Keraia
2 Peter 1

2 Peter 1:17

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty · 2 Peter 1:16–21
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Translations

Modern
For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Traditional
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Literal
For having received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice such as follows was brought to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My Son, My beloved, in whom I was well pleased.”
Latin
Accipiens enim a Deo Patre honorem et gloriam, voce delapsa ad eum hujuscemodi a magnifica gloria: Hic est Filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi complacui, ipsum audite.

Original

Greek
English
For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Notes

2 Peter 1:16–18

  • cleverly devised fables: The false teachers were probably claiming that the message about Christ’s return was only a helpful story and not a true event.

  • we were eyewitnesses of His majesty: This refers to the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–9; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36). The transfiguration was a moment when the appearance of Jesus changed in a bright and glorious way. At that moment, Jesus was revealed as the glorious King, which pointed to his future return. Peter’s confidence did not come from human guesses but from what he personally saw.

2 Peter 1:16–21

Peter’s strong warning against the false teachers in chapter 2 is surrounded by his teaching about the certainty of the return of Jesus (see also 3:1–13). The false teachers were probably denying that Christ would truly return and judge the world. But Peter had seen Christ’s glory with his own eyes (1:16–18), and the words of Scripture are completely reliable (1:19–21). These truths show that Christ’s return is certain.

Theme notes and profiles

Simon Peter

Parallels

Matthew 17:1–13 Mark 9:1–13 Luke 9:28–36

Glossary

Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Glory Inspiration of the Bible Peter, Second Letter of Prayer of Manasseh Revelation Shekinah Transfiguration Witness

Topics

Awesome God Jesus, the Christ: Other Scriptures Relating to his Messiahship Jesus, the Christ: Relation of, to the Father Jesus, the Christ: Son of God Peter: Present: At the Transfiguration The Excellency and Glory of Christ in his Transfiguration