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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
2 Pet 3 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V17 V18
OET (OET-LV) as also in all letters, speaking in them concerning these things, among which is hard_to_understand things some, which the ignorant and unstable are_twisting as also the other scriptures, to their own destruction of_them.
OET (OET-RV) He speaks in all his letters concerning these things, some of which are hard to understand and which ignorant and unstable people twist just like they twist the other scriptures to their own destruction.
Although some people were mocking the Christian teaching that Christ would return, Peter insisted that Christ would indeed come back to judge people. He wrote that at that time, God would destroy this present world and there would be a new earth where only righteous people would live. So Peter urged his readers to live in a pure and holy manner, so that they would be ready when Christ returned.
In this paragraph and the following one, Peter told the people to whom he wrote this letter that while they waited for the day when Christ would return, they should try very hard in every way to behave in a manner which pleases God and to carefully guard themselves against those people who would cause them to doubt what they believed.
He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters.
In all his letters that he has written to believers, when he speaks about these things, he writes the same sort of thing that he wrote to you.(plur)
such matters: This could refer to:
General teaching about the Lord’s return, as in verses 9–15a.
Exhortation about how people should live in a pure manner because they remember that the Lord will return. In verses 14–15a, Peter exhorted the people to whom he was writing to live in this way.
If it is possible for you to use a general expression here like most English versions, you should do so.
Some parts of his letters are hard to understand,
But some of the things which he has written in his letters are difficult to understand.
which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
People who have not learned well the things Christians believe, and who are not sure what they believe, explain the meaning of these difficult things in the wrong way, just as they wrongly explain the meaning of other passages in the Book of God. By doing this they themselves cause God to destroy them.
Peter said that “some parts” of Paul’s letters were difficult to understand and so those who did not understand clearly what they believed changed the meaning of them, and also of other parts of Scripture. Peter was also saying that doing this would cause God to destroy them. Maybe Peter was thinking of the false teachers he wrote about in chapter two, and saying that they were among those who did this.
Peter referred to Paul’s letters at the same time as he was referring to other Scripture. This shows that already the Christians recognized that God had authorized Paul to write letters to groups of Christians in order to teach them what God wanted them to know.
ignorant: This means “unlearned, uneducated.” In this context, the word is not referring to ordinary education. It refers to people who have not learned what Christians should believe.
unstable: This means “not firm in their faith.” Peter also used this word in 2:14c. Read again the note on that verse.
distort: This means “twist, change, explain in a wrong way.” Peter meant that some people were saying that what Paul wrote meant something different from what it really meant.
the rest of the Scriptures: Peter was probably referring to the OT and also to some other Christian writings.
destruction: See note on 2:1e.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς
in all in among (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὡς καί ἐν πάσαις ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περί τούτων ἐν αἷς ἐστίν δυσνόητα τινά ἅ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καί ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καί τάς λοιπάς Γραφάς πρός τήν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν)
Here, the context suggests that Paul is the author of the letters. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [in all Paul’s letters]
Note 2 topic: writing-pronouns
λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περὶ τούτων
speaking in them (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὡς καί ἐν πάσαις ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περί τούτων ἐν αἷς ἐστίν δυσνόητα τινά ἅ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καί ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καί τάς λοιπάς Γραφάς πρός τήν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν)
Here, these things could refer to: (1) the events related to the day of the Lord discussed in [3:10–13](../03/10.md) and called “these things” in [3:14](../03/14.md). Alternate translation: [these things that will happen on the day of the Lord] (2) the need to live godly lives and consider that God’s patience is for saving people, as discussed in [3:14–15](../03/14.md). Alternate translation: [these things I have just said about living blamelessly and about God’s patience]
Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns
ἃ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καὶ ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὡς καί ἐν πάσαις ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περί τούτων ἐν αἷς ἐστίν δυσνόητα τινά ἅ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καί ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καί τάς λοιπάς Γραφάς πρός τήν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν)
Here, which refers to the things in Paul’s letters that are difficult to understand. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this phrase explicitly and start a new sentence. Alternate translation: [The ignorant and unstable ones distort these difficult things found in Paul’s letters]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἃ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καὶ ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὡς καί ἐν πάσαις ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περί τούτων ἐν αἷς ἐστίν δυσνόητα τινά ἅ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καί ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καί τάς λοιπάς Γραφάς πρός τήν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν)
Here, distort is used to describe changing the meaning of a statement in order to give a false meaning like twisting something so that it changes shape. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this metaphor plainly. Alternate translation: [which the ignorant and unstable ones interpret falsely]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὡς καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς Γραφὰς
as as (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὡς καί ἐν πάσαις ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περί τούτων ἐν αἷς ἐστίν δυσνόητα τινά ἅ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καί ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καί τάς λοιπάς Γραφάς πρός τήν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν)
Here, the other scriptures refers to both the entire Old Testament and the New Testament texts that had been written by the time Peter wrote this letter. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [as also the other authoritative scriptures]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὡς καί ἐν πάσαις ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περί τούτων ἐν αἷς ἐστίν δυσνόητα τινά ἅ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καί ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καί τάς λοιπάς Γραφάς πρός τήν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν)
Here, to indicates that this clause provides the result of the “ignorant and unstable ones” falsely interpreting the scriptures. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [resulting in their own destruction]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὡς καί ἐν πάσαις ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περί τούτων ἐν αἷς ἐστίν δυσνόητα τινά ἅ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καί ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καί τάς λοιπάς Γραφάς πρός τήν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun destruction with a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: [so that they will be destroyed]
3:16 Peter probably knew of all but one or two of Paul’s letters by this time. Peter’s language implies that he considered the letters of Paul to belong in the category of Scripture.
OET (OET-LV) as also in all letters, speaking in them concerning these things, among which is hard_to_understand things some, which the ignorant and unstable are_twisting as also the other scriptures, to their own destruction of_them.
OET (OET-RV) He speaks in all his letters concerning these things, some of which are hard to understand and which ignorant and unstable people twist just like they twist the other scriptures to their own destruction.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.