For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water, by the word of God;
Parallel translations
- KJV For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
- BSB But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
- NKJV For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
- NASB For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
- NLT They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.
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
The mockers deliberately ignore that long ago the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water by God's word. It matters because their skepticism rests on a willful forgetting of God's creative power.
Overview
Peter answers the scoffers by recalling creation: the world came into being by God's spoken word, not by mere natural continuity. Their argument fails because they choose to overlook God's past intervention. The same powerful word that created the world can also judge it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Heb 11:3By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.
- Ps 24:2For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.
- Gen 1:9God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
- Gen 1:6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
- Ps 33:6By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth.
- Ps 136:6To him who spread out the earth above the waters; for his loving kindness endures forever:
- John 3:19–20This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.
- 2 Th 2:10–12and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
- Rom 1:28Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
- Col 1:17He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
- Prov 17:16Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, since he has no understanding?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 3:5 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.