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2 Peter 1

2 Peter 1:20 KJV (With Strong’s)

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20
Knowing
ginosko (Greek #1097)
to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)
KJV usage: allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.
Pronounce: ghin-oce'-ko
Origin: a prolonged form of a primary verb
this
touto (Greek #5124)
that thing
KJV usage: here (-unto), it, partly, self(-same), so, that (intent), the same, there(-fore, -unto), this, thus, where(-fore).
Pronounce: too'-to
Origin: neuter singular nominative or accusative case of 3778
first
proton (Greek #4412)
firstly (in time, place, order, or importance)
KJV usage: before, at the beginning, chiefly (at, at the) first (of all).
Pronounce: pro'-ton
Origin: neuter of 4413 as adverb (with or without 3588)
, that
hoti (Greek #3754)
demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant); causative, because
KJV usage: as concerning that, as though, because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.
Pronounce: hot'-ee
Origin: neuter of 3748 as conjunction
no
ou (Greek #3756)
the absolute negative (compare 3361) adverb; no or not
KJV usage: + long, nay, neither, never, no (X man), none, (can-)not, + nothing, + special, un(-worthy), when, + without, + yet but. See also 3364, 3372.
Pronounce: oo
Origin: οὐκ (ook), and (before an aspirate) οὐχ (ookh) a primary word
prophecy
propheteia (Greek #4394)
prediction (scriptural or other)
KJV usage: prophecy, prophesying.
Pronounce: prof-ay-ti'-ah
Origin: from 4396 ("prophecy")
of the scripture
graphe (Greek #1124)
a document, i.e. holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in it)
KJV usage: scripture.
Pronounce: graf-ay'
is
ginomai (Greek #1096)
to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.)
KJV usage: arise, be assembled, be(-come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.
Pronounce: ghin'-om-ahee
Origin: a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb
of
epilusis (Greek #1955)
explanation, i.e. application
KJV usage: interpretation.
Pronounce: ep-il'-oo-sis
Origin: from 1956
any
pas (Greek #3956)
apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole
KJV usage: all (manner of, means), alway(-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no(-thing), X thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever.
Pronounce: pas
Origin: including all the forms of declension
private
idios (Greek #2398)
pertaining to self, i.e. one's own; by implication, private or separate
KJV usage: X his acquaintance, when they were alone, apart, aside, due, his (own, proper, several), home, (her, our, thine, your) own (business), private(-ly), proper, severally, their (own).
Pronounce: id'-ee-os
Origin: of uncertain affinity
interpretation
epilusis (Greek #1955)
explanation, i.e. application
KJV usage: interpretation.
Pronounce: ep-il'-oo-sis
Origin: from 1956
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More on:

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Prophecy; Prophet,
Scripture

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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Knowing.
2 Peter 3:3• 3knowing this first, that in the last of the days mockers shall come with mockery walking according to their own lusts, (2 Peter 3:3)
;
Rom. 6:6• 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be disannulled, that we should no longer serve sin. (Rom. 6:6)
;
Rom. 13:11• 11And this, knowing the time, that [it is] already time that we should awake from sleep; for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Rom. 13:11)
;
1 Tim. 1:9• 9knowing this that law is not laid down for a righteous person, but for lawless and insubordinate, for ungodly and sinful, for unholy and profane, for smiters of fathers and smiters of mothers, for murderers, (1 Tim. 1:9)
;
James 1:3• 3knowing that the proving of your faith worketh out endurance; (James 1:3)
that.
Rom. 12:6• 6But having gifts different according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, [let us prophesy] according to the proportion of faith; (Rom. 12:6)
• If you isolate prophecy and make each part its own interpreter, you counteract its origin and character, and lose its force as pertaining to God's grand scheme for glorifying His Son, the Lord Jesus. It is divine design which gives prophecy of Scripture, like the rest, this character. (“2 Peter 1:20” by W. Kelly)
• By "prophecy of scripture" the Apostle; to my mind, appears to mean exclusively such as look on to the future Kingdom of God for Christ's glory (“2 Peter 1:20” by W. Kelly)
• They were all parts of one whole, having one and the same object, even the kingdom of God; and each event was a preliminary step towards this object, and a link in the chain of God’s government which led to it, impossible to be explained, unless the aim of the whole were apprehended-the revealed aim of the counsels of God in the glory of His Christ. (“2 Peter 1” by J.N. Darby)
• All prophecy is connected and inter-related and to be understood only in connection with the whole. (“2 Peter 1” by F.B. Hole)

J. N. Darby Translation

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knowing this first, that the scope of no prophecy of scripture is had from its own particular interpretationi,

JND Translation Notes

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i
That is, "it is not explained by its own meaning," as a human statement. It must be understood by and according to the Spirit that uttered it. The "prophecy" is, I take it, the sense of the prophecy, the thing meant by it. Now this is not gathered by a human interpretation of an isolated passage which has its own meaning and its own solution, as if a man uttered it; for it is a part of God's mind, uttered as holy men were moved by the Holy Spirit to utter it. In the "prophecy of scripture" the apostle has in mind the thing prophesied, without losing the idea of the passage. Hence I have ventured to say "[the scope of] no prophecy." One might almost say "no prophecy explains itself."

W. Kelly Translation

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knowing this first that no prophecy of scripturea isb of its ownc interpretationd,

WK Translation Notes

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a
I take prophecy in this passage to mean the subject matter of the prophecy when the actual declaration of the mind of God in the revelation made to the mind of the prophet is given, which is the force of epilyseōs (interpretation). But this cannot be gathered like the words of an oracle merely from the words not carried on beyond their own force on the subject of which the utterance speaks. Coming from the Holy Spirit, the words are a part of the great scheme of God with His ends always in view. Hence I apprehend prophecy of scripture. However, a particular prophecy may be recorded in scripture, not in the sense of a prophecy of scripture. Thus when Pharaoh’s servants dreamed it was not a prophecy of scripture. Joseph gave the epilusis (the word used in Aquila), and they were as thus interpreted a prophecy of the fall of the two servants; but could not come under the character of prophecies of scripture. They ended through bringing about God’s purpose as to Joseph in diverse fate of the two servants. In prophecies of scripture the Holy Spirit gives as from one mind, though partially revealed what is in that one mind, what is a link in the chain of all the counsels and purposes of God. Still there is more thought of result. The prophecy (that is, the mind of God in what is said) does not derive its being from a particular interpretation of an isolated communication, like the servants’ dreams. So I should not call Agabus’ prophecy a prophecy of scripture, though it be more connected indeed with the scheme of God in Christianity. Thus the prophets sought what the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand, and the prophecy to (epilelummenē) gave the mind of God as to its place in the divine plans. Prophecy is not properly the revelation of the thing to the prophet, but the communication of it by the prophet as the Holy Spirit moved him to speak.
b
Or, "becometh."
c
Or, "isolated." I have little doubt, both from general usage and from the verses before and after the passage that idias (its own) here refers to the subject of the sentence, "prophecy" and that the meaning is, "No prophecy of Scripture is (or is made) of its own interpretation." Taken by itself, it is not its own interpreter, but must be viewed as part of a grand whole, whereof Christ’s glory is the center. The Holy Spirit leads us to connect facts with God’s purposes in Christ, and thus to understand and expound prophecy, which taken by itself is never rightly known. Divine prophecy is a vast connected whole, and none of it comes of its own or an isolated solution. It is hard to see why the KJV and the RV adopted "private" except that they did not know what to make of it.
d
There is this great difficulty in the way of the view proposed by Philos, that he assumes epilysis (interpretation) to be "ability to reveal things," "the exposition of the previously unknown, unrevealed mind of God." It really means solution, or explanation; and so our translators probably understood the term. No prophecy of Scripture is (or is made) of its own solution; it was so originated, and formed of the Spirit, as not to be self-interpreted: it must be taken, in order to be understood, as part of a grand scheme which attests the glory of Christ; and this sense, which results from a close examination of the verse, is entirely confirmed by the context.