2 Peter 3
This is the second letter, and in both of them he rouses your sincere mind by a reminder — three words returning from 1:13, and ‘in both of them’ is plural, reaching back to the earlier letter. At v.2 two genitives hang on one noun and the text does not say how, so it is left unfilled. In the last days mockers will come with mockery, saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?” — the doer and the deed on one root, the second a different lemma from ‘mocking’ at Heb 11:36. This escapes them because they want it so: that there were heavens from long ago and an earth formed out of water and through water by the word of God. Out of water and through water it stood, and by water it perished; the word that formed is the word that keeps. Do not let this one thing escape you — ‘escape’ faces itself at vv.5 and 8. One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day — Ps 90:4 stacked and reversed, with no place named. The Lord is not slow about the promise, not wanting any to perish but all to go over to repentance — ‘be slow’ and ‘slowness’ on one root in one verse. The day of the Lord will come as a thief, and the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise — a sound-word, once in the New Testament. The elements will be dissolved as they burn with heat, and the earth and its works will be found — the base text’s reading; the Received Text has ‘will be burned up’, which turns the sense over. Since all these are being dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and pieties — both plural. Wait for and hurry the coming of the day of God — the verb Zacchaeus hurried by, here with a day as its object. We wait for new heavens and a new earth — the phrase of Isa 65:17, with no place named. Be diligent to be found by him spotless and unblameable, in peace — ‘be found’ returns from v.10: works are found, and people are found. Count the patience of our Lord salvation. Our beloved brother Paul also wrote according to the wisdom given to him; in his letters there are some things hard to understand, which the unlearned and unsteadied twist, as they do the rest of the scriptures — the only place in the New Testament that counts Paul’s letters with the scriptures. The unsteadied fall from steadfastness — the adjective of v.16 and the noun of v.17 share a root. Grow in the grace and knowledge. To him be the glory both now and unto the day of eternity — the closing doxology has ‘glory’ only, and ‘unto the day of eternity’ is found nowhere else in the New Testament.
Why this rendering
2Pet.3.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ταύτην ἤδη, ἀγαπητοί, δευτέραν ὑμῖν γράφω ἐπιστολήν … ‘rouse … by a reminder’ returns from 1:13, three words the same · ἐν αἷς ‘in both of them’ is plural, reaching back to the earlier letter · the genitives of v.2 are threaded and the text does not say how — ‘your apostles’’ and ‘of the Lord and Saviour’ both hang on one noun · ἐμπαῖκται ἐν ἐμπαιγμονῇ are two on one root, and ἐμπαιγμονή is once in the New Testament, a different lemma from ἐμπαιγμός ‘mocking’ at Heb 11:36 · v.4 quotes the mockers’ words outright · λανθάνω ‘escape notice’ comes at vv.5 and 8 — what escapes them faces what must not escape you · ὕδωρ ‘water’ twice at v.5 and once at v.6 — out of water and through water it stood, and by water it perished · κατακλύζω ‘be flooded’ is once in the New Testament, one root with κατακλυσμός ‘flood’ at Matt 24:38 · vv.5 and 7 interlock on ‘the word’ — the word that formed is the word that keeps.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text uses a plural relative — a singular would lose the reach back to the earlier letter.
Basis The text does not say how they hang — ‘through your apostles’ would add a preposition it does not have.
Basis The text stacks the doer and the deed on one root, and it is a different lemma from ‘mocking’ at Heb 11:36.
Lost in translation
The phrase of 1:13 (v.1) — three words returning. Both use the same wording.
ἐν αἷς (v.1) — plural. Both render the plural.
Two genitives (v.2) — how they hang is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
ἐμπαίκτης / ἐμπαιγμονή (v.3) — one root side by side. Both keep it.
λανθάνω twice (vv.5 · 8) — what escapes them against what must not escape you. Both keep one word.
κατακλύζω (v.6) — one root with ‘flood’ at Matt 24:38. Both keep it.
Why this rendering
2Pet.3.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἓν δὲ τοῦτο μὴ λανθανέτω ὑμᾶς, ἀγαπητοί … v.8 stacks Ps 90:4 and then reverses it — one day as a thousand years, a thousand years as one day · the text names no place · βραδύνω and βραδύτης come on one root at v.9, and βραδύτης is once in the New Testament · ⸀κύριος has no article · χωρέω ‘go over’ stands apart from ‘hold’ at Matt 19:11 · v.10 takes up the phrase of 1 Thess 5:2, ‘the day of the Lord as a thief’ · ῥοιζηδόν ‘with a rushing noise’ is also once, one of the few sound-words in the New Testament · ⸀εὑρεθήσεται ‘will be found’ is the base text’s reading; the Received Text has ‘will be burned up’, which turns the sense over · στοιχεῖον ‘element’ comes at vv.10 and 12, the word of Gal 4:3 · λύω ‘be dissolved’ comes at vv.10, 11 and 12.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The Received Text reads ‘will be burned up’, turning the sense over; the base text’s reading is rendered.
Basis It is a sound-word — ‘with a great noise’ would lose the imitation.
Basis The text gives no citation formula and stacks the phrase in reverse.
Lost in translation
The stacking of v.8 — day and thousand years reversed. Both keep the order.
βραδύνω / βραδύτης (v.9) — one root in one verse. Both keep ‘slow’.
ῥοιζηδόν (v.10) — a sound-word. Both keep the sound.
εὑρεθήσεται (v.10) — base text and Received Text turn the sense over. Both follow the base text.
λύω three times (vv.10 · 11 · 12) — one verb. Both keep it.
χωρέω (v.9) — a different place from ‘hold’ at Matt 19:11. The two take different words.
Why this rendering
2Pet.3.14 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τούτων ⸀οὕτως πάντων λυομένων ποταποὺς δεῖ ὑπάρχειν ὑμᾶς … ἀναστροφή and εὐσέβεια are plural — conduct and pieties both · σπεύδω ‘hurry’ is the verb of Luke 2:16 and 19:5-6, here with a day as its object, which the text leaves open · τήκομαι ‘melt’ is once in the New Testament · καινός ‘new’ comes twice at v.13, the phrase of Isa 65:17, with no place named · ἐπάγγελμα ‘thing promised’ returns from 1:4 · προσδοκάω ‘wait for’ comes at vv.12, 13 and 14 · ἄσπιλος ‘spotless’ overlaps in Korean with εἰλικρινής ‘sincere’ at v.1 — the first is the negative of ‘spot’, the second another root · ἀμώμητος ‘unblameable’ is also once, one root with μῶμος ‘blemish’ at 2:13 · εὑρεθῆναι ‘be found’ returns from v.10 — works are found, and people are found.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text has both in the plural.
Basis It is the verb Zacchaeus hurried by at Luke 19:5, here taking a day as its object.
Basis The text gives no citation formula.
Lost in translation
Two plurals (v.11) — conduct and pieties both. Both render the number.
σπεύδω (v.12) — the verb of Luke 19:5. Both stand alike.
Isa 65:17 (v.13) — the text names no place. Neither locale supplies one.
εἰλικρινής / ἄσπιλος (vv.1 · 14) — two roots, and English keeps them apart.
ἀμώμητος (v.14) — one root with ‘blemish’ at 2:13. Both keep it.
εὑρίσκω passive (vv.10 · 14) — works found, people found. Both keep one word.
Why this rendering
2Pet.3.18 Observation
Syntactic observation
καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸς Παῦλος … Paul’s letters are set beside ‘the rest of the scriptures’ — the only place in the New Testament that counts them with γραφή · δυσνόητος ‘hard to understand’, ἀμαθής ‘unlearned’, στρεβλόω ‘twist’ and στηριγμός ‘steadfastness’ are all once in the New Testament · ἀστήρικτος ‘unsteadied’ returns from 2:14 and shares a root with στηριγμός at v.17 — the unsteadied fall from steadfastness · ἄθεσμος ‘unprincipled’ returns from 2:7 · συναπάγομαι ‘go along with’ is the verb of Rom 12:16 and Gal 2:13 · v.18 closes with ‘grow in the grace and knowledge’ — γνῶσις, a different lemma from ἐπίγνωσις at 1:2 · the closing doxology has ‘glory’ only, with no ‘might’ — 1 Pet 4:11 had both, 1 Pet 5:11 the might alone · εἰς ἡμέραν αἰῶνος ‘unto the day of eternity’ is a phrase found nowhere else in the New Testament.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text counts Paul’s letters with γραφή — a weaker word would lose that.
Basis The adjective of v.16 and the noun of v.17 share a root.
Basis That the two lemmas share one word is already recorded as a loss.
Lost in translation
Paul’s letters and the scriptures (v.16) — counted together. Both render it.
ἀστήρικτος / στηριγμός (vv.16 · 17) — one root across two verses. Both keep ‘stead-’.
ἄθεσμος (v.17) — returning from 2:7. Both stand alike.
γνῶσις (v.18) — a different lemma from ἐπίγνωσις at 1:2, and English also uses one word.
The closing doxology (v.18) — ‘glory’ only. Neither locale adds.
εἰς ἡμέραν αἰῶνος (v.18) — a phrase found nowhere else. Both render it piece by piece.