2 Peter 3:12

 

2 Peter 3:12

(KJV) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

(1611 KJB) Looking for and hasting vnto the comming of the day of God, wherein the heauens being on fire shalbe dissolued, and the Elements shall melt with feruent heat.

(1587 Geneva Bible) Looking for, and hasting vnto the comming of that day of God, by the which the heauens being on fire, shall be dissolued, and the elements shall melt with heate?

(1526 Tyndale) lokynge for and hastynge vnto the commynge of the daye of God in which the hevens shall perisshe with fyre and the elementes shalbe consumed with heate.

 

Counterfeit Versions

(CSB) as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat.

(NIV) as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

(NASV) looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

(AMP) While you wait and earnestly long for (expect and hasten) the coming of the day of God by reason of which the flaming heavens will be dissolved, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will flare and melt with fire?

(NLT) looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.

(ESV) waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

(CEV) You should look forward to the day when God judges everyone, and you should try to make it come soon. On that day the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and everything else will melt in the heat.

(NKJV) looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

(RSV) waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire!

(NAB-Roman Catholic) waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire.

 

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text

prosdokwntaV kai speudontaV thn parousian thV tou qeou hmeraV di hn ouranoi puroumenoi luqhsontai kai stoiceia kausoumena thketai

 

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text

prosdokwntaV kai speudontaV thn parousian thV tou qeou hmeraV di hn ouranoi puroumenoi luqhsontai kai stoiceia kausoumena thketai

 

Corrupted Manuscripts

None

 

Affected Teaching

The understanding of this verse has been distorted in many of the modern versions. In this case even the New World Translation got it right. The word in question is the Greek word “speudo” which carries with it the meaning of “desire earnestly, hasten, or hurry up.” (Luke 2:16 KJV) And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (Luke 19:5 KJV) And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. It is also used in Luke 19:6; Acts 20:16 & 22:18. The word is basically peculiar to Luke as we read in his Epistle and the book of Acts. In each of the usages in Luke and Acts, it is used in the sense of “hurry.” In 2 Peter 3:12, the meaning is not to hurry along or speed up but it means to “desire earnestly.” The reason that the meaning would follow this understanding is because no matter what any Christian does, it can never hasten or speed up the day of the Lord’s return. That is simply bad interpretation and understanding. (Acts 17:31 KJV) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Acts 17:31 states that God has already appointed a day when the world will be judged and since that day is set, it means that no matter what we do, we can never move that date. God is the one who set that date which means it is a firm date. I have heard numerous times that we need to get the Gospel out so we can speed up the Lord’s return. This places undue stress on Christians when they think they can affect the timing of the Lord’s return by their actions. The modern versions want to place Christians in a panic mode having them believe they can hasten the Lord’s return. The King James Bible gives us the true interpretation that we are to “desire earnestly” the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and that desire compels us to work until that day arrives.

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