II Peter 3:5 · Bible study
2 Peter 3:5 Commentary: The Willful Ignorance of the Scoffers
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why the scoffers' willful forgetting of creation 'out of water and through water' undermines their claim that all things continue unchanged from the beginning.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The scoffers deliberately ignore the truth that the world was created out of water and through water by God’s word, proving the present order is not permanent.
- Key words: λανθάνει (lanthanei, it is hidden), θέλοντας (thelontas, willingly), συνεστῶσα (sunestōsa, compacted/composed).
- Main debate: Whether “out of water and through water” refers to the material cause (water as prime element) or the means (by water gathering together).
- Theological theme: The word of God as both creator and judge; the world’s contingency on God’s sovereign command.
- Best use: To counter false assumptions of an unchanging natural order and to ground hope for Christ’s return in God’s past acts of creation and judgment.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
WEB World English Bible 2000
For they willfully forget that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water by the word of God,
KJV King James Version 1769
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
for this is unobserved by them willingly, that the heavens were of old, and the earth out of water and through water standing together by the word of God,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For this is hidden from them through their own wilfulness, that heavens were of old, and an earth, having its subsistence out of water and in water, by the word of God,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For this they are wilfully ignorant of: That the heavens were before, and the earth out of water and through water, consisting by the word of God:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Cierto ellos ignoran voluntariamente|strong="G5124, G2309", que los cielos fueron en el tiempo antiguo, y la tierra que por agua y en agua está asentada, por la palabra de Dios;
Porque eles ignoram isto por sua própria vontade, que pela palavra de Deus desde os tempos antigos é que foram os céus, e que a terra saiu da água, e sobre a água continua.
Ils veulent ignorer, en effet, que des cieux existèrent autrefois par la parole de Dieu, de même qu’ une terre tirée de l’ eau et formée au moyen de l’ eau,
Aber aus Mutwillen wollen sie nicht wissen, daß der Himmel vorzeiten auch war, dazu die Erde aus Wasser, und im Wasser bestanden durch Gottes Wort;
Want willens is dit hun onbekend, dat door het woord Gods de hemelen van over lang geweest zijn, en de aarde uit het water en in het water bestaande;
Poiché costoro dimenticano questo volontariamente: che ab antico, per effetto della parola di Dio, esistettero de’ cieli e una terra tratta dall’acqua e sussistente in mezzo all’acqua;
Tego zaiste umyślnie wiedzieć nie chcą, że się niebiosa dawno stały i ziemia z wody i w wodzie stanęła przez słowo Boże,
Думающие так не знают, что вначале словом Божиим небеса и земля составлены из воды и водою:
他們 故意 忘記，從太古，憑 神 的命 有了 天，並 從 水 而出、 藉 水 而成的地。
But in taking this view they put out of their minds the memory that in the old days there was a heaven, and an earth lifted out of the water and circled by water, by the word of God;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Peter 3:5
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 confronts the scoffers with a fact they deliberately ignore: the world was once destroyed by water, because it was originally made from water and held together by water. The Greek phrasing λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας (lit. “this escapes them, being willing”) captures the moral dimension of the ignorance, they will not to see it. Vincent and Barnes both note that the verb λανθάνει (lanthanei) means it is hidden, not from lack of evidence but from choice. The scoffers’ claim of unbroken continuity (v.4) is false: God’s word brought the earth out of water (ἐξ ὕδατος) and through water (δι’ ὕδατος) into a stable form (συνεστῶσα, having been compacted together). That same water later became the instrument of judgment. Calvin argues that this proves the world depends not on its own nature but on God’s word, which can just as easily bring fire on the present age. The logical point is simple but devastating: if water obeyed God by forming and then destroying the world, the scoffers have no grounds to assume the present order is permanent.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Willful ignorance of past judgment: The scoffers deliberately close their eyes to the flood. Supported by the Greek phrase 'lanthanei … thelontas' and cross-references to John 3:19–20.
- Self-deception via desire: The scoffers’ own desires (walking after their lusts, v.3) cause them to suppress the truth. The ignorance is not merely intellectual but moral.
- Philosophical commitment to continuity: The scoffers are influenced by Epicurean atomism, which assumes an unbroken chain of cause and effect. Peter shows this assumption is falsified by the flood.
What is clear: God created the heavens and earth by His word, the earth was formed in relation to water, the flood was a real historical judgment, and the scoffers are wrong to claim that all things continue without interruption.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the scoffers' ignorance | The ignorance is willful, they choose not to know or consider the evidence of creation and the flood. | Some commentators (e.g., Barnes) take 'thelontas' to mean they hold a certain opinion (they will that all things continue), while others (Vincent, Calvin) take it as their own willful refusal to know. |
| Meaning of 'out of water and through water' | The phrase refers to the Genesis account: the earth was formed from water and established in relation to water. | Some interpret it as the material out of which the earth was made (water as prime matter); others as the means by which God brought the earth into its present form (the gathering of waters). |
| Identity of 'the word of God' | Creation was accomplished by God's command or decree. | Some see a reference to Christ as the eternal Word (John 1:1, 3, Hebrews 1:2); others take it as the spoken command of God (Psalm 33:6). |
| Reference of 'heavens' | The heavens exist from old by God's word, contrary to the scoffers' assumption of eternal continuity. | Interpreters vary on whether 'heavens' means the sky (atmosphere) only or includes the entire created cosmos. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The scoffers Peter describes (2 Peter 3:3, 4) were likely influenced by Epicurean ideas circulating in the Greco-Roman world. Epicureans viewed the universe as a chance concourse of atoms, governed by unchanging laws with no role for divine intervention. Their objection, “all things continue as they were from the beginning”, presupposes a uniform cause-effect order. Peter counters by appealing to a well-known historical event: the flood (Genesis 6, 8). But he goes further, grounding the flood’s possibility in the very nature of creation.
Genesis 1 describes the earth emerging from a watery chaos: “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear” (Genesis 1:9). The waters above the firmament (Genesis 1:6, 7) continued to surround the earth. This ancient cosmology, also echoed in Psalms 24:2 and 136:6, depicted the earth as founded on seas and flood. Peter’s language (“out of water and through water”) reflects that picture. The earth’s stability was not inherent, it depended on God’s word keeping the waters in check.
Clarke points out that Thales of Miletus taught that water was the primordial substance of all things. While Peter is not endorsing Thales’ philosophy, he uses the shared understanding that water was the medium of creation to make a theological point. If water could both compose and dissolve the world, then the world is not self-sustaining. The same word that commanded the flood can command the fire. The scoffers’ willful ignorance is therefore a refusal to read the history of God’s past judgments rather than a rational argument.
Textual Notes
Reception History
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The posture of the scoffer: willful ignorance. Not a failure of evidence but a refusal to look. The Greek lanthanei thelontas, it escapes them because they want it to.
- The fact they suppress: the world was made from water and through water by God’s word. That same water later destroyed the world. Creation and judgment are two sides of the same divine sovereignty.
- The implication for us: the present order is not permanent. Those who bank on continuity will be surprised. But those who trust God’s word have hope of a new heavens and earth (v. 13).
Five-point outline
- Intro: The scoffers’ argument (v. 4), everything has always continued the same.
- Peter’s diagnosis: their ignorance is willful. They do not want to know.
- What they ignore: creation out of water and through water (Genesis 1). The earth’s form came by God’s word, not by natural forces alone.
- What they also ignore: the flood (v. 6). Water was the agent of both formation and destruction.
- Application: If God’s word can dissolve the world by water, it can and will do so by fire. Therefore, we live not by sight but by promise.
Illustration hooks
- A homeowner who ignores hurricane warnings because the weather has always been fine. The ignored forecast doesn’t make the storm less real.
- A scientist who refuses to look through a telescope because the results might overturn a cherished theory. Knowledge is refused, not missing.
- A person who will not open a letter from the doctor because they fear bad news. They choose not to know, but the reality remains.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow so much time to pass before judging? (Peter answers in v.9: patience, not slowness.)
- How can I tell if I am willfully ignorant about something God wants me to see?
- Does the flood really prove that judgment by fire is coming? Isn’t that just a story?
Leading a Discussion
This passage challenges the assumption that the world will always continue as it is. The scoffers used a false stability to justify dismissing Christ’s return. But Peter shows that God’s past actions in creation and judgment give us a better foundation for hope, and a sober warning. As you talk, consider where you might be tempted to believe that nothing really changes.
Discussion questions
- Read 2 Peter 3:3, 4. What is the scoffers’ basic claim, and why is it attractive to people today?
- According to verse 5, what do the scoffers “willfully forget”? What does the phrase “willfully” add to their ignorance?
- How does Genesis 1:6, 9 describe the role of water in creation? How does that connect to Peter’s statement that the earth was formed “out of water and through water”?
- What is the significance of the phrase “by the word of God” in this context? (See also Psalm 33:6, Hebrews 11:3.)
- Why does Peter mention the flood next (v. 6)? How does that undermine the scoffers’ argument?
- In what ways might we be guilty of willful ignorance about things God has clearly revealed, whether about judgment, our own sin, or his promises?
- How does understanding that the world is contingent on God’s word change how you view the future and how you live today?
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)
| Genesis 1:6 | God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” |
| Genesis 1:9 | God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so. |
| Psalms 24:2 | For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods. |
| Psalms 33:6 | By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made: all their army by the breath of his mouth. |
| Psalms 136:6 | to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his loving kindness endures forever; |
| Proverbs 17:16 | Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, since he has no understanding? |
| John 3:19 | This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. |
| John 3:20 | For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that those who deny the coming judgment are not simply mistaken but willfully ignorant; the will, not the understanding, drives their refusal. He explains that the earth was actually constituted out of water and by water, meaning water was the very material and means of creation, which also made the flood possible.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin points out that scoffers willingly forget that water, the very substance from which the world emerged, also destroyed it in the flood. This shows nature holds no permanent power of itself; the world endures only because God's word sustains it and can change its course at any moment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The scoffers' ignorance is not a lack of knowledge but a deliberate choice to close their eyes to evidence. They assume unbroken continuity, yet Scripture records two great exceptions: creation and the flood, both acts of God's word that shattered any notion of a purely self-contained natural order.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The scoffers are not simply ignorant but willfully ignore what they could know: that God's word created the heavens and the earth from water and through water. Their denial is a deliberate choice, not an honest mistake.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that scoffers willingly remain ignorant of how creation itself testifies to judgment. The earth was originally formed out of water and in water,
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that the scoffers' doubt about Christ's return stems from willful ignorance, not honest inquiry. He shows that the same divine word which created and sustains the world also destroyed it once by water and will destroy it again by fire, proving the world does not continue by its own power. The delay of the promise is not slackness but God's patient longsuffering, giving space for repentance.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that scoffers will grow more numerous and bold in the last days because the spiritual, simple worship of the New Testament directly opposes humanity's carnal nature. They willfully ignore that God's word created the world and once destroyed it by water, now reserving it for fire at judgment.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights that the Greek behind "willingly ignorant" means "this escapes them of their own will," stressing deliberate
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that the scoffers' ignorance is entirely deliberate, not accidental. In his reading, the original earth was a globe fixed in the midst of the deep, a structure so different from the present world that failing to know it can only be blamed on stubborn unwillingness to learn.