2 Peter 3:6 Meaning: What the Flood Teaches About Judgment and Hope
by which means the world that existed then, being overflowed with water, perished.
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
through which the then world, by water having been deluged, was destroyed;
through which [waters] the then world, deluged with water, perished.
Meaning in one sentence
What does 'by which means' mean in 2 Peter 3:6? Discover how God's judgment in the flood points to His coming return and His desire for repentance.
Context
Peter is writing to believers who are being mocked. Scoffers say everything has always gone on the same, so why expect Christ to return? Peter answers by reminding them of two world-changing events that prove God does intervene: creation and the flood. In verse 5 he describes how God formed the earth from water and by His word. Then in verse 6 he points to the flood as the moment that old world perished. The point is not just history. It is a pattern: the same word that created also judged, and that same word now holds the present world for a coming fire. Peter wants his readers to take God’s promises seriously, because He acts in history.
Key Words
Three words carry the weight here. The phrase “by which means” translates a plural Greek pronoun, hōn. Commentators debate whether it refers to the waters, or to the heavens and earth mentioned in verse 5. Either way, the flood was no accident. God used the very elements He had made to bring judgment. The word for “overflowed” is katakluzō, the only place it appears in the New Testament. It gives us our word cataclysm. This was a complete submerging, not a gentle rain. And the verb “perished” (apollumi) does not mean the world was annihilated. As the Cambridge Bible notes, it means a breaking up of the existing order. The world changed, but did not cease to be. That matters. Judgment is real, but it is never God’s final word for those who trust Him.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this verse in two main ways. Some, like John Calvin, understand “by which means” to refer to the waters that deluged the earth, the same waters from which the earth was formed. Others, including many modern commentators, see the plural pronoun pointing back to the heavens and the earth, the “windows of heaven” and “fountains of the great deep” that together brought the flood. On the nature of the perishing, most agree it was not total annihilation. The old world, its inhabitants, its order, was destroyed, but the earth itself was preserved and renewed. Both readings affirm that God used created things to bring judgment, and that His judgment, while severe, is not the end of His story.
A common misunderstanding
A common mistake is to think “the world that then was perished” means the earth itself was obliterated. In fact, the Greek word for “perished” (apollumi) here describes a destruction of the world’s inhabitants and its order, not its complete annihilation. The earth remained, but everything that lived on it was gone. Peter uses this to show that God can and does intervene catastrophically, but He also preserves a remnant, Noah and his family. Judgment is not the last word.
Living This Out
This week, when you hear someone say that things will always go on as they have, remember the flood. God is not distant or disengaged. He cares about sin and He acts. But He also makes a way of rescue. Noah found grace in the ark. You may not be facing a literal flood, but you can trust the same God who judges also saves. Let this truth loosen your grip on a world that will not last, and deepen your hope in the One who holds the future.
Main takeaway: God’s word brought both judgment and preservation in the flood, showing that He will not ignore sin forever and that He always provides a way of escape.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
A long time ago, God sent a big flood because people were doing very wrong things. But God kept Noah and his family safe in a big boat. God always takes care of the people who trust Him.
For ages 9, 12
Peter is reminding us that the flood really happened. God destroyed the old world because it was full of violence and sin, but He saved Noah and his family. This shows that God judges evil, but He also makes a way to be saved. When people say nothing will ever change, remember the flood. God keeps His promises, both to judge and to rescue.
Questions People Ask
What does 'by which means' refer to in 2 Peter 3:6?
The Greek phrase is plural. Some scholars say it refers to the waters that flooded the earth. Others say it refers to the heavens and the earth mentioned in verse 5, because both the windows of heaven and the fountains of the deep were opened during the flood. Either way, the point is that God used the same creation He had made to bring judgment.
Did the world literally 'perish' in the flood?
The Greek word apollumi means to destroy, but not necessarily to annihilate. The world's inhabitants and its existing order perished, but the earth itself was not obliterated. It was transformed. This matches the biblical account: the earth remained, but everything living on land died.
Was the flood universal or local?
Most Christians throughout history have understood the flood as a global event that covered all the high mountains and destroyed every land animal and human except those in the ark. Some interpreters today argue for a more localized flood. The language of 2 Peter 3:6, 'the world that then was,' supports a global scope.
How does this verse connect to the coming judgment by fire in verse 7?
Peter draws a parallel: the same word of God that brought judgment by water in the past will bring judgment by fire in the future. The flood is a pattern, not just a story. It shows that God can and will act decisively, and that the present world is not permanent.
Why does Peter bring up the flood when talking about Christ's return?
Scoffers were saying that everything continues as it always has. Peter counters by pointing to the flood: it proves that God has interrupted history before with catastrophic judgment. If He did it once, He can do it again. The flood is a guarantee that Christ will return and that this world will not last forever.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study