And it must be borne in mind, first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation;
1:20 — “Understanding this first.” Regarding the prophetic word, to which the readers would do well to pay close attention, Peter says that there is a primary and very important truth. He wanted the readers to understand it well, well. — “that none… private”. This verse has been used by the Roman Catholic Church to assert that without the direction of its clergy no one can understand the Scriptures. The TA (Catholic) Ver. has this footnote, referring to ver. 20: “Notice this well. So that this reading of the Scriptures is not pernicious instead of useful, it is necessary that they be interpreted, not according to one’s own spirit or particular lights, but under the direction… of the Holy Spirit…. From the Church, therefore, the ‘pillar of truth’ (I TIM. III. 15) one must learn that true meaning of the Scriptures”. The NC Ver. says, “…no prophecy of Scripture is (subject) to self (personal) interpretation,” and the BJ Ver., also Catholic, says, “…no prophecy of Scripture can be self-interpreted.” The Ver. POP., a Protestant work, perpetuates this error. She says, “…no prophecy of Scripture is something that each one can interpret for himself…” But this passage does not address the question of being able to understand well, or not, a given passage of Scripture! It deals with the ORIGIN of prophecy, as the next verse clearly states. Peter says that no prophecy is the conclusion of particular, personal, and subjective reasoning. The Greek word used here (epilusis) for “interpretation” is found only here in the New Testament. (The usual word is jermeneia, “hermeneutics,” as in 1Co 12:10; 1Co 14:26). epilusis means what is untied or dissolved, solution. (The word in verbal form appears in Tue 4:34, “explained” — Ver. BA, HA, MOD.). The “knots” of prophecy were not untied by purely human work. The prophecies were not self-resolving. They did not come from exclusively human discovery. This is Peter’s point. Our version says “is”, but others say, “proceeds”, “comes”, “comes”, “arises”, and so on. The Greek word literally means to originate, arise, become, or result in. Peter deals with the ORIGIN of the prophecies and their meanings. They are not of private origin (or according to other versions, “personal”, “particular”, “own”). The prophets themselves, of their own invention, did not originate the prophecies regarding Christ. Therefore, Peter’s readers understood that he was urging them to “be vigilant” (ver. 19) to such prophecies because it was the Holy Spirit speaking (ver. twenty-one), and not merely man (see. twenty). Instead of dealing with what the reader of the Bible can or cannot do, without the help of the Catholic clergy, this verse deals with what the Bible prophets themselves could not do! They alone could not originate the prophecies; they couldn’t fix them, or explain them. This passage deals with the prophets, and not with the readers.
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
Understanding this first. 2Pe 3:3; Romans 6:6; Romans 13:11; 1Ti 1:9; Jas 1:3.
than any prophecy. Romans 12:6.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
private interpretation: Although some take this phrase to mean that no individual Christian has the right to interpret the prophecy for himself, the context and the Greek word translated interpretation indicates another meaning for the verse. This Greek word translated interpretation It can also mean “origin”. In the context of v. 2Pe 1:21, it is clear that Peter is speaking of the “origin” of the Scriptures, which come from God himself; he is not talking about the credentials of whoever interprets them. There is no private source for the Bible. The prophets did not provide solutions or explanations of their own for the mysteries of life; but God spoke through them. He alone is responsible for what is written in the Bible. This is the reason why Christians should diligently study the scriptures: because this is the Word of God.
COMPARED
Fair life in a bad world
Writing to beleaguered Christians in an evil world, where false teachers aggressively spread dangerous heresies, Peter exhorted, “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pe 3:18). Below you will find a summary of the components of spiritual growth that Peter referred to.
Practice
Passage
Beginning
holy life
2Pe 1:1-15
• In Christ we have been given everything we need to live a holy life.
• You are partakers of the divine nature.
• We were freed from the power of the old corrupt and sinful nature.
Confidence in the Scriptures
2Pe 1:16-21; 2Pe 3:1, 2Pe 3:2
• Christian doctrine is not a simple point of view; it is not a fable.
• The scriptures can be trusted because they were written by prophets and apostles inspired by the Holy Ghost.
• The Scriptures are like a light in a time of darkness; they are an absolute in the midst of a relativistic world.
Opposition to false teachings
2Pe 2:1-22
• We do not have to be swayed by the large numbers of people who are persuaded by unbiblical ideas.
• Damnation is guaranteed for all who oppose God’s truths.
• We must exercise the discernment guaranteed by the Holy Spirit to detect the deceptive teachings and alluring promises of the wicked.
Look out
2Pe 3:3-18
• By waiting for Christ to return, we can avoid the sinful traps of this world.
• We have to worry about not relaxing in our thinking; God has set a day that will mark the end of this world, as we know.
• The promise of God’s judgment should encourage us to motivate others to repent and believe in Christ.
Source: New Illustrated Caribbean Bible Commentary
NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE. No prophecy in the Bible arose from the ideas or reasoning of the writer, but all had their origin in the Holy Spirit.
Source: Full Life Study Bible
understand this first. A call to recognize the truth of God as a priority because the Scriptures are not of human origin. scriptural prophecy. That is, the entire Bible. This refers primarily to the OT and by implication also includes the entire NT (see notes on 2Pe 3:15-16). private interpretation. The Greek word translated “interpretation” alludes to the notion of “loosing,” to say that no portion of Scripture is the result of a human being “breaking down” or “loosing” the truth. Peter’s point is not so much about how to interpret the Scriptures, but about where the Scriptures came from and what their original source was. False prophets were busy parsing and unraveling their own ideas, but no part of God’s revelation was discovered or expressed from a human source or the prophet’s understanding without divine help and intervention (see v. 2Pe 1:21).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
1:20 — “first understanding this.” Regarding the prophetic word, to which the readers would do well to pay close attention, Peter says that there is a primary and very important truth. He wanted the readers to understand it well, well.
–“None…private”. This verse has been used by the Roman Catholic Church to assert that without the direction of its clergy no one can understand the Scriptures. The TA (Catholic) Ver. has this footnote, referring to ver. 20: “Notice this well. So that this reading of the Scriptures is not pernicious instead of useful, it is necessary that they be interpreted, not according to one’s own spirit or particular lights, but under the direction… of the Holy Spirit…. From the Church, therefore, the ‘pillar of truth’ (I TIM. III. 15) one must learn that true meaning of the Scriptures”.
The NC Ver. says, “…no prophecy of Scripture is (subject) to self (personal) interpretation,” and the BJ Ver., also Catholic, says, “…no prophecy of Scripture can be self-interpreted.”
The Ver. POP., a Protestant work, perpetuates this error. He says, “…no prophecy of Scripture is something that each one can interpret for himself…”
But this passage does not deal with the question of being able to understand well, or not, a given passage of Scripture! It deals with the ORIGIN of prophecy, as the next verse clearly states. Peter says that no prophecy is the conclusion of particular, personal, and subjective reasoning.
The Greek word used here (epilusis) for “interpretation” is found only here in the New Testament. (The usual word is jermeneia, “hermeneutics,” as in 1Co 12:10; 1Co 14:26). epilusis means what is untied or dissolved, solution. (The word in verbal form appears in Mar 4:34, “explained”-Ver. BA, HA, MOD.). The “knots” of prophecy were not untied by purely human work. The prophecies were not self-resolving. They did not come from exclusively human discovery. This is Peter’s point.
Our version says “is”, but others say, “proceeds”, “comes”, “comes”, “arises”, and so on. The Greek word literally means to originate, arise, become, or result in. Peter deals with the ORIGIN of the prophecies and their meanings. They are not of private origin (or according to other versions, “personal”, “particular”, “own”).
The prophets themselves, of their own invention, did not originate the prophecies regarding Christ. Therefore, Peter’s readers understood that he was urging them to “be attentive” (v. 19) to such prophecies because it was the Holy Spirit speaking (v. 21), and not merely man (v. 20).
Instead of dealing with what the reader of the Bible can or cannot do, without the help of the Catholic clergy, this verse deals with what the Bible prophets themselves could not do! They alone could not originate the prophecies; they couldn’t fix them, or explain them. This passage deals with the prophets, and not with the readers.
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
GRADES
(1) Or: “comes out of private disclosure.”
CROSS-REFERENCES
w50 Ac 3:21
Source: New World Translation
no…personal interpretation. Just as the OT Scriptures were given by the Holy Spirit, so the interpretation of it must be directed by Him (vs. 21; cp. 1 Pet 1:10–12).
Source: The Bible of the Americas
twenty (1) Lit, loosening, untying; therefore, deployment, explanation, exposition. private interpreting it refers to the personal explanation or exposition of the prophet or writer, which would not be inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. Here the thought is that no prophecy of Scripture arises from one’s own concept, idea, or…