2 Peter 1:4

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Sun Nov 24 07:22:05 EST 2002


> 2 Peter 1:4
>
> DI WN TA MEGISTA HMIN KAI TIMIA EPAGGELAMATA DEDWRHTAI INA DIA TOUTWN
> GENHSTHE THEIAS DOINOWNOI FUSEWS APOFUGNTES THS EN KOSMOW EN
> EPIQMIA FQORAS.
>
> What is the sense of INA DIA TOUTWN GENHSTHE THEIAS DOINOWNOI
> FUSEWS?  Is it speaking of something which they now have, or something
which is
> yet future?
> It seems to me to be speaking of something yet future, but I stand to be
corrected.
>
> Thanks,
> Jonathan Burke.

The main verb is the perfect DEDWRHTAI which must refer to a past event with
a present state. As a result of that past event you became sharers - GENHSQE
KOINWNOI - of divine nature. It could also be taken as a purpose, that is,
"he has fulfilled these great promises on you for you to become sharers in
divine nature", but I prefer the result option in this context. I would
understand EPAGGELMATA as the content of what was promised by God long ago,
that is, not the event of promising, but what was promised. To give what was
promised is then the same as fulfilling what was promised.
Some take all of this to refer to the future, but it seems rather difficult
to reconcile such an interpretation with the perfect tense used. The aorist
participle APOFUGONTES also seems to me to point to a past interpretation as
the most likely from a grammatical point of view. Having escaped the corrupt
world is prior to becoming sharers in divine nature.
However, while some promises have been fulfilled on those who are "born from
above", there are other promises of God that are still to be fulfilled as we
see in 2 Pet 3:13, the only other place in the GNT where EPAGGELMA is used.
The context of chapter 3:10ff is clearly future with several future tense
verbs, but that does not mean that 1:4 is also future.

Iver Larsen




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