2 Peter 3:16

As also in all his epistles (w kai en pasai epistolai). We do not know to how many Peter here refers. There is no difficulty in supposing that Peter "received every one of St. Paul's Epistles within a month or two of its publication" (Bigg). And yet Peter does not here assert the formation of a canon of Paul's Epistles. Speaking in them of these things (lalwn en autai peri toutwn). Present active participle of lalew. That is to say, Paul also wrote about the second coming of Christ, as is obviously true. Hard to be understood (dusnohta). Late verbal from du and noew (in Aristotle, Lucian, Diog. Laert.), here only in N.T. We know that the Thessalonians persisted in misrepresenting Paul on this very subject of the second coming as Hymenaeus and Philetus did about the resurrection ( 2 Timothy 2:17 ) and Spitta holds that Paul's teaching about grace was twisted to mean moral laxity like Galatians 3:10 ; Romans 3:20 Romans 3:28 ; Romans 5:20 (with which cf. Romans 6:1 as a case in point), etc. Peter does not say that he himself did not understand Paul on the subject of faith and freedom. Unlearned (amaqei). Old word (alpha privative and manqanw to learn), ignorant, here only in N.T. Unsteadfast (asthriktoi). See on Romans 2:14 . Wrest (streblousin). Present active indicative of streblow, old verb (from streblo twisted, strepw, to turn), here only in N.T. The other scriptures (ta loipa grapa). There is no doubt that the apostles claimed to speak by the help of the Holy Spirit ( 1 Thessalonians 5:27 ; Colossians 4:16 ) just as the prophets of old did ( 2 Peter 1:20 ). Note loipa (rest) here rather than alla (other). Peter thus puts Paul's Epistles on the same plane with the O.T., which was also misused ( Matthew 5:21-44 ; Matthew 15:3-6 ; Matthew 19:3-10 ).