Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 2 Peter
Chapter 2: False Teachers Among You
Second Peter 2 is a solemn warning against false teachers who arise within the church. 'There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.' Many follow them, 'by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of,' and through greed 'shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.' But their judgment is certain, and Peter proves it with three examples of God's justice: the angels that sinned, the flood in Noah's day, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. From these he draws a double truth: 'The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.' Then he exposes the false teachers' character in vivid terms, 'wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest,' following 'the way of Balaam... who loved the wages of unrighteousness,' promising liberty while themselves 'the servants of corruption.' This chapter shows us the peril of false teaching and the God who both judges the wicked and rescues the godly.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 2 Peter chapter 2. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Peter warns against false teachers, proves the certainty of their judgment from history, and exposes their corrupt character and end, while assuring us the Lord knows how to deliver the godly. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Damnable Heresies
False teachers denying the Lord that bought them.
God's Certain Judgment
The angels, the flood, and Sodom.
The Lord Delivers the Godly
He knows how to deliver and to reserve for judgment.
Wells Without Water
Following Balaam, promising a false liberty.
The Lord Knoweth How to Deliver the Godly (2 Peter 2:1-11)
False teachers bring in destructive heresies, but God, who judged the angels, the flood-world, and Sodom, knows how to rescue the godly and reserve the unjust for judgment.
To Reserve the Unjust Unto the Day of Judgment
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord."
Word Study
"heresies," Greek hairesis (αἵρεσις). The word comes from haireomai, "to choose," and means a chosen opinion, a self-willed teaching, and hence a faction or sect built around it. "False teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies." A hairesis is a destructive teaching that a person chooses over against the revealed truth, and that splits the church by drawing a following after itself. Peter calls these "damnable," literally heresies of destruction, teachings that lead to ruin. Note how they operate: "privily shall bring in", secretly, stealthily smuggling the error alongside the truth so it is not at first noticed. And note the depth of their apostasy: "even denying the Lord that bought them." They reject the very Master who redeemed them, a denial that shows their profession was hollow. False teaching is not a harmless difference of opinion; it is a chosen departure from the truth that destroys both the teachers and those they mislead, "and bring upon themselves swift destruction." This is why Scripture takes doctrine so seriously and warns so sharply against those who corrupt it. So hairesis names the great danger to the church from within: not persecution from outside, but self-chosen, destructive teaching quietly introduced by those who claim the name of Christ while denying His truth. Against it, we hold fast the faith once delivered, cutting the word straight, and refuse the chosen opinions that divide and destroy.
Explanation
Peter warns that "there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them." Driven by greed, they make merchandise of souls with "feigned words." But their judgment is certain, and Peter proves it by three examples: the fallen angels cast down, the ancient world drowned while Noah was saved, and Sodom burned while Lot was delivered. The lesson is double-edged: "the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment." God has always rescued His own and stored up the wicked for reckoning; He will do so again.
Gospel Focus
Peter warns that just as "there were false prophets also among the people" in Israel, so "there shall be false teachers among you." The danger comes from within, cloaked in the name of Christ. They "privily shall bring in damnable heresies", smuggling in destructive teachings, "even denying the Lord that bought them." Their apostasy is deep, rejecting the very Master who redeemed them, and their doom is sure, "swift destruction." Their influence is wide, for "many shall follow their pernicious ways," and the result is that "the way of truth shall be evil spoken of", the gospel itself is slandered because of them. Their motive is often greed: "through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you," treating God's people as a source of profit. But Peter's great concern is to assure believers that such teachers will not escape judgment: "their damnation slumbereth not." To prove God will surely judge them, Peter gives three examples from history. God "spared not the angels that sinned," casting them down and reserving them for judgment. He "spared not the old world," bringing "the flood upon the world of the ungodly," yet He "saved Noah... a preacher of righteousness." And He turned "Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes," yet "delivered just Lot," whose "righteous soul" was daily "vexed" by the wickedness around him. From these examples Peter draws a double conclusion that is the heart of the chapter: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." God is expert at both, He knows how to rescue His people even from the midst of corruption, as He did Noah and Lot, and He knows how to hold the wicked for judgment. Neither the rescue nor the reckoning will fail. The false teachers are especially marked by fleshly lust, contempt for authority, and arrogant, "presumptuous" pride, speaking evil of dignities so recklessly that even the mighty angels would not dare such railing before the Lord. So the chapter both warns and comforts: false teachers are real and their judgment is certain, but the Lord knows how to deliver the godly, keeping His own safe even in a corrupt world while reserving the unjust for the day of judgment.
Wells Without Water (2 Peter 2:12-22)
The false teachers are exposed as greedy, corrupt, and doomed, following Balaam, promising liberty while enslaved to corruption themselves.
While They Promise Them Liberty
"But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
Word Study
"beguiling," Greek deleazo (δελεάζω). The word means to entice with a bait, to lure as a fisherman or hunter lures prey with bait on a hook or in a trap. "Beguiling unstable souls," and again, "they allure through the lusts of the flesh." Peter twice uses this hunter's word to describe how false teachers work. They do not win souls with truth; they deleazo them, baiting a hook to catch them. And the bait is always some appeal to desire, "the lusts of the flesh," "much wantonness," the promise of pleasure or freedom. Like a fish that sees only the tempting bait and not the hidden hook, "unstable souls" are drawn in by what looks attractive, never seeing the destruction concealed within. This is how false teaching so often spreads: not by open argument against the truth, but by dangling what people crave, license to sin dressed up as liberty. And the tragedy Peter notes is that the ones baited were "clean escaped from them who live in error", people who had begun to get free from the world are lured back in. The remedy is stability: to be so grounded in Christ and His truth that the bait no longer deceives. So deleazo exposes the method of the deceiver, luring the unstable with the bait of fleshly desire, and warns us to be so anchored in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour that we see the hook behind every bait and are not caught.
Explanation
Peter unmasks the false teachers in withering terms — like "natural brute beasts," they "speak evil of the things that they understand not," reveling in the daytime, "having eyes full of adultery," and, like Balaam, loving "the wages of unrighteousness." They "promise... liberty" while being themselves "the servants of corruption." Saddest of all is their end: having "escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord," they are again entangled and overcome, so that their "latter end is worse... than the beginning." Peter seals it with a proverb: "The dog is turned to his own vomit again" — a false profession that returns to filth was never truly cleansed.
Gospel Focus
Peter now unmasks the false teachers in unsparing detail, exposing their character, their pattern, and their end. In their arrogance they "speak evil of the things that they understand not," like "natural brute beasts" driven by instinct rather than truth, and they "shall utterly perish in their own corruption." They are "spots" and "blemishes" on the church's fellowship, indulging openly in sin, "having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin," their hearts trained in greed. Peter compares them to "Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness", the prophet who tried to sell his gift for money and had to be rebuked by his own donkey. These teachers, too, will do anything for gain. Then Peter gives two vivid images of their emptiness: "wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest." A well promises water but is dry; a storm cloud promises rain but is blown past, giving none. They promise much and deliver nothing but disappointment, "to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever." Their method is seduction: "when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh," baiting the hook with pleasure to catch "those that were clean escaped from them who live in error", drawing back into sin people who had begun to get free. And their great false promise is exposed: "while they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." They offer freedom but are slaves; and whatever masters a man enslaves him. So-called liberty to sin is the deepest bondage. Peter closes with a sober warning about those who turn back: "if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein... the latter end is worse with them than the beginning." To know "the way of righteousness" and then turn from "the holy commandment" is worse than never having known it. And he seals it with two blunt proverbs: "the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." A washed pig returns to the mud because its nature never changed; outward reform without inward transformation does not last. So the chapter warns us to beware the seductive emptiness of false teachers, to see the bondage hidden in their false liberty, and to be truly changed by the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, not merely washed on the outside, so that we never turn back to the mire.
Chapter 2 in Review
Second Peter 2 is a sustained warning against false teachers within the church, who "privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them," leading many astray and making "merchandise" of God's people through greed. Peter proves their judgment is certain from three examples, the angels that sinned, the flood, and Sodom, and draws the double truth: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." He then exposes the teachers' corrupt character, following "the way of Balaam," as "wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest," who "promise them liberty" while being "the servants of corruption," and warns that turning back after knowing the truth leaves "the latter end... worse... than the beginning."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a call to guard the truth and to test every teaching. It reminds us that the gravest threat to the church often comes not from outside persecution but from within, through teachers who quietly corrupt the faith while wearing its name. It takes doctrine with deadly seriousness, for "damnable heresies" destroy both teacher and follower. Yet it comforts the faithful with a rock-solid promise proved by history: the same God who judged the angels, the flood-world, and Sodom rescued Noah and Lot, and "knoweth how to deliver the godly." And it exposes the great lie of the false teachers, that sin is liberty, when in truth "of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." True freedom is found not in license but in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose knowledge sets us free and truly changes us. So we hold fast the truth, refuse the bait of fleshly desire, and cling to the Saviour who both delivers the godly and will surely judge the unjust.
- False teachers arise within, bringing in "damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them" (2:1).
- God's judgment is certain, proved by the angels, the flood, and Sodom (2:4-6).
- "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations" (2:9).
- False teachers are "wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest" (2:17).
- "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption" (2:19).
- Turning back after knowing the truth makes "the latter end... worse... than the beginning" (2:20).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you testing what you are taught against the revealed truth of Scripture?
- Do you see through the false promise that sin is "liberty"?
- Do you take comfort that "the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly" from corruption?
- Has the knowledge of Christ truly changed your nature, not merely washed the outside?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. False teachers and destructive heresies: 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 4; Matthew 7:15; 1 Timothy 4:1. God's certain judgment; rescue of Noah and Lot: 2 Peter 2:4-11; Genesis 6-7; Genesis 19; Jude 6-7. The character and end of false teachers; Balaam: 2 Peter 2:12-19; Numbers 22-24; Jude 11-13. Turning back; the washed sow: 2 Peter 2:20-22; Proverbs 26:11; Matthew 12:43-45; Hebrews 6:4-8. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- False teachers and damnable heresies: 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 4; Matthew 7:15.
- God's certain judgment; He delivers the godly (Noah, Lot): 2 Peter 2:4-11; Genesis 19; Jude 6-7.
- Their character and end; the way of Balaam: 2 Peter 2:12-19; Numbers 22-24; Jude 11-13.
- Turning back is worse than before; the washed sow: 2 Peter 2:20-22; Proverbs 26:11.