2 Peter 3:4
New International Version
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

New Living Translation
They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

English Standard Version
They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”

Berean Literal Bible
and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For from the time that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

King James Bible
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

New King James Version
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

New American Standard Bible
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.”

NASB 1995
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

NASB 1977
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

Legacy Standard Bible
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

Amplified Bible
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming [what has become of it]? For ever since the fathers fell asleep [in death], all things have continued [exactly] as they did from the beginning of creation.”

Christian Standard Bible
saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.”

American Standard Version
and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they say, “Where is The Promise of his coming? For from when our forefathers fell asleep, everything continues in the same way from the beginning of creation.”

Contemporary English Version
and say, "Didn't your Lord promise to come back? Yet the first leaders have already died, and the world hasn't changed a bit."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Saying: Where is his promise or his coming? for since the time that the fathers slept, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

English Revised Version
and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
by saying, "What's happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of the world."

Good News Translation
and will ask, "He promised to come, didn't he? Where is he? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!"

International Standard Version
by saying, "What happened to the Messiah's promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of creation."

Literal Standard Version
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things so remain from the beginning of the creation”;

Majority Standard Bible
“Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”

New American Bible
and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? From the time when our ancestors fell asleep, everything has remained as it was from the beginning of creation.”

NET Bible
and saying, "Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation."

New Revised Standard Version
and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!”

New Heart English Bible
and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

Webster's Bible Translation
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Weymouth New Testament
and, asking, "What has become of His promised Return? For from the time our forefathers fell asleep all things continue as they have been ever since the creation of the world."

World English Bible
and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

Young's Literal Translation
and saying, 'Where is the promise of his presence? for since the fathers did fall asleep, all things so remain from the beginning of the creation;'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Coming Judgment
3Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4“Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.” 5But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,…

Cross References
Isaiah 5:19
to those who say, "Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!"

Jeremiah 17:15
Behold, they keep saying to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!"

Ezekiel 11:3
They are saying, 'Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.'

Ezekiel 12:22
"Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel: 'The days go by, and every vision fails'?

Ezekiel 12:27
"Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, 'The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.'

Malachi 2:17
You have wearied the LORD with your words; yet you ask, "How have we wearied Him?" By saying, "All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He delights," or, "Where is the God of justice?"

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.


Treasury of Scripture

And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

where.

Genesis 19:14
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

Ecclesiastes 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:11
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

from the beginning.

Mark 13:19
For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

Revelation 3:14
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

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2 Peter 3
1. He assures them of the certainty of Christ's coming to judgment;
8. warning the godly, for the long patience of God, to hasten their repentance.
10. He describes also the manner how the world shall be destroyed;
11. exhorting them to all holiness of life;
16. and again to think the patience of God to tend to their salvation, as Paul wrote to them in his epistles.














(4) Where is the promise?--Not meaning, of course, "In what passages of Scripture is any such promise to be found?"--but, "What has come of it? where is there any accomplishment of it?" (Comp. Psalm 42:3; Psalm 79:10; Jeremiah 17:15; Malachi 2:17.)

Of his coming.--"His" instead of "the Lord's" indicates not merely that only one Person could be meant, but also the irreverent way in which these scoffers spoke of Him.

Since the fathers fell asleep.--What fathers are meant? Four answers have been given to this question: (1) The ancestors of the human race; (2) the patriarchs and prophets; (3) the first generation of Christians; (4) each generation of men in relation to those following. Probably nothing more definite than our remote ancestors is intended. The expression "fell asleep" is used of St. Stephen's death in Acts 7:60 (comp. Matthew 27:52; 1Corinthians 7:39, where the word is not literally translated; 1Corinthians 15:6; 1Corinthians 15:18, &c). The thoroughly Christian term "cemetery" (=sleeping-place), in the sense of a place of repose for the dead, comes from the same Greek root. . . .

Verse 4. - And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? (comp. Malachi 2:17, "Where is the God of judgment?"). The Lord had prophesied of his coming; St. Paul had spoken more than once as if that coming were very near at hand (1 Corinthians 15:51; 2 Corinthians 5:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:15). Yet he came not. Already men were beginning to mock, and to question whether the long-delayed promise would ever be fulfilled. For since the fathers fell asleep; better, from the day that. By "the fathers" must be meant here the fathers of the Christian Church. St. Peter was writing more than thirty years after the Ascension. The first generation of Christians was rapidly passing away. Stephen "fell asleep" first, then James the son of Zebedee, the other James the Lord's brother, and many others who had looked, it may be, to see the coming of the Lord among those "which are alive and remain" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). But they had died, and he came not; and from the day of their death things went on as they were. Should men look for him still, the mockers asked, when the fathers looked in vain? The mockers adopted, in mockery, doubtless, the Christian phrase for death. The Lord first had said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ;" then the holy Stephen "fell asleep;" and so "they which are asleep" became the recognized name for the dead in Christ. Death is like sleep; the holy dead rest from their labours. They "sleep not idly," for they are at home with the Lord, and they are blessed; but yet the quiet rest of Paradise, though "far better" than this earthly life, is sleep compared with the perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, which the redeemed of the Lord shall enjoy at last in his eternal glory. All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation; literally, all things continue thus, as they are, and as they have been from the beginning. There has been no sudden catastrophe; the world has gone on as it was; the laws of nature are still working with their changeless uniformity" (see a remarkable parallel in Clement, I, 23, which is important also as an independent proof that this argument of the scoffers is as old as the end of the first century).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Where
Ποῦ (Pou)
Adverb
Strong's 4226: Genitive case of an interrogative pronoun pos otherwise obsolete; as adverb of place; at what locality.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

the
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

promise
ἐπαγγελία (epangelia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1860: A promise. From epaggello; an announcement.

of
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

coming?”
παρουσίας (parousias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3952: From the present participle of pareimi; a being near, i.e. Advent; physically, aspect.

they will ask.
λέγοντες (legontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

“Ever
ἀφ’ (aph’)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

since
ἧς (hēs)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

[our]
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fathers
πατέρες (pateres)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

fell asleep,
ἐκοιμήθησαν (ekoimēthēsan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2837: From keimai; to put to sleep, i.e. to slumber; figuratively, to decease.

everything
πάντα (panta)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

continues
διαμένει (diamenei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1265: To remain, continue. From dia and meno; to stay constantly.

as it has
οὕτως (houtōs)
Adverb
Strong's 3779: Thus, so, in this manner. Or (referring to what precedes or follows).

from
ἀπ’ (ap’)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

[the] beginning
ἀρχῆς (archēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 746: From archomai; a commencement, or chief.

of creation.”
κτίσεως (ktiseōs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2937: From ktizo; original formation.


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NT Letters: 2 Peter 3:4 And saying Where is the promise (2 Pet. 2P iiP ii Pet)
2 Peter 3:3
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