2 Peter 2:13

ἀδικούμενοι μισθὸν ἀδικίας (cf. 2 Peter 2:12). This playing upon words is characteristic of 2 Peter, ἀδικεῖν has usually the sense of “doing harm to” (cf. Acts 25:10; Galatians 4:12). Here it would seem to mean “being defrauded of the wages of fraud,” or “being done out of the wages of wrong-doing”. It has been customary to see in this phrase an illustration of the irresponsible use of words in 2 Peter. “Another example of the author's love of far-fetched and artificial expressions” (Mayor). In P. Eleph., however 27a 24 / (iii. B.C.), the writers ask for a receipt with reference to a certain business transaction. τούτου δὲ γενομένου ἐσόμεθα οὐκ ἠδικημένοι “this having been arranged, we shall not be defrauded”. To this may be added Mayor's citation of Plut. Cato Mi. 17 (p. 766) εὑρὼν χρέα παλαιὰ τῷ δημοσίῳ πολλοὺς ὀφείλοντας καὶ πολλοῖς τὸ δημόσιον, ἅμα τὴν πόλιν ἔπαυσεν ἀδικουμένην καὶ ἀδικοῦσαν. The accusative rei after ἀδικ. is very unusual. In classical writers it is found only with ἀδίκημα. μισθὸν ἀδικίας suggests the experience of Balaam, of whom the same expression is used in 2 Peter 2:15, who never received his promised hire from Balak (Numbers 24:11). Death deprives the false teachers of all their reward. For significance of the name “Balaam,” in connexion with the false teachers, see Introduction, p. 118. ἡδονὴν in N.T. only in a bad sense, cf. Luke 8:14; Titus 3:3; James 4:1-3. τρυφή only in N.T. in Luke 7:25 where it is used of “delicate living,” a luxurious life, but with no special blame attached. The word is also used of gifts of wisdom in Proverbs 4:9, cf. Psalms 36:8, “the river of thy pleasures”. Eden is called παράδεισος τῆς τρυφῆς, Genesis 2:15; Genesis 3:13; Genesis 3:24. ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, “in the day-time”, ‘in broad day-light”. σπίλοι καὶ μῶμοι, cf. Ephesians 5:27 2 Peter 3:14, 1 Peter 1:19; Jude 1:12. μῶμος “reproach,” “disgrace”. Cf. Hort. on 1 Peter 1:19, where he traces the way in which μῶμος and ἄμωμος, came to be used with superficial meaning of “blemish,” cf. Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 5:27; Hebrews 9:14. ἐντρυφῶντες : “to be luxurious,” cf. Xen. Hell. 4:1, 30. ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν : to be taken with ἐντρυφ. ἀπάτη is a favourite word of Hermas (Mand. viii. 5) and is frequently joined by him with τρυφή (Mand. xi. 12 and throughout Parable 6). According to Deissmann, ἀπάτη in popular Hellenistic has the meaning “pleasure”. Cf. Matthew 13:22 = Mark 4:19 (Luke 8:14), (see his Hellenisierung des semitischen Monothesismus, (Neue Fahrb. f. d. Klass. Altertum, 1903), p. 165, n. 5).