2 Peter 2:21

21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

2 Peter 2:21 in Other Translations

21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

21 It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.

21 Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command.

21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

21 It would have been better for them never to have known the way of life that God approves of than to know it and turn their backs on the holy life God told them to live.

21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

21 What if they had not known the way of godliness? That would have been better than to have known it and then to have turned their backs on it. The way of godliness is the sacred command that was passed on to them.

2 Peter 2:21 Meaning and Commentary

2 Peter 2:21

For it had been better for them
Not that ignorance is good, or to be excused; but it would have been a lesser evil, and not so much aggravated:

not to have known the way of righteousness;
the same with "the way of truth", ( 2 Peter 2:2 ) , and "the right way", ( 2 Peter 2:15 ) , the Gospel, which points out the way and method of a sinner's justification before God, which is not by the works of the law, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and received by faith; and which teaches men to live soberly, righteously, and godly; and a large, notional, though not an experimental knowledge, these apostates had of the word and doctrine of righteousness, and indeed of the whole of the Christian religion, which may truly go by this name:

than after they have known [it];
owned, embraced, and professed it:

to turn:
the Vulgate Latin version, and some copies, as the Alexandrian and others, add, to that which is behind; to their former lusts, or errors, or worse, which they had turned their backs upon externally:

from the holy commandment delivered unto them;
by the commandment is meant the Gospel also, see ( 2 Peter 3:2 ) ( 1 Timothy 6:14 ) ; called holy, because of its nature and influence, and in opposition to the pollutions of the world; and which is the faith once delivered, ( Jude 1:3 ) , and which they received, as delivered to them; and, particularly, the ordinances of it, which they once submitted to, kept, and observed, as they were delivered to them, but now relinquished, or corrupted: wherefore, it would have been better for them to have been in their former ignorance, either in Judaism, or in Gentilism, since proportionate to a man's light is his guilt, and so his punishment, see ( Romans 2:12 ) ( Luke 12:47 Luke 12:48 ) .

2 Peter 2:21 In-Context

19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”

20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.

21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 18:24; Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26,27