II Peter 1:13 · Bible study
2 Peter 1:13 Commentary: The Right and Urgency of Reminding
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine Peter's motive for reminding established believers, the tent metaphor, and pastoral urgency in the face of death.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Peter sees it as his moral duty to keep reminding believers of truths they already hold, because human memory fades and his time is short.
- Key words: σκήνωμα (tent/tabernacle, temporary dwelling); διεγείρειν (to stir up, rouse from sleep); δίκαιον (right/just, a duty not a preference).
- Main debate: Whether the tent metaphor primarily echoes Paul (2 Cor 5:1) or Peter's own Transfiguration memory (Mark 9:5). Most see both layers.
- Theological theme: The pastoral office includes repetition, especially as death approaches. God uses faithful reminders to keep his people awake and growing.
- Best use: A text for sermons on pastoral care, the value of catechetical repetition, and facing mortality with purposeful love.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of my body,
WEB World English Bible 2000
I think it right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,
KJV King James Version 1769
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and I think right, so long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up in reminding you ,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But I account it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting [you] in remembrance,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque tengo por justo, en tanto que estoy en este tabernáculo, de incitaros|strong="G1326, G5209" con amonestación:
E eu considero justo, enquanto eu estiver neste tabernáculo, de vos despertar com relembranças;
Et je regarde comme un devoir, aussi longtemps que je suis dans cette tente, de vous tenir en éveil par des avertissements,
Ich achte es für billig, solange ich in dieser Hütte bin, euch zu erinnern und zu erwecken;
En ik acht het recht te zijn, zolang ik in deze tabernakel ben, dat ik u opwekke door vermaning;
E stimo cosa giusta finché io sono in questa tenda, di risvegliarvi ricordandovele,
Boć to mam za słuszną rzecz, pókim jest w tym przybytku, abym was pobudzał przez napominanie,
Справедливым же почитаю, доколе нахожусь в этой телесной храмине, возбуждать вас напоминанием,
我以為 應當趁 我還在 這 帳棚 的時候 提醒你們，激發 你們；
And it seems right to me, as long as I am in this tent of flesh, to keep your minds awake by working on your memory;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Peter 1:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Peter's resolve to remind his readers flows from two realities: the shortness of his own life and the human tendency to grow spiritually sluggish. Barnes observes that the apostle feels his duty 'the more as the close of life draws near.' Calvin adds that 'torpor will creep in from the flesh' even among those established in truth, making admonitions essential. The phrase 'in this tent' (σκηνώματι) draws on Paul's image in 2 Corinthians 5:1 and, as Vincent notes, carries 'the idea of brief duration, a frail tent, erected for a night.' Several commentators connect Peter's choice of 'tabernacle' to his own words at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:4), where he offered to build three tents. Now he recognizes his own body as the tent that will soon be taken down. The tone is not corrective but urgent and loving, a pastor using his remaining time to secure the growth of his flock.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Peter feels a moral duty to remind believers of truths they already know, because his impending death gives urgency and because even established Christians can grow spiritually sluggish.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The necessity of repeated reminder for established believers | All traditions agree that Peter's action models a pastoral duty: even mature Christians need ongoing admonition. | Catholics often link this to the need for sacramental repetition; Protestants emphasize the preaching and reading of Scripture; both affirm the principle. |
| Meaning of 'tent' (σκήνωμα) | All agree it refers to the body as a temporary dwelling for the soul. | Some commentators (e.g., Cambridge Bible, Vincent) see a deliberate allusion to Peter's Transfiguration offer to build tents; others (e.g., Barnes) treat it as a common Pauline metaphor with no specific past reference. |
| Force of δίκαιον ('right') | δίκαιον indicates a moral or apostolic obligation. | Some emphasize the legal nuance ('just') while others stress the relational aspect ('appropriate'). Both agree it is more than a preference. |
| The role of impending death in pastoral motivation | Peter's awareness of his swift departure intensifies his sense of duty. | Reformed writers (Calvin, Gill) emphasize that all believers, regardless of age, should be spurred by the uncertainty of life; others focus on Peter's unique foreknowledge of his martyrdom. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Peter writes near the end of his life, likely from Rome during the Neronian persecution. In verse 14 he alludes to Jesus' prediction of his martyrdom (John 21:18, 19), giving the passage a note of finality. The metaphor of the body as a tent (σκήνωμα) was common in Greek philosophy, where the soul temporarily inhabits the body. Paul uses the same image in 2 Corinthians 5:1, 4, calling the body an 'earthly house of our tent.' For Peter, however, the word carries an additional personal echo: at the Transfiguration he had blurted out, 'Let us make three tabernacles' (Mark 9:5). Now he applies the word to his own frail flesh, not Christ's. The verb 'stir up' (διεγείρειν) means to rouse from sleep, suggesting that even believers who know the truth can become drowsy or complacent. The conjunction δέ ('but' or 'yea') ties verse 13 to the preceding thought: though his readers know and are established, Peter still regards it as his right (δίκαιον), a term with moral and legal weight, indicating apostolic obligation, to jog their memory. The letter as a whole combats false teachers (chapter 2) and urges growth in godliness (1:5, 11).
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note one variant: several manuscripts (followed by the Syriac and Ethiopic versions) read σωματι ('body') instead of σκηνωματι ('tabernacle') in verse 13. Adam Clarke mentions this as a scribal harmonization with Paul's more common imagery. The weight of Greek witnesses supports σκηνωματι, and the variant does not change the overall meaning. No other significant variants appear for this verse in the supplied data.
Reception History
Christians have long read this verse as a model for faithful ministry in the face of death. Early church fathers used the tent metaphor to encourage detachment from earthly life. During the Reformation, Calvin and others drew from it the principle that even the most learned need constant admonition, and that ministers must not neglect this duty. In later centuries, the verse has been cited in farewell sermons and in literature on the Christian's pilgrimage toward the heavenly city. Across traditions, it remains a touchstone for pastoral repetition, the reminder that God's people never outgrow the need to hear the gospel again.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Rightness of Reminding. Peter uses δίκαιον, a word for moral justice. He does not merely think it helpful; he owes this to God and the flock.
- The Tent Implies Urgency. σκήνωμα is a temporary shelter, soon to be folded. Peter’s awareness of his limited time intensifies his pastoral effort.
- The Stirring Up. διεγείρειν pictures waking someone from a deep sleep. The reminder is not a casual nudge but an active rousing.
Five-point outline
- Foundation. The readers already know and are established (v. 12).
- Duty. Peter judges it right to keep reminding them. Ministry includes repetition.
- Metaphor. The tent body, temporary, fragile, motivates him to make every moment count.
- Method. Reminding through stirring up: the combination of information and motivation.
- Goal. That after his departure they may always remember (v. 15).
Illustration hooks
- A coach drilling the same fundamentals before a championship game, even though players learned them years ago.
- A parent whose final letters to adult children repeat the values they already hold, because saying it one more time matters.
- The quiet urgency of a doctor who, knowing he is moving away, reviews a patient's treatment plan again to make sure it sticks.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If I already know the Bible, why do I need to hear it every week?
- Doesn't our busy working life excuse us from constant reminders?
- How do I keep my faith fresh when I've heard the same stories for years?
Leading a Discussion
Peter writes to Christians who already know the truth. Yet he feels compelled to remind them. What does that say about how we learn, how we forget, and how God uses shepherds to keep us awake? This session invites your group to reflect on the role of repetition in discipleship and the urgency that comes from knowing life is short.
Discussion questions
- Read 2 Peter 1:12, 15. What does Peter assume his readers already have? What does he think they still need?
- The Greek word for 'right' (δίκαιον) often means 'just' or 'righteous.' Why does Peter frame his reminding as a matter of justice rather than a good idea?
- Peter calls his body a 'tent.' How does that image change the way you think about your own body and your time on earth?
- Compare Peter's language in verse 13 with 2 Corinthians 5:1, 4. Why do both apostles use the same tent metaphor? What does it add that a simple word like 'body' would not?
- Verse 12 says the readers are 'established in the present truth.' If they are established, why do they still need to be stirred up? What might that say about spiritual growth?
- Peter knows his death is coming soon (v. 14). How does a deadline change how you prioritise your words and actions?
- What is one truth you know well but need reminding of this week? How might your group help each other stay awake to it?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Haggai 1:14 | Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of Yahweh of Armies, their God, |
| II Corinthians 5:1 | For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. |
| II Corinthians 5:4 | For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. |
| II Corinthians 5:8 | We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. |
| II Timothy 1:6 | For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. |
| Hebrews 13:3 | Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body. |
| II Peter 1:12 | Therefore I will not be negligent to remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth. |
| II Peter 1:14 | knowing that the putting off of my tent comes swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights Peter's phrase "this tabernacle" to show the apostle viewed his body as a dwelling place, not his true self. Peter speaks of "I" being in the body, which indicates he considered his soul distinct from his physical form, like a person living in a house.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that even the faithful need constant urging because the flesh naturally dulls what they have learned. He makes this point through Peter's own urgency, who knowing his death was near, wrote to prevent spiritual laziness. The lesson is that awareness of life's brevity should drive greater diligence in serving God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator highlights Peter's deliberate choice of “tabernacle” for his body, linking it both to Paul’s similar image in 2 Corinthians and to Peter’s own request at the Transfiguration to build three tabernacles. Peter now understands Christ’s true tabernacle was his human body, and he sees his own body the same way. The repeated phrase “stir you up by putting you in remembrance” is also noted as characteristic of Peter, who assumes his readers already know the gospel facts, including the Transfiguration.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes Peter's sense of urgent duty: he calls his mortal body a temporary tabernacle, a tent soon to be taken down. Because his time is short, he feels compelled to stir up believers by simple reminders, valuing the act of remembrance as vital for their faith.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the apostle considered it a matter of justice and duty, not mere preference, to remind believers of truth. Since the body is a temporary tent soon to be taken down, he felt obligated to stir up saints who are naturally forgetful and sluggish in their faith and practice.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes the Greek conjunction rendered but, which sharply contrasts Peter's reminder with the readers' existing knowledge. Because his body is a tabernacle soon dismantled, he must make the most of his short time for the church. He draws an analogy: just as Satan's zeal intensifies as his time grows short, believers should be stirred to action.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that Peter, though his readers already know the truth, insists on being a diligent remembrancer. This shows even established Christians need constant reminders to prevent forgetfulness and to turn knowledge into practice. Ministers serve as remembrancers, reminding both God of his promises and people of his commands.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the brevity of life by calling the body a tent, a temporary dwelling that a believer can leave with surprising ease. The emphasis falls not on death as a struggle but on how quickly and simply a faithful person moves out of this earthly home.