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Beloved, this is now my second letter to you. Both of them are reminders to stir you to wholesome thinking
2 Peter 3:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB This is now, beloved, the second letter that I have written to you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by reminding you;
  • KJV This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
  • NKJV Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
  • NASB Beloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder,
  • NLT This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Peter writes this second letter to stir his readers' sincere minds by way of reminder. It matters because believers continually need their memories awakened to gospel truth.

Overview

Peter signals a turn to his closing concern, referring to an earlier letter he wrote. His aim is pastoral: to rouse his readers' pure understanding by reminding them of what they know. This emphasis on reminder frames the warning about scoffers that follows.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • 2 Tim 1:6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
  • 2 Pet 1:12–15Therefore I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have.
  • Matt 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
  • 1 Pet 1:22Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
  • Ps 73:1A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
  • 1 Pet 1:1–2Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen
  • 1 Tim 5:22Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
  • Ps 24:4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.
  • 2 Cor 13:2I already warned you the second time I was with you. So now in my absence I warn those who sinned earlier and everyone else: If I return, I will not spare anyone,

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Peter videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Peter 3:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 PeterMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The sure word of the prophets and the promise of the coming day of the Lord anchor the believer in the knowledge of 'our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.'

How 2 Peter 3:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.