2 Peter 1:20

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 'Forasmuch as ye know this' (1 Peter 1:18). FIRST - the foremost consideration in studying prophecy; a first principle, never to be lost sight of. IS, [ ginetai (G1096)] - 'proves to be.' No prophecy found to be the result of "private (the individual writer's uninspired) interpretation" (solution), and so origination. [ Epilusis (G1955) does not mean in itself origination, but that which the sacred writer could not always interpret; though, being the speaker or writer (1 Peter 1:10), was plainly not of his o...

20._Knowing this first. _Here Peter begins to shew how our minds are to be prepared, if we really wish to make progress in scriptural knowledge. There may at the same time be two interpretations given, if you read ἐπηλύσεως as some do, which means _occurrence_, _impulse_; or, as I have rendered it, _interpretation_, ἐπιλύσεως. But almost all give this meaning, that we ought not to rush on headlong and rashly when we read Scripture, confiding in our own understanding. They think that a confirmation of this follows, because the Spirit, who spoke by the prophets, is the only true interpreter of himself. This explanation contains a true, godly, and useful doctrine, that then only are the prophecies read profitably, when we renounce the mind and feelings of the flesh, and submit to the teaching of the Spirit, but that it is an impious profanation of it; when

16-21 The gospel is no weak thing, but comes in power, Romans 1:16. The law sets before us our wretched state by sin, but there it leaves us. It discovers our disease, but does not make known the cure. It is the sight of Jesus crucified, in the gospel, that heals the soul. Try to dissuade the covetous worlding from his greediness, one ounce of gold weighs down all reasons. Offer to stay a furious man from anger by arguments, he has not patience to hear them. Try to detain the licentious, one smile is stronger with him than all reason. But come with the gospel, and urge them with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, shed to save their souls from hell, and to satisfy for their sins, and this is that powerful pleading which makes good men confess that their hearts burn within them, and bad men, even an Agrippa, to say they are almost persuaded to be Christians,...

Verse 20. _KNOWING THIS FIRST_] Considering this as a first principle, that no prophecy of the Scripture, whether that referred to above, or any other, is of any private interpretation-proceeds from the prophet's own knowledge or invention, or was the offspring of calculation or conjecture. The word επιλυσις signifies also impetus, impulse; and probably this is the best sense here; not by the mere private impulse of his own mind....

KNOWING THIS FIRST - Bearing this steadily in mind as a primary and most important truth. THAT NO PROPHECY OF THE SCRIPTURE - No prophecy contained in the inspired records. The word “scripture” here shows that the apostle referred particularly to the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament. The remark which he makes about prophecy is general, though it is designed to bear on a particular class of the prophecies. IS OF ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION - The expression here used (ἰδίας ἐπιλύσεως idias epiluseōs) has given rise to as great a diversity of interpretation, and to as much discussion, as perhaps any phrase in the New Testament; and to the present time there is no general agreement among expositors as to its meaning. It would be foreign to the design of these notes, and would be of little utility,

EXPOSITION 2 PETER 1:1 SIMON PETER. "Symeon" seems to be the best-supported spelling in this place. The same form of the name is found in Luke 2:25 and Acts 13:1; it also occurs in Acts 15:14, where St. James refers to St. Peter's speech on the great question of the circumcision of Gentile Christians. It is the form always used in the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament. The old man's thoughts go back to his early years; he describes himself by the familiar name of his youth; he uses that Greek form of it which was most distinctively Jewish. But he joins with the old name, which spoke of Judaism, the

KNOWING THIS FIRST,.... Especially, and in the first place, this is to be known, observed, and considered; THAT NO PROPHECY OF THE SCRIPTURE, that is contained in Scripture, be it what it will, IS OF ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION: not that this is levelled against the right of private judgment of Scripture; or to be understood as if a private believer had not a right of reading, searching, examining, and judging, and interpreting the Scriptures himself, by virtue of the unction which teacheth all things; and who, as a spiritual man, judgeth all things; otherwise, why are such commended as doing well, by taking heed to prophecy, in the preceding verse, and this given as a reason to encourage them to it? the words may be rendered, "of one's own interpretation"; that is, such as a natural man forms of himself, by the mere force of natural parts and wisdom, without the assistance of the Spiri...

2 Peter 1:1. _Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:_ Peter here uses both his names,-Simon or Simeon, which was his first name, and signifies «hearing with acceptance,» and happy are they who have the hearing ear and the receptive heart; and then there is what I may call his Christian name, the name which Christ gave him, Petros, or Cephas, a rock or stone. Those who learn to hear well, since faith cometh by hearing, may hope to obtain even greater stability of character than Peter had. Observe that Peter calls himself «a servant of Christ.» There is no higher honour than to be a servant of God. «To serve God is to reign.» An ancient philosopher was the author of that maxim, and Christianity fully endorses it. He is a true king who is a servant of God.

ANY PRIVATE Its own interpretation; that is, not isolated from all that the Word has given elsewhere....

2 PETER 1:20 pa/sa profhtei,a grafh/j Instead of pa/sa profhtei,a grafh/j the copyists of several minuscules (206 378 429 522 614 1108 1758 2138), recollecting the statement about scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16, wrote pa/sa grafh. profhtei,aj. The scribe of î72 introduced a different conflation, pa/sa profhtei,a kai. grafh,....