The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Peter — Section 53

eupporletl here, o.nd the le.tter in the po.mllel the son of l!osor. The word rendered passage of St. Jude (ver. 12). It is possible "following" (i~cu,ol\ov9/io-a11Te<) is found also tlmt the pe.ronomasie. me.y be intentional in eh. i. 1G o.nd ii. 2 of this Epistle, but no- ( compo.re t.he 0'1rll\01 of St. Peter e.nd the where else in the New Testament; it means 0'1r1J\<i6u of St. Jude). St. Peter will not "to fo1low ont to the end." Comp. Numb. use the honourable name for the banquets xxii. 32, where the augel of the Lord says which these men disgrace by their excesse9. of Balaam, "Thy wo.y is perverse before He calls them i1rcl.-ar, not iiyd1ro:r-deceits, me." Tbe form •• Bosor,'' instead of not love-feMts. '!'here is no love in the "Beor," arose probably from e. peculiar hearts of these men. Their love-fca&ts are (perhaps Galilmon) pronunciation of the hypocrisies, deceits ; they try to deceive guttural Jl in ii)l:;i. Thus we, perhaps, have men, but they deceive not God. While here e.n undesigned coincidence, a slight they feast with you, The Greek word confirmation of St. Peter's authorship: ha tTu11evwxoJµ,1101 occurs elsewhere only in WM a Galilman, and his speech betrayed him Jude 12. The false tee.ohers joined in the (Matt. xxvi. 'i3); one characteristic of the love-feasts, but made them the occasion 0f Galilm:m dialect was o mispronunciation of self-indulgence. Compare the similar con- the gntturals. But some commentators see duct of the Corinthians (1 Cor. xi. 20-22). in the resemblance of the form" Bosor" to the Ver. H.-lla.ving eyes full of adultery, e.nd Hebrew ,~z, flesh, e.u allusion to tllose sins that can.not cee.sa from ein; literally, of an of the flesh' into which Balaam allured the adulteress. Compare our Lord's words in the Israelites. Compare the Jewish use of such sermon ou the mouut (Mutt. v. 28), which may names as Ishbosheth in derision for Eshbaal have been in St. Peler's thoughts. For the (" the man of shame " for " the m:i.n of second clame, comp. 1 Pet. iv. 1, "He tho.t Bao.I"), and Jerubbesheth (2 Sam. xi. 21) for hath suffered in the flesh he.th ceased from Jerubbaal. The references to Balaam here, sin." Beguiling 1llll!table souls; rather, e11,- in St. Jude, the Book of the Revelation, and ticing. The word lieJ\,a(ollTES, from 6ll\eap, 1 Cor. x. 8, show that his history had made " be.it, belongs to the art of the fowler or e. great impression on the mind of thoughtful fisherman, e.nd would nature.Uy occur to St. Christians. St. John connects his name with Peter's mind. He uses it again iu ver. 18 the Nicolaitanes in Rev. ii. 15, much e.s St. of this chapter (comp. o.lso Jas. i. 14). The Peter here conuects it with the false teachers word for "unstable" (a<Tn1pl1<Tovr) occurs of his time. Some, e.gaiu, see iu the etymology only here e.ud in oh. iii. 16. It is a word of tif the word "Nicola'itaue" o.u e.llusiou to peculiar significance in the mouth of St. thut of "Bo.lae.m,'' as if the Nicoloitanes Peter, conscious, as he must have been, of were followers of Bale.am. There is another his own want of st:i.bility in times past. exple.uation in the • Spea.ker's Commeutary,' He would remember olso the charge once thut the word" Bosor" is e.n Arnme.ic form, given to him, "Wheu thou art converted, and tho.t "the form possibly became familiar strengthen (0'.-{1p1!011) thy brethren" (Luke to St. Peter during his residence at Babylon, xxii. 32). An heart they have exeroised e.nd suggests the probability that Aralil:e.io with oovetous pre.otioes ; rather, trained in traditions were still current respectmg co11etousness, according to the reading of the Be.le.am e.t the Christiau ere., e.nd on the best manuscripts, 1rl\eove!Car. This is the banks of the Euphrates" (additions.I note on third vice laid to the charge of the false Numb. xxii. 5). But the two oldest mnun- teachers. They had practised it so long scripts read "Beor" here. Who loved the thnt their very heart was trained in the wages of tin.righteousness (comp. ver. 13, habitual pursuit of go.in by all unrighteous and also St. Peter's words iu Acts i. 18). meaus. Cursed ohildreu; rather, children of Balaam is not defiuitely o.ccused of covetous- c,wse. Like'' the sou of perdition," "chil- ness in the Old Testament narrutive; but d reu of wrath," "children of disobedience," his conduct can be explained by uo other "son of Belia!," etc. motive. Ver. 15.-Which he.va forsaken the right Ver.16.-But we.e rebuked for his iniquity; we.y, e.nd; are gone astray; literally, for- literally, but had a rebuke for his oum trans- Baking ( or having forsaken; there e.rn two gression. The word for" rebuke" (ll\e-y!,v) slightly differing readings, both well sup- occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. ported) the riglft 1oay, they ,wen_t astray, '~he The guilt of offering the we.gee of uu- false teachers rn St. Peters time were hke righteousness rested wit!1 B~le.k ; ~alnnm's Elymas the sorcerer, whom St. Paul accused own transgression le.y lil his readmess to of perverting "the right ways of the Lord_" accept them-in his willingness to break the (Acts xiii. 10; comp. also ver; 2 of this law of God by cursing, for filthy lucre's sake, ahe.ptru·), lu tho • Shepherd of ~erwe.s' those whom God h11.d not cnrsed. The dum\ occurs who.t may be au eoho of this verse: e.ss speaking with me.n'a voioe forbads the "Who . . . hove forsaken theil· true wo.y " madness of the prophet. The word for " ass" (Viii., iii, 7. 1). Following the way of Balaam is litere.lly '' beast of burueu" (,nro(vy,ov, e.s  48 THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [orr. u.1-22.