by recalling what was foretold by the holy prophets and commanded by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
Parallel translations
- WEB that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior:
- KJV That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
- NKJV that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
- NASB to remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
- NLT I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.
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
He wants them to remember the words of the holy prophets and the command of the Lord given through the apostles. It matters because the church is anchored in the unified witness of the prophets and apostles.
Overview
Peter directs his readers to two reliable sources: the Old Testament prophets and the apostolic teaching about Christ. Together these form the foundation of Christian truth. By grounding believers in this combined witness, Peter equips them to withstand the coming mockers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Jude 1:17But you, beloved, remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ
- 2 Pet 2:21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.
- Luke 1:70as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
- Luke 24:44Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
- 1 Pet 1:10–12Concerning this salvation, the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully,
- 2 Pet 1:19–21We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
- Acts 3:18But in this way God has fulfilled what He foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer.
- Luke 24:27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.
- Acts 3:24–26Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days.
- Eph 2:20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
- Acts 3:21Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets.
- Rev 19:10So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
- Acts 28:23So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets.
- Acts 10:43All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
- 1 Jn 4:6We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
- 2 Pet 3:15Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.
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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 3:2 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.