2 Peter - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

This form of judgment was by “reducing them to ashes,” Peter’s summary of the words
of Genesis 19:24-26, “and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the
inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” The sin of the cities was
homosexuality, and it is interesting that Peter says that God “made them an example to
those who would live ungodly thereafter.” A special form of judgment came upon those
who committed this particularly detestable sin to warn others in the future. The social
ramifications of such perversion must be recognized, because it eats like a cancer in
society and becomes a catalyst for that society’s ultimate demise. There are two aspects
of sin in a society where homosexuality begins to be common: its practice and its
acceptance. By “acceptance” I mean the willingness of those who may not practice it but
regard it, as we say today, an “alternative lifestyle.” (W. Baker) The hot springs and
sulfurous gases of the region south of the Dead Sea were thought of as the smoldering
ruins of Sodom and Gomorrahh. (D. Watson) The area today is strikingly bleak in
appearance, being rich in bitumen, sulfur, and salt. (D. Hiebert)
2 Peter 2:6 Likewise (adjunctive; example #3), by reducing
the cities (Acc. Dir. Obj.) of Sodom (Gen. Spec.) and
(connective) Gomorrah (Gen. Spec.) to ashes (tefro,w,
AAPtc.NMS, Dramatic, Means), He condemned (katakri,nw, AAI3S,
Culminative; judged by divine norms and standards) them
(ellipsis) by means of catastrophic destruction (Instr.
Means; capital punishment instituted), appointing (ti,qhmi,
Perf.Aptc.NMS, Dramatic, Modal) them (ellipsis) as permanent
examples (Acc. Dir. Obj., comparative; patterns, models) to
the ungodly (Dat. Ind. Obj.) who would come in the future
(me,llw, PAPtc.GNP, Futuristic, Substantival).
BGT 2 Peter 2:6 kai. po,leij Sodo,mwn kai. Gomo,rraj tefrw,saj Îkatastrofh/|Ð kate,krinen
u`po,deigma mello,ntwn avsebe,ÎsÐin teqeikw,j(
VUL 2 Peter 2:6 et civitates Sodomorum et Gomorraeorum in cinerem redigens eversione
damnavit exemplum eorum qui impie acturi sunt ponens
LWB 2 Peter 2:7 Moreover, He delivered [dragged-out] righteous Lot [positionally
righteous only], who was continually worn out [overwhelmed] by their lawless
behavior patterns [anti-establishment mentality] in the sphere of insolent
debauchery.
KW 2 Peter 2:7 And righteous Lot, completely worn down by the manner of life of the
lawless in the sphere of unbridled lust He delivered,
KJV 2 Peter 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
TRANSLATION HIGHLIGHTS
Peter continues with his third example, because God delivered a handful of people from
these two cities before He destroyed them (Dramatic Aorist tense). For example, He
delivered righteous Lot. Now if we read more about the situation surrounding Lot’s