The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Peter — Section 52

Lord. The conjnnction is 6,rou, literallv, uoVTa<," shall also be destroyed in their own " where" -they speak evil of glories, corruption." It soems better to take 4>6opd. in '' wlwre," i.e. "in which case.'' The literal the sense of" corruption" here, as in eh. i. -l, rendering of the following words, "angels and to suppose that St. Peter is intentionally being !("rcater," makes it probable that the plnying ou tlJe double sense of the noun o.nd C'.omparison is witb. the false teachers of its cognate verb than, with Buther, to refer the previous verse rather than with the the pronoun auTLiiv, "their own," to the "glories." The false toacbers rail at glories, ~>..o')'a (.:.a, nnd to understand St, Peter o.s where angels, though greater than they, meaning that the false teaohers, who act bring not a railing judgmcnt against those like irrational animals, shall be destroyed glories. It seems certniu that the words with the destruction of irrational animals. " against them " ( Ka.T' auT,;; v) must refer to Ver.13.-And shall receive the reward of the "glories," and cannot mean, according unrighteousness, The two most ancient to the Vulgate, ad11eTsum se. Men rail at manuscripts read here, instead of 1<0µ100~ these glories; but the elect angels, when µevo,, l.1i11<00µ,vo1. '.rhis reading is adopted they are commissioned to proclaim or inflict by the Revised Version in the translation, the just judgment (for ,cpl cm is" judgment," "suffering wrong as the hire of wrong- not" o.ccuso.tion")of God upon the an,2;cls that doing." But the other reading is well sup- sinned, the fallen glories, do not rail; they ported, and gives a better sense, "receiving, remember who.t those lost spirits once were, as they shall, the reward of unrighteous- o.n<l speak solemnly and sorrowfully, not in ness." Balaam loved the reward of un- coarse, violent lo.nguo.ge. The apostle may righteousucss in tbis world (ver, 15); the be alluding to Zech. iii. I, 2, but the re- false teachers shall receive its final reward semblanc.i to Jude 8, 9 is so close that this in the world to come, Whichever reading last passage must have been in his thoughts, is preferred, this clause is best taken with even if he is not directly referring to the the preceding verse. As they that oount it dispute between Michael the archangel and pleo.sure to riot in the daytime; literally, the deril. Luther's interpretation (adopte,l counting the revel ir, daytime a pleiuure. St. by Fronmiiller and others), that the wicked Peter has hitherto spoken of the insubordi- angels are not able to bear the judgment of nation and irreverence of the false teachers; Uod upon their blasphemy, cannot be ex- he now goes on to condemn their sensuality. tracted from the words. The .A.lexan<lrine The words Jv f,µepa cannot, with some ancient Manuscript omits "before the Lord;" but interpreters, be taken as equivalent to 1<a.8' these words are well supported. The angels 71µ,pav, daily (Luke xvi. 19). Many com- of judgment rememoor that they are in the mentators, as Huther and Alford, trans- presence of God, and perform their soleIBn late" delicate living for a day "-enjoyment duty with godly £ear. which is temporal and short-lived, But Yer. 12.-But these, as natural brute when we compare l These. v. 7, "They that beasts, ma.de to be ta.ken and destroyed. are drunken are drunken in the night,'' Tl:e order of the words in the best manu- and St. Peter's own words in Acts ii. 15, it Ecripts favours the translation of the Revised seems more probable that the apostle means Version, But these, as creatures without to describe these false teachers as worse r,aso11, born mere animals to be taken and de- than ordinary men of pleasure. They re- stroyed. The word rendered " mere animals " serve the night for their feasting; these is literally "natural" ( q,uu1,ca); comp. Jude men spend the day in luxury. The word 10, "what they know naturally (q,uu,,cii,s) -rpu4>~ means" luxurious or delicate living" as brute beasts." Speak evil of the things rather tLan "riot." Spots they are and that they understand not; literally, as in blemishes. (For u1rl>..o,, spots, St. Jude has the Rovised Version, railing in matters u1r1>..cl.8es, sunken rocks.) The word for tcheT(J()j they are ig11orant. (For the con- "blemishes" {µ.wµo,) occurs nowhere else in struction, see Winer, iii. 66. 5, at the end.) the New Testament. But comp. l Pet, i. The context and the pare.lie! passage in St. 19, where the Lord Jesus is described as J ucle show that the 86ta,, the glories, are "a Lamb without blemish and without spot the things which the false teachers under- (liµ<I,µ.ou 1<al a.u,r{J\.ov).'' The Church should stand not and at which they rail. Good be like her Lord, "not having spot, or angels do not pronounce a ra.iling judgment wrinkle, or any such thing'' (Eph. v. 27); against angels that sinned. These men, but these men are spots and blemishes on knowing nothing of the angelic sphere of her beauty. Sporting themselves with their existence, rail at the elect and the fallen own deoeivings; literally, revelling in their angt:ls alike. Men should speak with awe deceivingB. The word for "revelling" ( ,.,_ of the sin of the angels; jesting on such -rpu4>wv-ru) corresponds with -rpu4>-/i, used subjE:cis is nuLecoming and dangerous. And just above. 'l'he manuscripts vary between shall utterly per..iih in their own corruption. a.1rcl.Tan, deceivings, and 1t')'41rcz1s, loves, love- The bti!t mau Q.Scripts read here 1<a.t p9u.p~- feaets. The former reading seems the best- OH, n.1-22.] THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 4:7