II Peter 1:4 · Bible study
2 Peter 1:4 Commentary: Partakers of the Divine Nature
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What does it mean to become partakers of the divine nature?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Believers receive God’s great promises, which enable them to share in God’s holy character and escape the world’s corrupt desires.
- Key words: δεδώρηται (given as a gift, middle voice), γένησθε (you may become, aorist subjunctive), κοινωνοὶ (partakers/partners), θείας φύσεως (divine nature), φθορᾶς (corruption/decay), ἐπιθυμίᾳ (evil desire).
- Main debate: Does “partakers of the divine nature” mean literal deification (Eastern Orthodox) or moral transformation into God’s likeness (most Protestant commentators)?
- Theological theme: Participation in God through Christ by the promises, leading to sanctification and glory.
- Best use: In teaching on the goal of salvation, the role of Scripture’s promises, and the call to holiness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
WEB World English Bible 2000
by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.
KJV King James Version 1769
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
through which to us the most great and precious promises have been given, that through these ye may become partakers of a divine nature, having escaped from the corruption in the world in desires.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
through which he has given to us the greatest and precious promises, that through these ye may become partakers of [the] divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
By whom he hath given us most great and precious promises: that by these you may be made partakers of the divine nature: flying the corruption of that concupiscence which is in the world.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Por las cuales nos son dadas preciosas y grandísimas promesas, para que por ellas fueseis hechos participantes de la naturaleza divina, habiendo huído de la corrupción que está en el mundo por concupiscencia.
Pelas quais nos são dadas grandíssimas e preciosas promessas, para que por meio delas sejais participantes da natureza divina, tendo escapado da corrupção que há no mundo pelo mau desejo.
lesquelles nous assurent de sa part les plus grandes et les plus précieuses promesses, afin que par elles vous deveniez participants de la nature divine, en fuyant la corruption qui existe dans le monde par la convoitise,
durch welche uns die teuren und allergrößten Verheißungen geschenkt sind, nämlich, daß ihr dadurch teilhaftig werdet der göttlichen Natur, so ihr fliehet die vergängliche Lust der Welt;
Door welke ons de grootste en dierbare beloften geschonken zijn, opdat gij door dezelve der goddelijke natuur deelachtig zoudt worden, nadat gij ontvloden zijt het verderf, dat in de wereld is door de begeerlijkheid.
per le quali Egli ci ha largito le sue preziose e grandissime promesse onde per loro mezzo voi foste fatti partecipi della natura divina dopo esser fuggiti dalla corruzione che è nel mondo per via della concupiscenza,
Przez co bardzo wielkie i kosztowne obietnice nam są darowane, abyście się przez nie stali uczestnikami Boskiego przyrodzenia, uszedłszy skażenia tego, które jest na świecie w pożądliwościach.
которыми дарованы нам великие и драгоценные обетования, дабы вы через них соделались причастниками Божеского естества, удалившись от господствующего в мире растления похотью:
因 此，他已將又寶貴 又 極大 的應許 賜給 我們，叫 我們既脫離 世 上 從情慾 來 的敗壞，就得與 神的 性情 有分。
And through this he has given us the hope of great rewards highly to be valued; so that by them we might have our part in God's being, and be made free from the destruction which is in the world through the desires of the flesh.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Peter 1:4
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that “partakers of the divine nature” does not mean absorption into God’s essence or becoming God. Gill states plainly that this is “not essentially, or of the essence of God, so as to be deified, this is impossible.” Rather, they describe a real moral and spiritual transformation. Clarke speaks of being “brought back to the image of God.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown identifies it as “His holiness, including His ‘glory’ and ‘virtue.’” The Cambridge Bible connects it to participation with Christ and the Trinity, citing John 14 and 17. The means are the “exceeding great and precious promises,” which Calvin sees as effects of God’s power and glory. The verb genēsthe (“you may become”) is an aorist subjunctive, and Vincent notes that the Revised Version correctly captures “become” as implying growth. All agree the goal is transformation into God’s likeness, not fusion, and that “having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” is the necessary counterpart.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Moral transformation: Most Protestant commentators (Calvin, Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) read it as becoming like God in holiness through the promises, not sharing His essence.
- Ontological participation / Theosis: Eastern Orthodox and some Catholic interpreters hold that believers genuinely share in God’s nature by grace, participating in His uncreated energies (Athanasius, Maximus).
What is clear: The passage teaches that God has given believers great promises that result in a real change—they become like God, escaping the decay of the world caused by evil desires; this transformation is both a gift and a call to growth.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Partakers of the divine nature | Christians agree this does not mean absorption into God’s essence or becoming God by nature. | Eastern Orthodox theology understands it as theosis, real participation in God’s uncreated energies. Most Protestant commentators read it as moral transformation into God’s holiness, a renewal of the image of God in the believer. |
| Exceeding great and precious promises | These are God’s covenant promises of salvation, including pardon, eternal life, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. | Some traditions emphasize that these promises are already fully realized in Christ (already), while others stress their future fulfillment at Christ’s return (not yet). |
| Having escaped the corruption | Escape is through faith in Christ, involving conversion and ongoing deliverance from sin’s power. | Whether escape is primarily forensic (a legal declaration of freedom) or transformative (a change in nature). Catholic and Orthodox traditions emphasize infused righteousness and transformation; Reformed traditions stress imputed righteousness along with progressive sanctification. |
| Through lust (or in desire) | Evil desires are the root of the world’s corruption and stand opposite to the divine nature. | The extent to which human desires remain corrupted after regeneration: Reformed: total depravity overcome by grace; Arminian: depravity but cooperating grace; Catholic: concupiscence remains but is not imputed as sin. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Peter writes to believers in Asia Minor, many from Gentile backgrounds. In the Greco-Roman world, talk of a “divine nature” would evoke Stoic or Platonic ideas about the soul’s kinship with the divine. Peter takes this language and fills it with biblical meaning. He roots it not in human effort but in the “exceeding great and precious promises” given through God’s own glory and virtue. These promises echo the Old Testament covenants, to Abraham, to Israel (Romans 9:4), but also the new covenant promise of a transformed heart. Ezekiel 36:25-27 describes God sprinkling clean water and putting His Spirit within so that His people walk in His statutes. That is the promise.
The corruption “in the world through lust” reflects a Jewish understanding of the present age as under decay and sinful desire. Peter’s readers knew a culture driven by appetite; escape from that corruption was both a past event (conversion, signified by baptism) and an ongoing process. The verse is the hinge leading into the call to add virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (vv.5-7). So “partaking of the divine nature” is not a mystical state detached from moral effort; it is the goal the promises aim at, and the virtues are the path.
The immediate context also makes clear that Peter is about to die (2 Peter 1:14). He writes to leave a lasting reminder of the truth, the apostolic testimony to Christ’s majesty (vv.16-18). The promises, grounded in that testimony, are not abstract; they are the very means by which believers are drawn into the life of God, escaping the decay that marks the world apart from Christ.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants affecting the meaning of this verse. Some manuscripts vary in the reading of the prepositions in vv.3-4 (e.g., “δι’ ὧν” vs “δι’ ὅν,” referring to Christ rather than glory and virtue), but the received text is secure. The phrase “exceeding great and precious promises” is attested in all major traditions.
Reception History
This verse has been central in both Eastern and Western Christian traditions. In the Eastern Church, it is a key prooftext for the doctrine of theosis, understood as participation in the divine life through the Spirit, as taught by Athanasius and Maximus the Confessor. In the Latin West, Augustine and later medieval theologians saw it as the perfection of grace, the beatific vision of God. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther interpreted it as sanctification and growth in holiness, explicitly rejecting deification. In the Wesleyan tradition, it informed the teaching on entire sanctification. The phrase “precious promises” has been a source of comfort in hymns and devotional literature across many denominations.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- God’s Great and Precious Promises, Given through divine power and grounded in God’s glory and virtue, they cover pardon, peace, eternal life, and all that pertains to life and godliness. They are not empty words but carry the reality of what they pledge (2 Corinthians 1:20).
- Becoming Partakers of the Divine Nature, This is not becoming God by essence but being transformed into His likeness through union with Christ by the Spirit. We share in God’s holiness, His moral character, and ultimately His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).
- Escaping the Corruption of the World, Corruption is rooted in lust (evil desires). Escape is both a past rescue at conversion and a daily flight from the temptations that entangle. The promises empower both the escape and the positive growth that follows.
Five-Point Outline
- The Source: God’s glory and virtue (v.3).
- The Gift: Superlatively great and precious promises.
- The Goal: Partaking of the divine nature.
- The Counterpart: Having escaped the corruption caused by lust.
- The Response: Adding to faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, and the rest (vv.5-7).
Illustration Hooks
- An inheritance letter: A father writes a letter promising a great inheritance to a child who is still immature. The promise itself changes how the child lives now, even before the inheritance is realized, it shapes identity and hope.
- A detox program: Someone addicted to a substance escapes the corruption of addiction through a promise of new life. They must then daily choose that new life, relying on the promise to sustain them.
- Naturalized citizenship: A refugee granted citizenship in a new country escapes the corruption of their old country. They now have both the rights and the responsibilities of a citizen, and their identity is permanently changed.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- “Does this mean I can become God? That sounds scary or impossible.”
- “How do the promises help me escape my bad habits and desires?”
- “What does ‘partake of the divine nature’ look like in my daily life?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse captures the Christian life in two movements: a gift from God and a call to transformation. The gift is the promises. The transformation is becoming like God. Discuss what this means for you as a group.
Discussion Questions
- What are the “exceeding great and precious promises” that Peter has in mind? List as many as you can (use cross-references like Romans 9:4, 2 Corinthians 1:20).
- How does the description of these promises as “precious” and “great” shape your view of God’s character?
- The phrase “partakers of the divine nature” has been understood in different ways. What do you think it means? What does it not mean?
- The verse says we “become” partakers (aorist subjunctive, “genēsthe”). Why is “become” important rather than simply “are”?
- What is the connection between escaping corruption and partaking of God’s nature? Which comes first, and how are they related?
- How do God’s promises actively help you escape the corruption of worldly desires in your life right now?
- In vv.5-7, Peter lists virtues to add to faith. How do those virtues enable growth in partaking of the divine nature?
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)
| Ezekiel 36:25 | I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. |
| Ezekiel 36:27 | I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes. You will keep my ordinances and do them. |
| John 1:12 | But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: |
| John 1:13 | who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. |
| Romans 9:4 | who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; |
| II Corinthians 1:20 | For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.” Therefore also through him is the “Amen”, to the glory of God through us. |
| II Corinthians 3:18 | But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit. |
| II Corinthians 6:17 | Therefore “‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you. |
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
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasises that Gentiles received the same surpassing promises God gave the Jews, but with even greater value. These precious promises through Christ include redemption, the Spirit's indwelling, resurrection, and eternal rest. Their ultimate purpose is restoring fallen humanity to God's lost image.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes carefully insists that being a partaker of the divine nature does not mean absorption into God's essence or losing individual identity. Rather, it refers to sharing God's moral character, thoughts and principles — being made like Him in holiness while remaining a distinct person. For Barnes this transformation is the promise's true goal.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the promises were given specifically to lead us to glory and virtue, not power. He sees a precise correspondence throughout the passage: escaping the world's corruption equals virtue and godliness, while sharing in the divine nature equals glory and life. This structural parallel confirms his reading.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that "partakers of the divine nature" is not a bold claim but flows logically from sharing in Christ and fellowship with the Trinity. He also clarifies that "precious" echoes 1 Peter's language, though the apparent parallel with 1 Peter 2:7 exists only in English, not Greek.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes emphasize that believers share in God's own nature through the great promises given to them. This participation is realized not passively but in actively fleeing the corruption that comes from worldly lusts. The promises themselves are the means by which this transformation takes place.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the promises are called "exceeding great" because they come from God alone, are unconditional and eternal, and transform believers into God's likeness. He carefully distinguishes this partaking of the divine nature from becoming God himself, describing it as a growing moral resemblance to Christ through the promises' power.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws on Bengel to distinguish Gods glory as what makes His promises exceeding great and His virtue as what makes them precious. The promises themselves are a gift, already as sure as if fulfilled, and by them believers partake of the divine nature, meaning His holiness, not His essence.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry stresses that even the most important divine truths need constant repetition because human memory is weak. He observes that the apostle wrote this second letter precisely to refresh their recollection, showing that God's people require line upon line just to keep these essential matters in mind.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws attention to the Greek behind "are given," showing it is middle voice, meaning God personally grants the promises rather than them being passively received. He also distinguishes these promises as spontaneous gifts, not responses to human requests. The phrase "may become" implies gradual growth into partaking of the divine nature.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees God's promises as the direct channel through which believers escape the corruption of worldly desires. For him, partaking of the divine nature means being renewed in God’s image and dwelling in such communion that God lives in the believer and the believer in God.