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Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2 Peter 3:1 · New King James Version
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:
  • BSB Beloved, this is now my second letter to you. Both of them are reminders to stir you to wholesome thinking
  • 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 cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
  • 2 Pet 1:12–15Therefore I will not be negligent to remind you of these things, though you know them, and are established in the present truth.
  • Matt 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
  • 1 Pet 1:22Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently:
  • Ps 73:1A Psalm by 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 chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
  • 1 Tim 5:22Lay hands hastily on no one, neither be a participant in other men’s sins. Keep yourself pure.
  • Ps 24:4He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
  • 2 Cor 13:2I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand, as when I was present the second time, so now, being absent, I write to those who have sinned before now, and to all the rest, that, if I come again, I will not spare;

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.