Jude 1:10 · Bible study
Jude 1:10 Commentary: Natural Knowledge That Destroys
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jude contrasts spiritual ignorance with instinctual knowledge: false teachers slander what they don't understand and corrupt themselves in what they know like
Research Summary
- Meaning: False teachers slander what they don't understand (spiritual realities) and destroy themselves by what they do understand (instinctual desires), living like irrational animals.
- Key words: βλασφημοῦσιν (blaspheme, slander); φυσικῶς (naturally, by instinct); ἄλογα ζῷα (irrational animals); φθείρονται (they corrupt/destroy themselves).
- Main debate: What specifically are 'the things they don't know', angelic beings (Cambridge, Gill), civil government (Clarke, Gill), or the whole spiritual realm (Barnes, Vincent)?
- Theological theme: True knowledge is moral and spiritual, not merely intellectual or instinctual; ignorance of God leads to self-destruction.
- Best use: A warning against prideful speech and unbridled appetites, and a call to pursue wisdom that reveres what it does not yet grasp.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
These men, however, slander what they do not understand, and like irrational animals, they will be destroyed by the things they do instinctively.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. They are destroyed in these things that they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason.
KJV King James Version 1769
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and these, as many things indeed as they have not known, they speak evil of; and as many things as naturally (as the irrational beasts) they understand, in these they are corrupted;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But these, whatever things they know not, they speak railingly against; but what even, as the irrational animals, they understand by mere nature, in these things they corrupt themselves.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But these men blaspheme whatever things they know not: and what things soever they naturally know, like dumb beasts, in these they are corrupted.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Pero éstos maldicen las cosas que no conocen; y las cosas que naturalmente conocen, se corrompen en ellas, como bestias brutas.
Mas estes insultam tudo aquilo que não conhecem; e tudo o que eles entendem naturalmente, como animais irracionais, nisso eles se corrompem.
Eux, au contraire, ils parlent d’ une manière injurieuse de ce qu’ ils ignorent, et ils se corrompent dans ce qu’ ils savent naturellement comme les brutes.
Diese aber lästern alles, davon sie nichts wissen; was sie aber natürlich erkennen wie die unvernünftigen Tiere, darin verderben sie.
Maar dezen, hetgeen zij niet weten, dat lasteren zij; en hetgeen zij natuurlijk, als de onredelijke dieren, weten, in hetzelve verderven zij zich.
Ma costoro dicon male di tutte le cose che non sanno; e in quelle che sanno per natura, come le bestie senza ragione, si corrompono.
A ci, czego nie znają, to bluźnią; a co z przyrodzenia znają, jako bezrozumne bydła w tem się psują,
А сии злословят то, чего не знают; что же по природе, как бессловесные животные, знают, тем растлевают себя.
但 這些人 毀謗 他們所 不 知道 的。 他們本性 所知道 的事 與那沒有靈性的 畜類 一樣，在這事 上 竟敗壞了自己。
But these men say evil about such things as they have no knowledge of; and the things of which they have natural knowledge, like beasts without reason, are the cause of their destruction.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Jude 1:10
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Jude draws a sharp contrast between two kinds of ignorance and knowledge. These false teachers 'speak evil of whatever things they don't know' (οἴδασιν, oidasin, mental comprehension of invisible realities; Vincent). At the same time, 'they are destroyed in these things that they understand naturally', using a different verb (ἐπίστανται, epistantai, originally of practical skill; Vincent) for knowledge limited to physical, sensual experience. Barnes and Calvin both note that such people live like irrational animals, governed by instinct rather than reason or revelation. The adverb 'naturally' (φυσικῶς, phusikōs, used only here in the NT; Vincent) reinforces this: they operate by mere natural impulse. The result is self-corruption: φθείρονται (phtheirontai), they are being ruined, destroyed, in the very sphere of their supposed expertise. As Matthew Henry puts it, 'like sins will produce like punishments and miseries.'
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Both ancient and modern readers agree that Jude condemns the false teachers for reviling what they do not comprehend and perishing in the very sphere of their instinctive knowledge.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The source of the false teachers' ignorance | All commentators noted that these teachers lack true spiritual understanding of higher realities (celestial beings, divine authority, Scripture). | Some (Gill, Poole) specify civil magistrates and angels; others (Barnes, Cambridge) see a broader range including all spiritual things. |
| The meaning of 'know naturally' | Commentators agree it refers to instinctual, sense-based knowledge shared with animals, not rational or spiritual insight. | Whether this 'natural knowledge' is inherently evil or merely misused is not settled: Calvin sees it as brutish excess; Clarke sees it as slavery to animal propensities beyond even beasts. |
| Outcome: corrupted or destroyed? | All versions and commentators agree the false teachers suffer ruin in the very things they know, self-destruction through their own appetites. | The verb φθείρονται can mean 'are corrupted' (KJV, Darby) or 'are destroyed' (WEB, ASV). The theological difference is slight: corruption leads to destruction. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jude writes in the late first century to churches threatened by false teachers who 'crept in unawares' (Jude 4). These teachers likely claimed superior spiritual knowledge (gnōsis), yet their conduct, defiling the flesh, despising authority, slandering celestial beings (Jude 8), contradicted their pretensions. The verse echoes 2 Peter 2:12, and both letters combat a similar threat: early forms of antinomianism or incipient Gnosticism that divorced knowledge from ethical living.
The word 'blaspheme' (βλασφημοῦσιν) is strong, carrying the sense of reviling or slandering. Jude's context in verses 8-9 shows the false teachers daring to slander even angelic beings, while the archangel Michael himself would not 'bring against him an abusive condemnation.'
Culturally, 'irrational animals' (τὰ ἄλογα ζῷα) contrasted humans as reasoning beings. The Greek philosophical tradition defined humanity by logos (reason, speech). To call someone 'alogos' was to deny their essential humanity. Jude uses this to expose the false teachers as subhuman in their moral functioning.
The 'love feasts' (agapē) mentioned in verse 12 point to communal meals where the wealthy and poor ate together, but these teachers turned them into occasions for selfish indulgence (feeding themselves without fear). The letter's urgency stems from this corruption of the church's fellowship and witness.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and lexical data note no significant textual variants for Jude 1:10. The verse is stable across the Greek manuscripts. The only variation among English translations is lexical (e.g., 'speak evil' vs. 'rail' vs. 'blaspheme'), reflecting different renderings of βλασφημοῦσιν.
Reception History
Jude 1:10 has been read across church history as a sobering warning against the divorce of knowledge from godliness. Early church fathers like Clement of Alexandria used it to argue that true gnōsis is inseparable from moral transformation. Medieval exegetes often applied it to heretics who rejected church authority while indulging the flesh. Reformation-era commentators (Calvin, Luther) saw in it a portrait of the unregenerate human mind, rational in name but brutish in practice. In the Wesleyan tradition, the verse reinforced the doctrine of entire sanctification: knowledge without holiness destroys. Modern interpreters note the verse's relevance to contemporary debates about authority, sexual ethics, and the limits of empirical knowing.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Slander from ignorance. These teachers revile what they do not grasp, the authority of God, the reality of spiritual beings, the moral order of creation. Their bold speech masks a profound blindness.
- Knowledge that degrades. What they do 'understand naturally' is limited to appetite and instinct. They reduce knowledge to sensory gratification, and in that they are corrupted.
- Self-destruction through supposed strength. The very area where they pride themselves, their natural insight into physical desires, becomes the trap that destroys them. They perish by their excess.
Five-point outline
- They speak evil of the unseen (spiritual things).
- They are ignorant of what is truly worthy.
- They know only what the senses can reach.
- They live like irrational animals, governed by instinct.
- They corrupt and destroy themselves in these very things.
Illustration hooks
- Social media outrage: People often attack what they have not researched or understood, while celebrating 'authentic' impulse following, and hurting themselves and others in the process.
- Addiction cycle: A person may 'know' the pleasure of a substance or habit intimately, but that same knowledge becomes the mechanism of their destruction.
- DIY vs. expert: Someone who mocks professional advice (knows not) while trusting their own gut (naturally) ends up causing costly damage.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I tell if I am relying on 'natural' instinct rather than spiritual understanding in my decisions?
- What does it look like to slander things I don't understand, in my speech about God, the church, or people in authority?
- Is there a healthy way to enjoy physical things without being corrupted by them?
Leading a Discussion
This verse exposes the tragic irony of false teachers: they boast of superior knowledge, yet they slander what they don't know and destroy themselves with what they do know. Small groups can explore how this warning applies to everyday life and spiritual growth.
Discussion questions
- Read Jude 1:10. What are the two kinds of 'knowing' described here? How does Jude contrast them?
- The Greek word for 'know' in the first part (oida) suggests deeper comprehension; the second (epistamai) implies practical familiarity. Why does Jude choose different words?
- How does the comparison to 'irrational animals' (alogos zoa) make the warning more urgent? What does it say about the dignity of human reason?
- Think of a situation where someone 'speaks evil' of what they don't understand. What drives that impulse? How might the church respond differently?
- What are some 'natural' things (appetites, desires, instincts) that can corrupt us when we follow them without the guidance of God's truth?
- How does the example of Michael the archangel in verse 9 contrast with these teachers? What does reverence for things we don't fully understand look like in practice?
- In what areas of your life do you need to move from 'natural' instinct to Spirit-formed understanding? How can the community help?
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)
| Romans 1:21 | Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. |
| Romans 1:22 | Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, |
| II Peter 2:12 | But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed, |
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 notes that those who speak evil of what they do not know are often attacking civil government, whose purpose and benefit they fail to grasp. Yet that same government protects their lives and property. Worse, while they live by mere instinct like irrational animals, they corrupt themselves even beyond the brutes' example.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws a sharp contrast: these false teachers mock spiritual realities they cannot grasp, while their real expertise lies only in physical appetites. Their knowledge never rises above brute instinct, and by indulging those lower impulses they corrupt themselves further.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin draws a sharp contrast between brute instinct and human reason. These false teachers are governed entirely by the first, so they have no capacity to judge what is truly honorable. Their appetites are unrestrained, and they audaciously condemn what lies beyond their comprehension.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The false teachers mock the spiritual realities they do not understand, yet they fully indulge the animal impulses they share with beasts. They twist these natural desires into acts contrary to nature itself, a degradation the writer finds appalling among those who claim to know Christ.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that even the archangel Michael, when disputing with the devil over Moses' body, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him. Instead, he left judgment entirely to God, saying only "The Lord rebuke thee." This shows how carefully even the most exalted creature avoids presumptuous speech against a spiritual adversary.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that these false teachers mock and slander things they do not understand, whether angels, Scripture, or the law. Meanwhile, the only knowledge they truly possess is a brute, animal-like instinct, and even that they use only to corrupt themselves.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws a sharp contrast between two kinds of knowing in this verse. Spiritual realities require a deeper knowledge that these people lack, while what they do know comes only by natural instinct, the same blind way unreasoning animals perceive things.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry calls the false teachers "filthy dreamers" because he sees delusion as a waking dream that opens the door to every kind of moral filth. Sin makes people vile before God, and these dreamers imagine themselves in a fool's paradise on earth while heading to a real hell.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights a Greek distinction: one word for "know" refers to mental grasp of invisible realities, while the other denotes practical skill in tangible, sensory matters. He also notes that "naturally" appears only here in the New Testament.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley distinguishes two kinds of ignorance in these people: they have no spiritual senses to grasp God's truths, so they mock them, yet they do know natural things through their physical senses and deliberately twist that knowledge into occasions for sin.