2 Peter 2:16
in 2 Peter 2But he was rebuked for his transgression by a donkey, otherwise without speech, that spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man’s voice and stayed the madness of the prophet.
KJV
But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
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This verse in 2 Peter 2
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
CyprianTreatise XI Exhortation to Martyrdom Addressed to Fortunatus · Written before 258.
Nor is it difficult for God to open the mouth of a man devoted to Himself, and to inspire constancy and confidence in speech to His confessor; since in the book of Numbers He made even a she-ass to speak against the prophet Balaam.
This site's exposition
Their eyes are full of adultery
on 2 Peter 2:14-16
Their eyes are full of adultery, and they seduce the unstable, deleazontes, baiting a hook. They follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness, as Jude 11 and Revelation 2:14 also warn. A donkey restrained the prophet’s madness.
This site's exposition
donkey
A beast without speech rebuked a prophet. Cyprian draws from it that God can open any mouth, and so can give His confessors courage to speak. Adam Clarke finds the same words of rebuke for the prophet's madness in the Aramaic Targums on Numbers 22.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
The ass spoke with a human voice so that Balaam would understand what God was saying to him. He had become a madman because of his disobedience to the commandments of God, and dumb animals are wiser than that, since they observe the law of …
If the grace of God could work through the animal without affecting the animal—for the ass was not saved—but only as a means of helping the Israelites, it is perfectly clear that he is prepared to work in us, which is why this story is so poignant.
Having hearts exercised with covetous practices, accursed children, who have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but was rebuked for his iniquity [Num. 22:6]: the dumb beast speaking with …
The Medieval Church2 voices
The common interpretation of this is that Balaam's ass condemned him because it obeyed the angel and submitted to him, whereas Balaam, although he heard God, did not go and warn the people, nor did he obey God's will. Thus the ass became Balaam's teacher.
But he was rebuked for his transgression. "A dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the madness of the prophet" (2 Pet. 2:16). From this we learn that Balaam, having once received a prohibition from God against going to Balak, was again driven to …
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
But was rebuked for his iniquity,....
(1.) That is a way of unrighteousness into which men are led by the wages of unrighteousness. (2.) Outward temporal good things are the wages sinners expect and promise themselves, though they are often disappointed.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The dumb ass, speaking with man’s voice - See the note on Num 22:28. The madness of the prophet - Is not this a reference to the speech of the ass, as represented in the Targums of Jonathan ben Uzziel and Jerusalem? “Wo to thee, Balaam, thou sinner, thou madman: there is no wisdom found in thee.” These words contain nearly the same expressions as those in St. Peter.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
But was rebuked for his iniquity - The object of Peter in this seems to be to show that God employed the very extraordinary means of causing the ass on which he rode to speak, because his iniquity was so monstrous. The guilt of thus debasing his high office, and going forth to curse the people of God - a people who had done him no wrong, and given no occasion for his malediction - was so extraordinary, that means as extraordinary were proper to express it. If God employed means so extraordinary to rebuke “his” depravity, it was to be expected that in some appropriate way he would express his sense of the wickedness of those who resembled him. The dumb ass, speaking with man’s voice - Num 22:28. God seems to have designed that both Balsam and Balak should be convinced that the children of Israel were his people; and so important was it that this conviction should rest fully on the minds of the rations through whom they passed, that he would not suffer even a pretended prophet to make use of his influence to curse them. He designed that all that influence should be in favor of the cause of truth, thus furnishing a striking instance of the use which he often makes of wicked men. To convince Balaam of the error of his course, and to make him sensible that God was an observer of his conduct, and to induce him to utter only what he should direct, nothing would be better suited than this miracle. The very animal upon which he rode, mute and naturally stupid, was made to utter a reproof; a reproof as directly from heaven as though the stones had cried out beneath his feet, or the trees of the wood had uttered the language of remonstrance. […]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἔλεγξιν | elegxin | reproof | G1649 → | |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἔσχεν | eschen | he had | G2192 → | 707 times |
| ἰδίας | idias | for his own | G2398 → | 114 times |
| παρανομίας· | paranomias | transgression; | G3892 → | |
| ὑποζύγιον | hupozugion | [by] a donkey | G5268 → | |
| ἄφωνον | aphonon | mute | G880 → | |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ἀνθρώπου | anthropou | a man’s | G444 → | 549 times |
| φωνῇ | phonea | voice | G5456 → | 139 times |
| φθεγξάμενον | phthegxamenon | having spoken | G5350 → | |
| ἐκώλυσεν | ekolusen | it restrained | G2967 → | |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| προφήτου | prophetou | prophet | G4396 → | |
| παραφρονίαν. | paraphronian | madness. | G3913 → |
ἔλεγξινreproof
elegxinG1649 →
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
ἔσχενhe had
eschenG2192 →707 times
ἰδίαςfor his own
idiasG2398 →114 times
παρανομίας·transgression;
paranomiasG3892 →
ὑποζύγιον[by] a donkey
hupozugionG5268 →
ἄφωνονmute
aphononG880 →
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ἀνθρώπουa man’s
anthropouG444 →549 times
φωνῇvoice
phoneaG5456 →139 times
φθεγξάμενονhaving spoken
phthegxamenonG5350 →
ἐκώλυσενit restrained
ekolusenG2967 →
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
προφήτουprophet
prophetouG4396 →
παραφρονίαν.madness.
paraphronianG3913 →
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
Luke 16:11So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?
it leads to
- Luke 12:33
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
- James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
- Proverbs 8:18–19
With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and righteousness.
- Ephesians 3:8
Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
- Luke 18:22
On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
- Luke 12:33
Through
Hosea 9:7The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and…
it leads to
- Acts 26:24–25
At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
- Micah 7:4
The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns. The day for your watchmen has come, the day of your visitation. Now is the time…
- Mark 3:21
When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
- Acts 26:24–25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Peter
This page draws on 13 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; Cyprian, Treatise XI Exhortation to Martyrdom Addressed to Fortunatus; Cyprian, Treatise XI, Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus; Hilary of Arles, INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, CATENA; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on 2 Peter and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 2 Peter.