Discovery Box2 Peter 2:8 
Context2:8 (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul 1 by the lawless deeds he saw and heard 2 )
2 Peter 2:16
Context2:16 yet was rebuked 3 for his own transgression (a dumb donkey, 4 speaking with a human voice, 5 restrained the prophet’s madness). 6
2 Peter 3:4
Context3:4 and saying, 7 “Where is his promised return? 8 For ever since 9 our ancestors 10 died, 11 all things have continued as they were 12 from the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:14
Context3:14 Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting for 13 these things, strive to be found 14 at peace, without spot or blemish, when you come into his presence. 15
1 tn Grk “that righteous man tormented his righteous soul.”
2 tn Grk “by lawless deeds, in seeing and hearing [them].”
3 tn Grk “but he had a rebuke.”
4 tn The Greek word ἄφωνος (afwno") means “mute, silent” or “incapable of speech.” For reasons of English style the word “dumb” was used in the translation. Despite the potential for misunderstanding (since “dumb” can refer to a lack of intellectual capability) more dynamic glosses were judged to be inelegant.
5 tn Grk “a voice of a (man/person).”
6 sn Balaam’s activities are detailed in Num 22—24 (see also Num 31:8, 16).
7 tn The present participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) most likely indicates result. Thus, their denial of the Lord’s return is the result of their lifestyle. The connection to the false teachers of chapter 2 is thus made clear.
8 tn Grk “Where is the promise of his coming?” The genitive παρουσίας (parousia", “coming, advent, return”) is best taken as an attributed genitive (in which the head noun, promise, functions semantically as an adjective; see ExSyn 89-91).
9 tn The prepositional phrase with the relative pronoun, ἀφ᾿ ἧς (af’ |h"), is used adverbially or conjunctively without antecedent (see BDAG 727 s.v. ὅς 1.k.).
10 tn Grk “fathers.” The reference could be either to the OT patriarchs or first generation Christians. This latter meaning, however, is unattested in any other early Christian literature.
11 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
12 tn Grk “thus,” “in the same manner.”
13 tn Grk “dear friends, waiting for.” See note in v. 13 on “waiting for.”
14 sn The Greek verb used in the phrase strive to be found is the same as is found in v. 10, translated “laid bare.” In typical Petrine fashion, a conceptual link is made by the same linkage of terms. The point of these two verses thus becomes clear: When the heavens disappear and the earth and its inhabitants are stripped bare before the throne of God, they should strive to make sure that their lives are pure and that they have nothing to hide.
15 tn “When you come into” is not in Greek. However, the dative pronoun αὐτῷ (autw) does not indicate agency (“by him”), but presence or sphere. The idea is “strive to found {before him/in his presence}.”
