2 Peter 1:8

Contextual Overview

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁵Because of this, don't be lazy in responding to God's promises. Throw in a heaping of goodness on top of your faith. To your goodness, add a bunch of wisdom. ⁵ So, for this very cause, take every care; joining virtue to faith, and knowledge to virtue, ⁵ But for this very reason also, using therewith all diligence, in your faith have also virtue, in virtue knowledge, ⁵ Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; ⁵ For this very reason giving all diligence, add to your faith courage, ⁵ But for this very reason--adding, on your part, all earnestness-- along with your faith, manifest also a noble character: along with a noble character, knowledge; ⁵ And besides this, giuing all diligence, adde to your faith, vertue; and to vertue knowledge;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in you: John 5:42, 2 Corinthians 9:14, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Philippians 2:5, Colossians 3:16, Philemon 1:6

and abound: 1 Corinthians 15:58, 2 Corinthians 8:2, 2 Corinthians 8:7, Philippians 1:9, Colossians 2:7, Colossians 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:3

they: John 15:7, John 15:8, 2 Corinthians 5:13-17

barren: or, idle, Proverbs 19:15, Matthew 20:3, Matthew 20:6, Matthew 25:26, Romans 12:11, 1 Timothy 5:13, Hebrews 6:12

unfruitful: Matthew 13:22, John 15:2, John 15:6, Titus 3:14

in: 2 Peter 1:2

Reciprocal: Matthew 13:21 - root Matthew 25:18 - and hid Mark 4:19 - unfruitful Mark 4:20 - which Colossians 1:10 - fruitful 2 Peter 3:18 - knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 1:5
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light day, and the darknes night: and the euenyng & the mornyng were the first day.

Genesis 1:5
God named the light "day," and he named the darkness "night." There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the first day.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:5
dai, and the derknessis, nyyt. And the euentid and morwetid was maad, o daie.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light, Day, and the darknesse he called Night: and the euening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For if these things be in you,.... Are wrought in you by the Spirit of God, and exercised and performed by his assistance, who works in his people both to will and do:

and abound; increase in their acts and exercises by the frequent performance of them: they make you; both by way of influence and evidence,

[that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a knowledge of Christ which is barren and fruitless; and those that have it are so in their conversations, and it will be of no avail to them another day: and this is a mere notional and speculative knowledge, such as is not attended with any inward experience and application of Christ to themselves, or any fruits of righteousness in their lives, and is a bare theory of things relating to his person, offices, and works; but there is a knowledge of him that is spiritual and experimental, by which a soul not only approves of Christ, but places its trust and confidence in him, and appropriates him to himself, and practically observes his commands and ordinances in the faith of him; and in love to him he performs the above duties, and exercises the above graces; from whence it appears, that he is neither barren nor unfruitful himself in the profession of his knowledge of Christ; "or in the acknowledgment of him", as it may be rendered; nor is that a vain, empty, and useless thing: he is not like the barren fig tree, or the earth that bears briers and thorns, and is nigh to cursing and burning, but like a tree planted by a river of water, and is green, flourishing, and fruitful. This is used as an argument to enforce the foregoing exhortation, to add to, that is, to exercise and perform the above graces and duties, in conjunction with each other.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For if these things be in you, and abound - If they are in you in rich abundance; if you are eminent for these things.

They make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful - They will show that you are not barren or unfruitful. The word rendered “barren,” is, in the margin, “idle.” The word “idle” more accurately expresses the sense of the original. The meaning is, that if they evinced these things, it would show.

(1)That they were diligent in cultivating the Christian graces, and,

(2)That it was not a vain thing to attempt to grow in knowledge and virtue.

Their efforts would be followed by such happy results as to be an encouragement to exertion. In nothing is there, in fact, more encouragement than in the attempt to become eminent in piety. On no other efforts does God smile more propitiously than on the attempt to secure the salvation of the soul and to do good. A small part of the exertions which men put forth to become rich, or learned, or celebrated for oratory or heroism, would secure the salvation of the soul. In the former, also, men often fail; in the latter, never.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 8. For if these things be in you and abound — If ye possess all there graces, and they increase and abound in your souls, they will make-show, you to be neither αργους, idle, nor ακαρπους, unfruitful, in the acknowledgment of our Lord Jesus Christ. The common translation is here very unhappy: barren and unfruitful certainly convey the same ideas; but idle or inactive, which is the proper sense of αργους, takes away this tautology, and restores the sense. The graces already mentioned by the apostle are in themselves active principles; he who was possessed of them, and had them abounding in him, could not be inactive; and he who is not inactive in the way of life must be fruitful. I may add, that he who is thus active, and consequently fruitful, will ever be ready at all hazard to acknowledge his Lord and Saviour, by whom he has been brought into this state of salvation.