OET interlinear 2PET 2:15

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

καταλειπόντες εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καταλιπόντες εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν ἐπλανήθησαν ἐξακολουθήσαντες τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ τοῦ Βοσὸρ ὃς μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν)

Peter uses the metaphor Abandoning the straight way to give an image of walkers leaving a certain pathway. He speaks of the false teachers refusing to live their lives in obedience to the Lord as if they had stopped walking on the Lord’s path. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this metaphor plainly. Alternate translation: [refusing to live in obedience to God]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν

/the/_straight way

Here, the straight way refers to the way of living life that is right and pleasing to the Lord. Peter may also be using it here to refer specifically to the Christian faith, similar to his use of “the way of truth” in 2:2. Alternate translation: [the right way of the Lord]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐπλανήθησαν

˱they˲_/were/_strayed

Here, Peter continues the path metaphor from the previous clause. He describes the wicked lifestyles of the false teachers as if they had been led astray from the straight path. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this metaphor by translating this plainly. Alternate translation: [they have been behaving wickedly]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἐπλανήθησαν

˱they˲_/were/_strayed

If your language does not use this passive form, you can express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [they went astray]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐξακολουθήσαντες τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ τοῦ Βοσὸρ, ὃς μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν

/having/_followed_after ˱in˲_the way ¬the ˱of˲_Balaam ¬the ˱of˲_Bosor who /the/_wage ˱of˲_unrighteousness loved

In this verse, Peter compares the false teachers to Balaam. Peter assumes that his readers will know that he is referring to a story recorded in the Old Testament book of Numbers. In that story, Balaam was hired by wicked kings to curse the Israelites. When God did not allow Balaam to do so, he used wicked women to seduce the Israelites into sexual immorality and idol worship so that God would punish them for their disobedience. Balaam did these wicked things because he wanted to be paid by the wicked kings, but he was eventually killed by the Israelites when they conquered the land of Canaan. You could indicate this explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers, particularly if they would not know the story. Alternate translation, as a statement: “following the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness so much that he led the Israelites into immorality and idolatry in order to receive money”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐξακολουθήσαντες τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ τοῦ Βοσὸρ

/having/_followed_after ˱in˲_the way ¬the ˱of˲_Balaam ¬the ˱of˲_Bosor

Here, Peter uses the word followed to refer to someone imitating the actions of someone else, like someone who walks behind another person in the same direction. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this metaphor literally. Alternate translation: [having imitated the way of Balaam son of Bosor]

Note 7 topic: translate-names

Βαλαὰμ & Βοσὸρ

˱of˲_Balaam & ˱of˲_Bosor

Bosor is the name of a man.

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ τοῦ Βοσὸρ

˱in˲_the way ¬the ˱of˲_Balaam ¬the ˱of˲_Bosor

Here, Peter uses the way of Balaam to refer to how Balaam lived his life. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this metaphor literally. Alternate translation: [the manner of living of Balaam son of Bosor]

Note 9 topic: writing-pronouns

ὃς μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν

who /the/_wage ˱of˲_unrighteousness loved

Here, the pronounwho refers to Balaam. It does not refer to Bosor, nor to the false teachers. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this directly. If you begin a new sentence, you will have to replace the comma with a period. Alternate translation: [Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ὃς μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν

who /the/_wage ˱of˲_unrighteousness loved

Peter is using the possessive form to describe wages that are characterized by unrighteousness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase to explain it. Alternate translation: [who loved the unrighteous wages]

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

μισθὸν ἀδικίας

/the/_wage ˱of˲_unrighteousness

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun unrighteousness with the adjective “unrighteous.” Alternate translation: [the unrighteous wages] or [the wages for unrighteous acts]