The Bible Says
2 Peter 2:4-11 Meaning

In 2 Peter 2:4-10a, Peter makes clear that God will judge unrighteousness while delivering those who are righteous from judgement. False teachers will have their end in judgment. Peter gives three examples of this. The first example is fallen angels that sinned: For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment (v. 4).

It is important to note again that the false teachers who are the object of the judgment being described were “bought” by Christ (2 Peter 2:1). That Peter uses examples of judgment that fell on non-believers simply elevates the fact that God is the judge of all. His judgment consumes the unrighteous and refines those who are His. But He is the judge, and will bring judgement to all (Romans 2:6).

For (v. 4), introduces an explanation of judgement, if God, beginning a condition about God that Peter assumes to be true, did not spare angels when they sinned. Here the context indicates Peter is referring to the time before the flood when some angels sinned by having a sexual relationship with women, producing an offspring of giants (Genesis 6:1-4).

As a result of the angels’ sin, God did not spare them, meaning they did not escape judgment, but, expressing a contrast to sparing them, God cast them into hell. The Greek word translated as hell is “tartaroo,” a verb that means to hold captive in a place called Tartarus. Tartarus is the place in Hades for the wicked, in Greek mythology. The New Testament picks up the use of Hades as a temporary place for the dead. It is apparently a close enough proximity that it is used to translate “Sheol,” which is the Old Testament reference to the place of the dead (see commentary on Acts 2:27 for more on this).

2 Peter 2:4 is the only usage of Tartarus in the New Testament. The other instance where a Greek word is translated to English as “hell” is the word “Gehenna” which refers to the Hinnom Valley of Jerusalem. For more, see our article “What is Hell? Gehenna and the Outer Darkness.” When the Greek word Hades is used it is usually translated as “Hades.” At the end of the age, Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire along with death (Revelation 20:14).

God also committed them to pits of darkness, a special place created to hold these sinful angels who are reserved for judgment. This judgement might happen just before or as part of the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:10-11). It might be that Revelation 20:14 anticipates that these angels will be in Hades when it is thrown into the lake of fire.

Jude 1:6 also mentions that these fallen angels were judged by being thrown into darkness. The application for believers is that sin is darkness, and when we walk in sin we place ourselves into darkness. We are separated from the light. That is why passages like 1 John 2:15-16 tell us not to love the world and its lusts that separate us from rewards that are lasting.

A second example of God’s judgment on sin Peter offers is the flood in Noah’s day, adding:

• and did not spare (v. 5), meaning God judged,
• the ancient world, referring to the people living in the days of Noah before the flood (Genesis 6:12-13),
• but, indicating a contrast to God’s judgment,
• preserved Noah, meaning God rescued Noah,
• a preacher of righteousness, referring to the time when the Spirit of Christ preached to the world through Noah (1 Peter 3:18-19)
• with seven others, referring to Noah’s wife, his three sons, and their wives (Genesis 6:18)
• when He brought a flood upon the ungodly (Genesis 7:17, 21).

A third example of God’s judgment is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The And (v. 6), links this judgment to the judgment of the flood. The if introduces another condition Peter assumes is true. Peter then gives the details of God’s judgment: and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter (v. 6).

He refers to God, who condemned, a word used to pronounce a sentence after determining guilt, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, cities in the Jordan valley (Genesis 13:10), to destruction. The Greek word translated destruction is “katastatrophe” from which we get the English word “catastrophe,” meaning the condition of total destruction.

This complete destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is further described-by reducing them to ashes-referring to the fact that God used fire from heaven to carry out His judgment (Genesis 19:24, 28). The reason God executed this judgment on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah is that He wanted to make them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter (Jude 1:7). The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a warning to those who choose to live in gross immorality, that they will not escape God’s judgment.

Peter now turns from the example of the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah to the deliverance of Lot from that judgment. He begins, and (v. 7), used to link the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah to the deliverance of Lot: and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (v. 7). This is followed by if, another condition Peter assumes to be true. The true condition is that He rescued righteous Lot, referring to God saving Lot (Genesis 19:29) who is described as living in accordance to high standards of what is upright (Genesis 18:26).

The point again is that God judges sin and rescues the righteous. The point being that Peter urges the believers receiving his letter to follow God and be delivered from the adverse influence of the false teachers that they might escape judgment.

Upright Lot is also described as being oppressed, a word that means to cause distress or pressure. Lot’s distress came by the sensual conduct, referring to the lifestyle of sexual excesses, of unprincipled men, meaning men who were unseemly and disgraceful in their sexual excesses (Genesis 19:5, 2 Peter 3:17). The fact that Lot did not approve nor participate in the sexual immorality around him is a particularly appropriate example for Peter’s audience to follow, given that the false teachers in their midst appear to include sexual immorality as a part of their misdeeds.

Peter pauses here to further describe the inner distress of Lot’s soul; the parentheses indicate an aside for the purpose of giving more details: (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds) (v. 8).

Lot is the example of what Peter’s followers ought to think about the false teachers. Lot’s inner distress came by what he saw and heard, referring to what he observed and listened to when the men of the city demanded to have sexual relations with his guests and the angels struck them with blindness (Genesis 19:4-11). In contrast to the sensual conduct of unrighteous men, Lot again is described as that righteous man.

This description of Lot did not imply that he was perfect, but simply that he was upright, fair, and equitable in his dealings with others. In particular, Lot did not succumb to the bad example surrounding him. This is the specific example Peter would wish for his readers to follow with respect to the false teachers who are tempting them.

Lot felt distressed while living among them, meaning Lot established his home in the city surrounded by the immoral and ungodly Sodomites. As a result, Lot felt his righteous soul, describing his upright mind, will, and emotions, tormented day after day, indicating a state of continual harassment and testing. Lot’s emotional and spiritual torment was caused by their lawless deeds), meaning the wicked actions that violate the moral standards God designed in His creation.

After recording the “if” part of the conditional clauses consisting of rescuing Noah and his family from the flood, and Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (which God did), Peter completes the conditional “if” statements with then (v. 9), meaning if this is true-(God rescued Noah and Lot), then it is also true that the Lord knows how to rescue. God has all the information and power necessary to deliver or save the godly (people devoted to God) from temptation.

We see this same idea in 1 Corinthians 10:13 where Paul says:

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
(1 Corinthians 10:13)

The Greek word “peirasmos” (temptation) can mean either “test” (1 Peter 1:6, 4:12) or “temptation” (1 Timothy 6:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13). The context of the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah would seem to favor the idea of “temptation” over “test.” The expected application would seem to be that Peter desires his readers to avail themselves of the available deliverance God provides and not fall prey to the false teachers.

In addition to rescuing godly people from temptation, God also knows how to keep, a word meaning to retain in custody (1 Peter 1:4, 2 Peter 2:4, 9, 17, 3:7, Jude 6, 13), the unrighteous, the opposite of people who are upright because they act in a way that is not right, under punishment. The term under punishment is a verb meaning to penalize or punish (Acts 4:21, 1 Peter 2:20, 2 Peter 2:9). This punishment will apply for the day of judgment (Matthew 10:15, 12:36, 2 Peter 3:7).

Since this illustration of judgment appears to apply to unbelievers, the specific day of judgment might refer to the judgement of unbelievers at the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). But as Peter will assert in the next chapter, it is certain that all believers will be judged as well (Romans 2:6, 2 Peter 3:7-10). God’s judgment consumes the ungodly and refines His people.

Peter emphasizes God’s ability to keep unrighteous people under the penalty of final judgment as he continues, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority (v. 10a). The word especially puts emphasis on a particular group of people, being those who indulge the flesh.

These are people who conduct the course of their lives controlled by their sin nature (1 Peter 4:3, 2 Peter 3:3, Jude 1:16, 18). When people are enslaved by their sin nature, the result is that they will follow in its corrupt desires, meaning they are defiled by their strong cravings.

Not only will they be defiled by their cravings, they will also despise authority, meaning they treat with contempt any ruling power that will try to keep them from following the lusts of their flesh. This would of course include God, who is in truth the ultimate authority.

Those who walk in the flesh bear the fruits of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). Paul asserts that those who bear the deeds of the flesh will lose the reward of their inheritance in God’s kingdom (Galatians 5:21). The loss due to living in sin applies to the current life as well, since continuing to follow our lusts leads to addiction and loss of mental health (Romans 1:26, 28).

Peter now introduces the false teachers as those who indulge in the flesh and its corrupt desires (v. 10a), describing three details of their stubborn will. First, he describes their stubborn will as Daring (v. 10b), meaning risky and bold. A word used only once, here, in the New Testament.

A second description of the stubborn will of the false teachers is self-willed, referring to a stubborn and arrogant will. The only other time this word is used is where Paul says an overseer of the church must “not be self-willed” (Titus 1:7).

The third description of the stubborn will of the false teachers can be summed up as reckless. Their will is reckless because they do not tremble, meaning to feel intensely the impact of someone greater than themselves (Luke 8:47). This becomes clear when they revile angelic majesties (Jude 8).

The word revile translates the Greek word “blasphemeo” from which we get our English word “blaspheme,” meaning to speak disrespectfully of (1 Peter 4:4). The object of their blasphemy is angelic majesties which refer to the glorious angels created by God (Jude 8, 10).

The fearless reviling of angels illustrates the risky, stubborn, reckless, self-will of these false teachers. This is because angels (v.11), who are greater in might and power than the false teachers, do not bring a reviling judgment, a disrespectful pronouncement of condemnation, against them¸ referring to other angelic beings like Satan and his demons before the Lord, meaning God. If the heavenly angels do not revile others, then who are these false teachers that they think they can revile others? They should be appealing to the Lord, but are improperly assuming an inappropriate level of spiritual authority.

The Scriptures give a description of angels being afraid to revile each other in the letter of Jude:

“But Michael, the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!”
(Jude 9)

Given that heavenly angels respect spiritual authorities, it follows that men ought to as well. The reason why these false teachers would issue a blasphemous condemnation upon angelic authorities like Satan and his demons is not clearly stated, but spiritual arrogance is inferred.

Perhaps because these false teachers promoted such gross immoralities, there arose accusations of being influenced by Satanic or demonic forces. To counter these accusations, these brash false teachers would dare to pronounce a reviling condemnation on these fallen angels to clear those accusations. This is a possible scenario where the daring, self-willed, and reckless pride of false teachers might be manifest.