts 13:23 - raised Romans 12:2 - be not Galatians 3:4 - ye Galatians 4:9 - ye have Galatians 5:4 - ye 1 Timothy 5:15 - General 1 Timothy 5:24 - General 2 Timothy 1:10 - our 2 Timothy 2:4 - entangleth 2 Timothy 3:13 - evil Titus 1:4 - our Titus 2:12 - denying Hebrews 6:5 - tasted 2 Peter 2:19 - overcome 2 Peter 3:18 - knowledge 1 John 2:19 - went out 1 John 5:16 - There

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."

Genesis 2:18
And Yahweh God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a matching helper for him.

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him."

Genesis 2:18
The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him."

Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone: I will make him a help meet for him.

Genesis 2:18
Yahweh God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

Genesis 2:18
Now the LORD God said, "It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him."

Genesis 2:18
And the Lord God seide, It is not good that a man be aloone, make we to hym an help lijk to hym silf.

Genesis 2:18
And Jehovah God saith, `Not good for the man to be alone, I do make to him an helper -- as his counterpart.'

Genesis 2:18
The LORD God also said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world,.... The sins of it, the governing vices of it, which the men of the world are addicted to, and immersed in; for the whole world lies in wickedness, and which are of a defiling nature: the phrase is Rabbinical; it is said q,

"he that studies not in the law in this world, but is defiled בטנופי עלמא, "with the pollutions of the world", what is written of him? and they took him, and cast him without:''

these, men may escape, abstain from, and outwardly reform, with respect unto, and yet be destitute of the grace of God; so that this can be no instance of the final and total apostasy of real saints; for the house may be swept and garnished with an external reformation; persons may be outwardly righteous before men, have a form of godliness and a name to live, and yet be dead in trespasses and sins; all which they may have

through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, read, our Lord, and the latter leave out, "and Saviour"; by which "knowledge" is meant, not a spiritual experimental knowledge of Christ, for that is eternal life, the beginning, pledge, and earnest of it; but a notional knowledge of Christ, or a profession of knowledge of him, for it may be rendered "acknowledgment"; or rather the Gospel of Christ, which, being only notionally received, may have such an effect on men, as outwardly to reform their lives, at least in some instances, and for a while, in whose hearts it has no place. Now if, after all this knowledge and reformation,

they are again entangled therein; in the pollutions of the world, in worldly lusts, which are as gins, pits and snares:

and overcome; by them, so as to be laden with them, and led away, and entirely governed and influenced by them:

the latter end, or state,

is worse with them than the beginning; see Matthew 12:45. Their beginning, or first estate, was that in which they were born, a state of darkness, ignorance, and sin, and in which they were brought up, and was either the state of Judaism, or of Gentilism; their next estate was an outward deliverance and escape from the error of the one, or of the other, and an embracing and professing the truth of the Christian religion, joined with a becoming external conversation; and this their last estate was an apostasy from the truth of the Gospel they had professed, a reception of error and heresy, and a relapse into sin and immorality, which made their case worse than it was at first; for, generally, such persons are more extravagant in sinning; are like raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; and are seldom, or ever, recovered; and by their light, knowledge, and profession, their punishment will be more aggravated, and become intolerable.

q Zohar in Gen. fol. 104. 3. Vid. Bechinot Olam, p. 178.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world - This does not necessarily mean that they had been true Christians, and had fallen from grace. People may outwardly reform, and escape from the open corruptions which prevail around them, or which they had themselves practiced, and still have no true grace at heart.

Through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesses Christ - Neither does This imply that they were true Christians, or that they had ever had any saving knowledge of the Redeemer. There is a knowledge of the doctrines and duties of religion which may lead sinners to abandon their outward vices, which has no connection with saving grace. They may profess religion, and may Know enough of religion to understand that it requires them to abandon their vicious habits, and still never be true Christians.

They are again entangled therein and overcome - The word rendered “entangled,” (ἐμπλέκω emplekō,) from which is derived our word “implicate,” means to braid in, to interweave; then to involve in, to entangle. It means here that they become implicated in those vices like an animal that is entangled in a net.

The latter end is worse with them than the beginning - This is usually the case. Apostates become worse than they were before their professed conversion. “Reformed” drunkards, if they go back to their “cups” again, become more abandoned than ever. Thus, it is with those who have been addicted to any habits of vice, and who profess to become religious, and then fall away. The “reasons” for this may be:

(1)That they are willing now to show to others that they are no longer under the restraints by which they had professedly bound themselves;

(2)That God gives them up to indulgence with fewer restraints than formerly; and,

(3)Their old companions in sin may be at special pains to court their society, and to lead them into temptation, in order to obtain a triumph over virtue and religion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 20. The pollutions of the world — Sin in general, and particularly superstition, idolatry, and lasciviousness. These are called μιασματα, miasmata, things that infect, pollute, and defile. The word was anciently used, and is in use at the present day, to express those noxious particles of effluvia proceeding from persons infected with contagious and dangerous diseases; or from dead and corrupt bodies, stagnant and putrid waters, marshes c., by which the sound and healthy may be infected and destroyed.

The world is here represented as one large, putrid marsh, or corrupt body, sending off its destructive miasmata everywhere and in every direction, so that none can escape its contagion, and none can be healed of the great epidemic disease of sin, but by the mighty power and skill of God. St. Augustine has improved on this image: "The whole world," says he, "is one great diseased man, lying extended from east to west, and from north to south and to heal this great sick man, the almighty Physician descended from heaven." Now, it is by the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as says St. Peter, that we escape the destructive influence of these contagious miasmata. But if, after having been healed, and escaped the death to which we were exposed, we get again entangled, εμπλακεντες, enfolded, enveloped with them; then the latter end will be worse than the beginning: forasmuch as we shall have sinned against more light, and the soul, by its conversion to God, having had all its powers and faculties greatly improved, is now, being repolluted, more capable of iniquity than before, and can bear more expressively the image of the earthly.