2 PET 3:5 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) [ref]But because of their desires, the truth is hidden from them that the universe came into being long ago by God’s spoken command and the earth was formed out of water and through water

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For this is hidden from them willingly, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth had been formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

UST They will say this because they deliberately ignore that God caused the heavens to exist a long time ago by commanding it to be so, and he caused the earth to come out from water and up through water by commanding it to be so.

BLB For this is concealed from them willingly, that heavens existed long ago and the earth, having been composed out of water and through water, by the word of God,

AICNT For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

OEB For they wilfully shut their eyes to the fact that long ago the heavens existed; and the earth, also – formed out of water and by the action of water, by the fiat of God;

WEBBE For they wilfully forget that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water by the word of God,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For they deliberately suppress this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water.

LSV for this they willingly conceal, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth having been established by the word of God out of water and through water,

FBV But they deliberately ignore the fact that by God's command the heavens were created long ago. The earth came into existence from the water, and was surrounded by water.

TCNT They deliberately overlook the fact that by the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth emerged through the water and was separated from the water.

T4T They will say that because they ◄deliberately overlook the fact/have decided to ignore what they know► that God, by commanding long ago that it should be so, caused the heavens to exist, and he caused the earth to appear out of water and to be separate from the water.

LEB For when[fn] they maintain this, it escapes their notice that the heavens existed long ago and the earth held together out of water and through water by the word of God,

3:5 *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“maintain”) which is understood as temporal

BBE But in taking this view they put out of their minds the memory that in the old days there was a heaven, and an earth lifted out of the water and circled by water, by the word of God;

Moff They wilfully ignore the fact that heavens existed long ago, and an earth which the word of God formed of water and by water.

Wymth For they are wilfully blind to the fact that there were heavens which existed of old, and an earth, the latter arising out of water and extending continuously through water, by the command of God;

ASV For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God;

DRA For this they are wilfully ignorant of, that the heavens were before, and the earth out of water, and through water, consisting by the word of God.

YLT for this is unobserved by them willingly, that the heavens were of old, and the earth out of water and through water standing together by the word of God,

Drby For this is hidden from them through their own wilfulness, that heavens were of old, and an earth, having its subsistence out of water and in water, by the word of [fn]God,

3.5 Elohim

RV For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God;

SLT For being willing this is unknown to them, that the heavens were a long while ago, and the earth having stood out of water and by water, by the word of God:

Wbstr For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

KJB-1769 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

KJB-1611 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heauens were of olde, and the earth [fn]standing out of the water, and in the water,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

3:5 Gr. consisting.

Bshps For this they knowe not (and that wylfully) howe that the heauens were of olde, and the earth that was of the water, and by the water, by the worde of God:
(For this they know not (and that wylfully) how that the heavens were of old, and the earth that was of the water, and by the water, by the word of God:)

Gnva For this they willingly know not, that the heauens were of olde, and the earth that was of the water and by the water, by the word of God.
(For this they willingly know not, that the heavens were of old, and the earth that was of the water and by the water, by the word of God. )

Cvdl This they knowe not (and that wylfully) how that the heauens were afore tyme also, and the earth out of the water, & was in the water by the worde of God,
(This they know not (and that wylfully) how that the heavens were afore time also, and the earth out of the water, and was in the water by the word of God,)

TNT This they knowe not (and that willyngly) how that the hevens a great whyle ago were and the erth that was in the water appered vp out of the water by the worde of god:
(This they know not (and that willyngly) how that the heavens a great while ago were and the earth that was in the water appeared up out of the water by the word of god: )

Wycl But it is hid fro hem willynge this thing, that heuenes were bifore, and the erthe of water was stondynge bi watir, of Goddis word;
(But it is hid from hem willing this thing, that heavens were before, and the earth of water was standing by water, of God’s word;)

Luth Aber mutwillens wollen sie nicht wissen, daß der Himmel vorzeiten auch war, dazu die Erde aus Wasser und im Wasser bestanden durch Gottes Wort.
(But mutwillens want they/she/them not realise, that the/of_the heaven ancient_times also was, to_that/in_addition the earth/land/ground out_of water and in_the water bestanden through God’s word.)

ClVg Latet enim eos hoc volentes, quod cæli erant prius, et terra de aqua, et per aquam consistens Dei verbo:[fn]
(Latet because them this volentes, that heavens they_were first/before, and earth/land from/about water, and through water consistens of_God word: )

3.5 Latet. BEDA. Ideo dicunt omnia eodem modo perseverare, etc., usque ad in diem judicii et perditionis impiorum hominum.

3.5 Latet. BEDA. Therefore/For_that_reason they_say everything the_same just/only perseverare, etc., until to in/into/on day judgement and of_destruction of_the_wicked of_men.

UGNT λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο, θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι, καὶ γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι’ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ,
(lanthanei gar autous touto, thelontas hoti ouranoi aʸsan ekpalai, kai gaʸ ex hudatos kai di’ hudatos sunestōsa tōi tou Theou logōi,)

SBL-GNT λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καὶ γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ διʼ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ,
(lanthanei gar autous touto thelontas hoti ouranoi aʸsan ekpalai kai gaʸ ex hudatos kai diʼ hudatos sunestōsa tōi tou theou logōi,)

RP-GNT Λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας, ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι, καὶ γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι' ὕδατος συνεστῶσα, τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ,
(Lanthanei gar autous touto thelontas, hoti ouranoi aʸsan ekpalai, kai gaʸ ex hudatos kai di' hudatos sunestōsa, tōi tou theou logōi,)

TC-GNT Λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας, ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι, καὶ γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι᾽ ὕδατος [fn]συνεστῶσα, τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ,
(Lanthanei gar autous touto thelontas, hoti ouranoi aʸsan ekpalai, kai gaʸ ex hudatos kai di hudatos sunestōsa, tōi tou Theou logōi, )

3:5 συνεστωσα ¦ συνεστωτα PCK

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, orange:accents differ, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–18a: Peter taught about Christ’s return

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.

Paragraph 3:3–7

In this paragraph and the next one (3:8–10), Peter wrote about the people who would mock Christians for believing that Christ would return and would say that he would not return. Peter said that although Christ had not yet returned, he most certainly would return one day and that at that time God would destroy the earth.

3:5–7

In verse 4, Peter said that the scoffers would claim that the usual pattern of events in the world had not changed in any way since the time when God created the world. In these verses, Peter said that this was not true. For example, God had interrupted that pattern when he caused a flood to punish people for sinning against him. And he would interrupt the pattern again in the future, but this time he would destroy the world by fire. The general sense of this passage is clear, but there are many differences of opinion about the meaning of some of the details in verses 5 and 6. The Display follows an opinion that many people accept.

3:5a

But they deliberately overlook the fact

But they are wrong when they say this because, they deliberately ignore the things they know:

Here, Peter began to say why what the scoffers would say would be wrong. The Greek text shows the link with the previous verse by using the word gar, “for.” Most English translations leave this relationship implicit. In the Display line for 3:5a, there is an example of how to translate this part of the verse in a way that clearly shows this relationship.

deliberately overlook: The literal meaning of the Greek is “it escapes notice.” It may not make sense in your language to say “deliberately overlook.” Peter was saying that these people were choosing to ignore things they knew.

3:5b

that long ago by God’s word

that long ago God gave an order,

by God’s word: Beginning in the book of Genesis, the Bible says that when God created the world, he did so by speaking, giving an order (see Genesis 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:11, 1:14, 1:20, 1:24, 1:26.) This phrase probably goes with both 5c and 5d—God created both the sky and the earth by his word, and you need to make sure your translation makes that clear.

GNT makes this clear by treating “heaven and earth” as a single unit:

God gave a command and the heavens and the earth were created. (GNT)

In JB, the phrase “by the Word of God” applies only to the earth:

There were heavens at the beginning and the earth was formed by the Word of God. (JB)

This is a possible meaning of the Greek but less likely.

3:5c

the heavens existed

and by doing that he made the sky.
and by means of that order he caused the sky to exist.

the heavens existed: Notice that here, the word heavens refers to the sky, to what is above the earth. Peter was not talking here about the place where God is. Peter used the plural noun heavens, even though its meaning is singular. Many NT writers use this form of the word, but it does not mean that Peter was referring to more than one “heaven.” This is also acceptable in English, but you should only use a plural in your translation if it is natural to do so.

3:5d

and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

By that same order he caused the earth to appear out of the water, and it was water that he used to make the earth.
In the same way, by giving an order he used water to make the earth and he caused the earth to appear out of the water.

earth was formed out of water: There are two ways that we can understand this:

Peter was referring to Genesis chapter 1 which tells how God gathered the waters together into seas and made the earth (or land) appear out of the water.
Some commentators believe, however, that these words mean that God used water as the material from which he formed the earth.

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1).

earth was formed…by water: The Greek word dia can mean “by” or “through.” There are again different opinions about what this means. The two main views are:

Many think this means that God used water as the instrument or tool by which he made the earth. Most English versions follow this interpretation.
Other scholars think the meaning is similar to that of the previous phrase “formed out of water.” In Genesis it says that God put a “dome,” that is, the sky, in the midst of the water and then caused the water that was underneath the sky to come together into one place so that dry land appeared. So these scholars think that, when Peter said “the earth was formed by means of water,” he meant that God formed the earth by doing something to the water, that is, by dividing it and gathering it into one place, so that the land could appear.

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1) as most English versions have done.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο, θέλοντας

˓is˒_escaping_notice (Some words not found in SR-GNT: λανθάνει Γάρ αὐτούς τοῦτο θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοί ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καί γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καί διʼ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ)

If your language does not use this passive form, you can state this in active form. Alternate translation: [For they willingly hide this from themselves]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι

willing that (Some words not found in SR-GNT: λανθάνει Γάρ αὐτούς τοῦτο θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοί ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καί γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καί διʼ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ)

Peter is leaving out some of the words that this clause would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the end of the verse. Alternate translation: [that the heavens existed long ago by the word of God]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι’ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ

˓the˒_earth out_of water (Some words not found in SR-GNT: λανθάνει Γάρ αὐτούς τοῦτο θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοί ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καί γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καί διʼ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ)

If your language does not use this passive form, you can state this in active form. Alternate translation: [the word of God formed the earth out of water and through water]

ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι’ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα

out_of water (Some words not found in SR-GNT: λανθάνει Γάρ αὐτούς τοῦτο θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοί ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καί γῆ ἐξ ὕδατος καί διʼ ὕδατος συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ)

This clause refers to God causing the land to come up out of and through the water, gathering the bodies of water together to make the land appear.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ

˱by˲_the ¬the ˱of˲_God word

Here, the word of God refers to the God’s specific commands by which the earth was created. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [by the commands of God]

Parallel 2 PET 3:5