uW Translation Notes:

γὰρ

for

Here, For could refer to: (1) another explanation of Peter’s statement “themselves being slaves of destruction” in the previous verse, (2) a transition from what Peter said in the previous verse to what he is going to say in this verse. Here, For does not indicate the reason or result of what was said in the previous verse. Alternate translation, as in the UST: “And”

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact

εἰ & ἀποφυγόντες τὰ μιάσματα τοῦ κόσμου, ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτῆρος, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τούτοις δὲ πάλιν ἐμπλακέντες ἡττῶνται, γέγονεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔσχατα χείρονα τῶν πρώτων

if & /having/_escaped_from the defilements ˱of˲_the world in /the/_knowledge ˱of˲_the Lord (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ γὰρ ἀποφυγόντες τὰ μιάσματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τούτοις δὲ πάλιν ἐμπλακέντες ἡττῶνται γέγονεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔσχατα χείρονα τῶν πρώτων)

Peter is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might think that what Peter is saying is not certain, then you could translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: [they have escaped the impurities of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but having become entangled and overcome by them again, the last has become worse for them than the first]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

εἰ & ἀποφυγόντες τὰ μιάσματα τοῦ κόσμου

if & /having/_escaped_from the defilements ˱of˲_the world

Using a similar metaphor to that in 2:18, here Peter speaks of believers as if they had been slaves to the defilements of the world and have escaped that captivity. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this metaphor plainly. Alternate translation: [if they have ceased living in the defiling manner of the world]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὰ μιάσματα τοῦ κόσμου

the defilements ˱of˲_the world

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun defilements with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [the things that sinful human society does to defile itself]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

τὰ μιάσματα τοῦ κόσμου

the defilements ˱of˲_the world

Here, the world refers to human society, which has been corrupted by sin. Alternate translation: [the defiling practices of sinful human society]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτῆρος, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

in /the/_knowledge ˱of˲_the Lord (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ γὰρ ἀποφυγόντες τὰ μιάσματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τούτοις δὲ πάλιν ἐμπλακέντες ἡττῶνται γέγονεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔσχατα χείρονα τῶν πρώτων)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun knowledge with a verbal phrase. See how you translated similar phrases in 1:2. Alternate translation: [by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτῆρος

˱of˲_the ˱of˲_the Lord (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ γὰρ ἀποφυγόντες τὰ μιάσματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τούτοις δὲ πάλιν ἐμπλακέντες ἡττῶνται γέγονεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔσχατα χείρονα τῶν πρώτων)

Here, our Lord means “the person who is lord over us” or “the person who rules over us.” The conjunction and indicates that our also applies to Savior, meaning “the person who saves us.” Alternate translation: [of the person who rules over us and saves us]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

τούτοις & πάλιν ἐμπλακέντες ἡττῶνται

˱in˲_these_‹things› & again /having_been/_entangled ˱they˲_/have/_been_overcome

If your language does not use this passive form, you can express this with an active form, and you can supply the doer of the action from earlier in the verse. Alternate translation: [these things having entangled them again; these things have overcome them]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

πάλιν ἐμπλακέντες

again /having_been/_entangled

Here, Peter speaks of people who seem to have been believers but have returned to living sinfully as if they have become entangled in a net. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this metaphor plainly. Alternate translation: [if they have begun to live sinfully again]

Note 9 topic: writing-pronouns

τούτοις

˱in˲_these_‹things›

Here, the pronoun these things refers to “the defilements of the world.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could specify this in your translation. Alternate translation: [by these defilements of the world]

Note 10 topic: writing-pronouns

αὐτοῖς

˱to˲_them

Connecting Statement:

Here, the pronoun them refers to the false teachers introduced in 2:1 and discussed in 2:12–19. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [these false teachers]

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

γέγονεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔσχατα χείρονα τῶν πρώτων

/has/_become ˱to˲_them the last worse_‹than› the first

Here, the adjectives last and first function as nouns. They are plural, and ULT supplies the noun things in each case to show that. If your language does not use adjectives in this way, you can supply a more specific singular noun. Alternate translation: [the final condition for them is worse than their original condition]