2 Peter 2:14
in 2 Peter 2Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing;
KJV
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
⋯
This verse in 2 Peter 2
Commentary
10 notes on this verseHaving eyes full of adultery,.... For the seventh command is not only violated by unclean actions, and obscene words, but also by unchaste looks: and so the Jews explain (k) that precept, ""thou shalt not commit adultery", Exo 20:14; you shall not go after your hearts, nor after "your eyes"; says R. Levi, the heart and the "eye" are sin's two brokers.'' Hence we read (l) of נואף בעיניו, "one that commits adultery with his eyes"; See Gill on Mat 5:28; compare Job 31:
This site's exposition
eyes full of adultery
on 2 Peter 2:14-16
Eyes full of adultery, moichalidos, and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling, deleazontes, baiting like a fisherman's hook, unstable souls, and an heart exercised, gegymnasmenen, literally trained like an athlete's, in covetous practices, the false teachers' whole discipline runs toward greed rather than godliness. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, misthon adikias, a thread this letter shares with Jude 11 and Revelation 2:14, the same warning against ministry sold for reward run through three New Testament books. The dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness, paraphronian, of the prophet, an animal given a rational rebuke while the prophet himself, gifted with reason, refused to hear it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
These people even greeted one another with kisses which were full of lust. What was meant to be a sign of peace was transformed into adultery by those who had turned away from God.
Spots and blemishes party in their errors against you, having eyes full of adultery, and who cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. "Spots and blemishes." The order is taken as follows: Spots and blemishes (Σπίλοι καὶ μῶμοι) are the heart of those who are …
The Medieval Church3 voices
Peter says that these people are not motivated by love. Their only interest is to find the right moment when they can seduce women.
For having eyes, they look at nothing other than lust, and unceasingly having this in mind and sinning, as sons of cursing, they entice unstable souls.
Leading astray unstable souls. Whores are usually called "enticeresses," derived from pollution, or from the beauty of their skin by which they lure the unsuspecting. Therefore, they lead astray unstable souls who, by teaching them wrongly, bring them under the various heretical doctrines as if …
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Having eyes full of adultery - Μοιχαλιδος· Of an adulteress; being ever bent on the gratification of their sensual desires, so that they are represented as having an adulteress constantly before their eyes, and that their eyes can take in no other object but her. But instead of μοιχαλιδος of an adulteress, the Codex Alexandrinus, three others, with the Coptic, Vulgate, and one copy of the Itala, together with several of the fathers, have μοιχαλιας, of adultery.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Job 31:7, "Mine heart walked after mine eyes." covetous practices--The oldest manuscripts read singular, "covetousness." cursed children--rather as Greek, "children of curse," that is, devoted to the curse.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Having eyes full of adultery - Margin, as in the Greek, “an adulteress;” that is, gazing with desire after such persons. The word “full” is designed to denote that the corrupt passion referred to had wholly seized and occupied their minds. The eye was, as it were, full of this passion; it saw nothing else but some occasion for its indulgence; it expressed nothing else but the desire. The reference here is to the sacred festival mentioned in the previous verse; and the meaning is, that they celebrated that festival with licentious feelings, giving free indulgence to their corrupt desires by gazing on the females who were assembled with them. In the passion here referred to, the “eye” is usually the first offender, the inlet to corrupt desires, and the medium by which they are expressed. Compare the notes at Mat 5:28. The wanton glance is a principal occasion of exciting the sin; and there is much often in dress, and mien, and gesture, to charm the eye and to deepen the debasing passion. And that cannot cease from sin - They cannot look on the females who may be present without sinning. Compare Mat 5:28. There are many men in whom the presence of the most virtuous woman only excites impure and corrupt desires. The expression here does not mean that they have no natural ability to cease from sin, or that they are impelled to it by any physical necessity, but only that they are so corrupt and unprincipled that they certainly will sin always. Beguiling unstable souls - Those who are not strong in Christian principle, or who are naturally fluctuating and irresolute. The word rendered beguiling means to bait, to entrap, and would be applicable to the methods practiced in hunting. Here it means that it was one of their arts to place specious allurements before those who were known not to have settled principles or firmness, in order to allure them to sin. […]
The words behind it
16 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὀφθαλμοὺς | ophthalmous | eyes | G3788 → | |
| ἔχοντες | echontes | having | G2192 → | 707 times |
| μεστοὺς | mestous | full | G3324 → | |
| μοιχαλίδος | moichalidos | of adultery | G3428 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἀκαταπαύστους | akatapaustous | unceasing | G180 → | |
| ἁμαρτίας, | hamartias | from sin, | G266 → | |
| δελεάζοντες | deleazontes | enticing | G1185 → | |
| ψυχὰς | psuchas | souls | G5590 → | |
| ἀστηρίκτους, | asteriktous | unestablished, | G793 → | |
| καρδίαν | kardian | a heart | G2588 → | |
| γεγυμνασμένην | gegumnasmenen | exercised | G1128 → | |
| πλεονεξίας | pleonexias | in craving | G4124 → | |
| ἔχοντες, | echontes | having — | G2192 → | 707 times |
| κατάρας | kataras | of a curse | G2671 → | |
| τέκνα. | tekna | children! | G5043 → |
ὀφθαλμοὺςeyes
ophthalmousG3788 →
ἔχοντεςhaving
echontesG2192 →707 times
μεστοὺςfull
mestousG3324 →
μοιχαλίδοςof adultery
moichalidosG3428 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἀκαταπαύστουςunceasing
akatapaustousG180 →
ἁμαρτίας,from sin,
hamartiasG266 →
δελεάζοντεςenticing
deleazontesG1185 →
ψυχὰςsouls
psuchasG5590 →
ἀστηρίκτους,unestablished,
asteriktousG793 →
καρδίανa heart
kardianG2588 →
γεγυμνασμένηνexercised
gegumnasmenenG1128 →
πλεονεξίαςin craving
pleonexiasG4124 →
ἔχοντες,having —
echontesG2192 →707 times
κατάραςof a curse
katarasG2671 →
τέκνα.children!
teknaG5043 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ephesians 4:14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:9
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace and not by foods of no value to those devoted to…
- Romans 16:17–18
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.
- 1 Corinthians 14:20
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- James 1:6
But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
- Hebrews 13:9
Through
Ephesians 2:3All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.
it leads to
- Titus 3:3
For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
- Titus 3:3
Through
Romans 16:18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
it leads to
- Colossians 2:4
I say this so that no one will deceive you by smooth rhetoric.
- Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- Colossians 2:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About 2 Peter
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Andreas of Caesarea, CATENA; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles; Hilary of Arles, INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; Oecumenius, Commentary on 2 Peter and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 2 Peter.