2 Peter
2 Peter 2:19–22
19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
20If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,f only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first. 21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them. 22Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”g and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
Footnotes
Word by word
Each English word or phrase beside the Greek it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.
2 Peter 2:19
| English | Greek | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| They promise | ἐπαγγελλόμενοι | epangellomenoi | Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural | G1861 I promise, profess |
| them | αὐτοῖς | autois | Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural | G846 he, she, it, they, them, same |
| freedom | ἐλευθερίαν | eleutherian | Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular | G1657 freedom, liberty |
| while they themselves | αὐτοὶ | autoi | Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Plural | G846 he, she, it, they, them, same |
| are | ὑπάρχοντες | hyparchontes | Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural | G5225 I am, exist, am in possession |
| slaves | δοῦλοι | douloi | Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural | G1401 a male slave |
| to depravity | φθορᾶς | phthoras | Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular | G5356 corruption, destruction, decay |
| For | γάρ | gar | Conjunction | G1063 for |
| a man is a slave | δεδούλωται | dedoulōtai | Verb - Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular | G1402 I enslave |
| to whatever | ᾧ | hō | Personal / Relative Pronoun - Dative Masculine Singular | G3739 who, which, what, that |
| has mastered him | ἥττηται | hēttētai | Verb - Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular | G2274 I am defeated, made inferior |
2 Peter 2:20
| English | Greek | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| If | Εἰ | Ei | Conjunction | G1487 if |
| indeed | γὰρ | gar | Conjunction | G1063 for |
| they have escaped | ἀποφυγόντες | apophygontes | Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural | G668 I flee from, escape |
| the | τὰ | ta | Article - Accusative Neuter Plural | G3588 the |
| corruption | μιάσματα | miasmata | Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural | G3393 pollution, defilement |
| of the | τοῦ | tou | Article - Genitive Masculine Singular | G3588 the |
| world | κόσμου | kosmou | Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular | G2889 the world, universe |
| through | ἐν | en | Preposition | G1722 in, on, among |
| knowledge | ἐπιγνώσει | epignōsei | Noun - Dative Feminine Singular | G1922 knowledge, discernment, recognition |
| of | τοῦ | tou | Article - Genitive Masculine Singular | G3588 the |
| Lord | Κυρίου | Kyriou | Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular | G2962 lord, Lord, master, sir |
| and | καὶ | kai | Conjunction | G2532 and, even, also, namely |
| Savior | Σωτῆρος | Sōtēros | Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular | G4990 a savior, deliverer, preserver |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦ | Iēsou | Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular | G2424 Jesus |
| Christ | Χριστοῦ | Christou | Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular | G5547 anointed, the Messiah, the Christ |
| only | δὲ | de | Conjunction | G1161 but, on the other hand, and |
| to be entangled | ἐμπλακέντες | emplakentes | Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural | G1707 I enfold, entangle |
| overcome | ἡττῶνται | hēttōntai | Verb - Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural | G2274 I am defeated, made inferior |
| by it | τούτοις | toutois | Demonstrative Pronoun - Dative Neuter Plural | G3778 this, he, she, it |
| again | πάλιν | palin | Adverb | G3825 again, further, on the other hand |
| their | αὐτοῖς | autois | Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural | G846 he, she, it, they, them, same |
| final | ἔσχατα | eschata | Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural | G2078 last, at the last, finally |
| is | γέγονεν | gegonen | Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular | G1096 I come into being, am born |
| worse than | χείρονα | cheirona | Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural - Comparative | G5501 worse |
| at first | πρώτων | prōtōn | Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural | G4413 first, before |
2 Peter 2:21
| English | Greek | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| It would have been | ἦν | ēn | Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular | G1510 I am, exist |
| better | κρεῖττον | kreitton | Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular - Comparative | G2909 stronger, more excellent |
| for them | αὐτοῖς | autois | Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural | G846 he, she, it, they, them, same |
| not | μὴ | mē | Adverb | G3361 not, lest |
| to have known | ἐπεγνωκέναι | epegnōkenai | Verb - Perfect Infinitive Active | G1921 I come to know, discern, recognize |
| the | τὴν | tēn | Article - Accusative Feminine Singular | G3588 the |
| way | ὁδὸν | hodon | Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular | G3598 a way, road, journey |
| of righteousness | δικαιοσύνης | dikaiosynēs | Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular | G1343 justice, justness, righteousness |
| than | ἢ | ē | Conjunction | G2228 or, than |
| to have known | ἐπιγνοῦσιν | epignousin | Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Dative Masculine Plural | G1921 I come to know, discern, recognize |
| and then to turn away | ὑποστρέψαι | hypostrepsai | Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active | G5290 I turn back, return |
| from | ἐκ | ek | Preposition | G1537 from out, out from among, from |
| the | τῆς | tēs | Article - Genitive Feminine Singular | G3588 the |
| holy | ἁγίας | hagias | Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular | G40 set apart, holy, sacred |
| commandment | ἐντολῆς | entolēs | Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular | G1785 an ordinance, injunction, command |
| passed on | παραδοθείσης | paradotheisēs | Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Genitive Feminine Singular | G3860 I hand over, deliver, betray |
| to them | αὐτοῖς | autois | Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural | G846 he, she, it, they, them, same |
2 Peter 2:22
| English | Greek | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Of them | αὐτοῖς | autois | Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural | G846 he, she, it, they, them, same |
| the | τὸ | to | Article - Nominative Neuter Singular | G3588 the |
| proverbs | παροιμίας | paroimias | Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular | G3942 an allegory, proverb |
| are | συμβέβηκεν | symbebēken | Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular | G4819 I happen, occur |
| true | ἀληθοῦς | alēthous | Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular | G227 unconcealed, true |
| A dog | Κύων | Kyōn | Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular | G2965 a dog |
| returns | ἐπιστρέψας | epistrepsas | Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular | G1994 I turn back to |
| to | ἐπὶ | epi | Preposition | G1909 on, to, against, on the basis of, at |
| vomit | ἐξέραμα | exerama | Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular | G1829 vomit |
| and | καί | kai | Conjunction | G2532 and, even, also, namely |
| A sow | Ὗς | Hys | Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular | G5300 a hog, boar, or sow |
| that is washed | λουσαμένη | lousamenē | Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Feminine Singular | G3068 I wash, bathe |
| to | εἰς | eis | Preposition | G1519 into, in, among, till, for |
| wallowing | κυλισμὸν | kylismon | Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular | G2946 rolling, wallowing |
| in | βορβόρου | borborou | Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular | G1004 mud, mire, filth |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
2 Peter 2:19 John 8:34 · Romans 6:16–22 · Galatians 5:1 · Galatians 5:13 · 1 Peter 2:16 · Titus 3:3 · Romans 6:12–14 · 2 Timothy 2:26 · 2 Peter 2:20 · Jeremiah 23:9
2 Peter 2:20 Hebrews 10:26–27 · Hebrews 6:4–8 · Philippians 3:19 · Luke 11:24–26 · Deuteronomy 32:29 · Matthew 12:43–45 · 2 Peter 1:4 · Numbers 24:20 · 2 Peter 2:18 · 2 Peter 1:2
2 Peter 2:21 Ezekiel 18:24 · Hebrews 6:4–6 · James 4:17 · Ezekiel 3:20 · Luke 12:47 · John 15:22 · 1 Thessalonians 4:2 · John 9:41 · Zephaniah 1:6 · Matthew 21:32 · Proverbs 16:31 · Romans 7:12
2 Peter 2:22 Proverbs 26:11
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.