Discovery Box2 Peter 2:12 
Context2:12 But 1 these men, 2 like irrational animals – creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed 3 – do not understand whom 4 they are insulting, and consequently 5 in their destruction they will be destroyed, 6
2 Peter 3:16
Context3:16 speaking of these things in all his letters. 7 Some things in these letters 8 are hard to understand, things 9 the ignorant and unstable twist 10 to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures. 11
1 tn 2 Pet 2:12 through 16 constitute one cumbersome sentence in Greek. It is difficult to tell whether a hard break belongs in the middle of v. 13, as the translation has it, or whether the compounding of participles is meant in a loosely descriptive sort of way, without strong grammatical connection. Either way, the sentence rambles in a way that often betrays a great “vehemence of spirit” (A. T. Robertson, Grammar, 435). The author is obviously agitated at these false teachers who are to come.
2 tn The false teachers could conceivably be men or women, but in v. 14 they are said to have eyes “full of an adulteress.” This can only refer to men. Hence, both here and in v. 17 the false teachers are described as “men.”
3 tn Grk “born for capture and destruction.”
4 tn Grk “with [reference to] whom.”
5 tn There is no conjunction joining this last clause of v. 12 to the preceding (i.e., no “and consequently”). The argument builds asyndetically (a powerful rhetorical device in Greek), but cannot be naturally expressed in English as such.
6 tn This cryptic expression has been variously interpreted. (1) It could involve a simple cognate dative in which case the idea is “they will be utterly destroyed.” But the presence of αὐτῶν (autwn; their, of them) is problematic for this view. Other, more plausible views are: (2) the false teachers will be destroyed at the same time as the irrational beasts, or (3) in the same manner as these creatures (i.e., by being caught); or (4) the false teachers will be destroyed together with the evil angels whom they insult. Because of the difficulties of the text, it was thought best to leave it ambiguous, as the Greek has it.
7 tn Grk “as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things.”
8 tn Grk “in which are some things hard to understand.”
9 tn Grk “which.” The antecedent is the “things hard to understand,” not the entirety of Paul’s letters. A significant principle is seen here: The primary proof texts used for faith and practice ought to be the clear passages that are undisputed in their meaning. Heresy today is still largely built on obscure texts.
10 tn Or “distort,” “wrench,” “torture” (all are apt descriptions of what heretics do to scripture).
11 sn This one incidental line, the rest of the scriptures, links Paul’s writings with scripture. This is thus one of the earliest affirmations of any part of the NT as scripture. Peter’s words were prophetic and were intended as a preemptive strike against the heretics to come.
