The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (277 page)

1:19 the day dawns:
The eschatological "day of the Lord". For its meaning,
see note on 2 Pet 3:10
.
morning star:
Ancient writers used this expression for the planet Venus, which is sometimes visible in the morning sky just before daybreak. • In addition, the expression is probably an allusion to Num 24:17, where the star that rises out of Jacob is seen in Jewish and Christian tradition as a prophetic image of the Messiah (Rev 22:16). Peter connects this with the return of Christ in glory, an event that will dawn upon the world at the end of history and bring joy to the heart of every believer who is eagerly awaiting him (Heb 9:28). 
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1:20 one's own interpretation:
The Spirit who inspired the prophecies of the OT is alone capable of interpreting them. By contrast, merely human intelligence can never ascertain their proper meaning without the divine assistance of the Spirit. The ramifications of this teaching are implied rather than stated, for Peter does not identify those who are authorized to give a correct interpretation of Scripture. Some contend that every believer who possesses the Spirit is automatically qualified for this task, but no such teaching can be found in the NT. On the contrary, we learn from other passages that the Spirit guides the Church into all truth through her apostolic leaders and their successors (Jn 14:26; 16:13), who serve as teachers and guardians of the Christian faith (1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14; 2:2). This explains why Peter, being an apostle, expects readers to accept his teaching on Scripture as authoritative and reliable, whereas the false teachers among them are denounced for twisting its meaning (2 Pet 3:15-16) (CCC 104, 109-14).
See note on Jn 14:26
. 
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1:21 by the Holy Spirit:
A description of prophetic inspiration, whereby God uses the prophet to speak his divine message to others. Peter's stress on this point may suggest that the false teachers disputed such inspiration or at least made interpretive claims at variance with it. History knows of heretical Jewish-Christians, called Ebionites, who claimed that the biblical Prophets spoke of their own accord, apart from divine assistance or influence (CCC 105-107). For the related mystery of biblical inspiration, see word study:
Inspired by God
at 2 Tim 3:16. 
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2:1-22
Peter cautions readers against false teachers who are out to corrupt and deceive the faithful. Lest believers be led astray by their novelties, he insists that a frightful doom awaits them (2:4-9) for their perversity (2:10-22). Many scholars maintain that 2:1-18, along with 3:1-3, draws material from Jude 4-13 and 16-18. This is certainly possible, though some think that Jude is the one who borrowed from 2 Peter, and others that Jude and 2 Peter made independent use of a common source. None of these possible scenarios need imply that Peter himself could not have written the letter, as though it were beneath his dignity as the preeminent apostle to utilize the work of a lesser figure such as Jude. 
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Word Study

Moved
(
2 Pet 1:21
)

Pherō
(Gk.): a verb meaning "carry", "bring", "bear", or "move". It is used 66 times in the NT. The term can describe how one person carries another (Mk 9:17) or how Christ, by his divine power, upholds the universe (Heb 1:3). Likewise, God is said to endure or bear with sinners (Rom 9:22), and a vine is said to bear fruit in its time (Jn 15:2). The word can even describe how wind rushes or moves along (Acts 2:2) to drive ships across the water and waves of the sea (Acts 27:15, 17). Peter uses it to recount how the voice of the Father was carried or borne to Jesus at the Transfiguration (2 Pet 1:17). Only a few verses later, he explains how the Prophets of the Bible were moved by the Spirit to speak words that came directly from God (2 Pet 1:21).

2:1 heresies:
The Greek term can refer to such things as political parties, schools of thought, and distinctive opinions. Peter is referring to false doctrines that deviate from Christian truth (CCC 2089). See word study:
Sect
at Acts 24:5. 
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2:2 truth . . . reviled:
The faith is discredited when those who profess it deny the Lord by their lawless behavior (Tit 1:16). On the other hand, the gospel can gain ground in the world when believers lead exemplary lives of honesty, integrity, and holiness (Tit 2:11-12). 
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2:4-10
To demonstrate that the wicked face certain punishment, Peter recalls God's
judgment
on the fallen angels (2:4), on the sinners of Noah's generation (2:5), and on the perverse cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (2:6). These same Genesis stories also illustrate God's mercy, which reached down to deliver the families of Noah (2:5) and Lot (2:7). 
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2:4 the angels:
Probably a reference to Jewish traditions I surrounding Gen 6:1-4, according to which the "sons of God" are rebel angels, called the Watchers, who had sexual relations with women and begot a generation of giants (
1 Enoch
6-21;
Jubilees
5, 1-11). See note on Jude 6.
into hell:
Literally, "into Tartarus", the lower region of the underworld, where, according to Greek mythology, the wicked are imprisoned. Scripture elsewhere refers to the netherworld as Sheol, Hades, the Abyss, or the Pit. • The scenario described by Peter recalls one of the visions of Isaiah, in which the ungodly of heaven (angels) and earth (kings) are hurled as prisoners into a pit to await their final punishment (Is 24:21-22). 
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2:5 Noah, a herald:
Sometimes, Jewish retellings of Genesis portray Noah as a preacher of righteousness before the onset of the flood (Josephus,
Antiquities
1, 74;
Jubilees
7, 20-39;
Sibylline Oracles
1, 128). • This tradition probably developed from the biblical description of Noah as a godly man favored by the Lord (Gen 6:8-9; 7:1).
seven other persons:
I.e., Noah's wife along with his three sons and their wives (Gen 7:13; 1 Pet 3:20). 
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2:7 Lot, greatly distressed:
Genesis does not elaborate on Lot's character by stating that he was outraged or offended by the depravity of Sodom. • Nevertheless, his righteousness is presupposed in Abraham's dialogue with the Lord in Gen 18:22-33 and is later asserted in Wis 10:6. 
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2:10 indulge in the lust:
The false teachers were known to engage in sexual impurity (2:14, 18). Peter implied as much when he selected the wicked angels (2:4) and the Sodomites (2:6) to exemplify sinners headed for destruction. See note on Jude 7.
the glorious ones:
I.e., the angels (Jude 8). It seems the deceivers are guilty of an irreverent arrogance that presumes to denounce, not merely sinners, but even fallen creatures of a higher order of being. This is all the more shocking when we consider that not even angels pronounce judgment on sinful men (2 Pet 2:11). 
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2:12 they are ignorant:
On the basis of this and similar verses, some identify Peter's opponents as Gnostics—heretics of the second century who claimed to possess a knowledge (Gk.
gnosis
) of secret revelation unknown to the Church. At most, the troublemakers in view are only forerunners of the Gnostics. 
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2:13 carousing with you:
Or, "feasting with you". This may be an allusion to Christian fellowship meals called "love feasts" (Jude 12). 
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2:15 the way of Balaam:
The way of stubbornness and greed. • Numbers 22-24 tell how the Moabites hired Balaam to place a curse on Israel (cf. Deut 23:5; Neh 13:2). Though Balaam was unsuccessful after several persistent attempts, his willingness to do evil for pay makes him a prototype of the false teachers, who peddle their errors in order to pocket the proceeds (2 Pet 2:3). 
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2:16 donkey spoke:
Not by nature but by the miraculous power of God (Num 22:28). 
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2:19 promise them freedom:
Presumably they offered freedom from the moral restraints of the gospel (1 Cor 6:12-13). The promise is empty, however, because the deceivers cannot give what they themselves do not have. Having misused their freedom, they have become slaves to sin all over again (Rom 6:15-18; 1 Pet 2:16). 
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2:20-21
Peter warns that genuine believers can fall from God's grace and ultimately lose their salvation. The false teachers exemplify such a danger, for they have slid back into wicked ways, even though they were "bought" by the Lord (2:1; 1 Cor 6:19-20) and once "washed" clean of their iniquities (2:22; Acts 22:16). One who has never known the Christian message is better off than one who has previously embraced it but later chooses to reject it (Mt 12:45; Lk 11:26). 
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2:21 the holy commandment:
The gospel with its moral and religious demands (Jn 13:34). 
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2:22 the true proverb:
The first saying comes from Prov 26:11, and the second is a variation on a familiar maxim from the Hellenistic world. In this context, the point of both is that sinners once saved can again become defiled in sin. Jewish tradition disliked dogs and swine as filthy and objectionable animals (Ex 22:31; Lev 11:7; Mt 7:6). 
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