Passage

2 Peter 3.13

Book: 2 Peter · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

11. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, 12. looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13. But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight. 15. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you; (2 Peter 3:11-15, ASV)

WEB

11. Therefore since all these things will be destroyed like this, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness, 12. looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

13. But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found in peace, without defect and blameless in his sight. 15. Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you; (2 Peter 3:11-15, WEB)

KJV

11. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? ^{hasting: or, hasting the coming}

13. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; (2 Peter 3:11-15, KJV)

YLT

11. All these, then, being dissolved, what kind of persons doth it behove you to be in holy behaviours and pious acts? 12. waiting for and hasting to the presence of the day of God, by which the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements with burning heat shall melt;

13. and for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise we do wait, in which righteousness doth dwell;

wherefore, beloved, these things waiting for, be diligent, spotless and unblameable, by Him to be found in peace, 15. and the long-suffering of our Lord count ye salvation, according as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, did write to you, (2 Peter 3:11-15, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Simon Peter, writing as an apostle and eyewitness (1:1, 1:16), aware that his death is near (1:14)
Audience: Believers addressed as having received a faith of the same kind as the apostles' (1:1); 3:1 calls this the second letter to them, pointing to the same congregations as 1 Peter in Asia Minor
Location: Traditionally Rome, in the period of Peter's final imprisonment
Time period: c. AD 64-68 on the traditional attribution; the letter is written against teachers who had entered the churches denying the Lord's return and using freedom as cover for licence (2:1-3, 3:3-4)

Theological reading

The hope is stated positively after the dissolution of verses 10 and 12: new heavens and a new earth, according to his promise, in which righteousness dwells. Two things are notable. The expectation rests on promise rather than on inference from present conditions, which is consistent with the letter's argument against the mockers. And the defining feature named is not architecture or duration but the dwelling of righteousness, which connects the final state to the moral concern running through the whole letter.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

G1343 - dikaiosyne, dikaiosyne, Strong's G1343

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Argument from Thermodynamics, via 2 Peter 3.10-13

Concepts:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.