The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (278 page)

3:1 the second letter:
The first letter was probably 1 Peter. 
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3:2 your apostles:
Probably refers to the missionary apostles who evangelized the readers. Included in this group is the Apostle Paul (3:15). 
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3:3 the last days:
An expression taken from the Greek OT that often refers to messianic times (Dan 2:28; Hos 3:5; Mic 4:1). Early Christian prophecy warned that skeptics would arise in the last days to spread confusion and doubt among believers (2 Tim 3:1-5; Jude 18). Thus, ironically, the appearance of scoffers who mock the reliability of prophecy is itself a fulfillment of prophecy. As a result, confidence in apostolic predictions should be strengthened rather than weakened by their activity. 
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3:4 Where is . . . his coming?:
The apparent delay in Christ's return led skeptics to doubt the promise of the Second Coming altogether. In their minds, the stability of the world since the dawn of creation is proof that God has no plans to intervene in a dramatic way in the affairs of natural and human history. Peter disproves this thinking that "nothing ever changes" with a reminder of the biblical flood: for this was a cosmic judgment by God that affected the entire inhabited world and forever altered the course of human history (3:6). Here and elsewhere Scripture gives the name "scoffers" to those who deny that God's judgments are heading their way (Prov 19:29; Is 28:14-15; Zeph 2:8-11).
the fathers:
This title is normally given to the Patriarchs and Prophets of Israel (Jn 7:22; Heb 1:1). Others interpret this to mean the apostles and the first generation of the Church, though the expression is never used in this way in the earliest Christian literature.
fell asleep:
A euphemism for death (1 Cor 15:20). 
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3:5 the word of God:
Peter recalls the creation traditions of the Bible, in which God spoke the universe into existence (Gen 1:3; Ps 33:6) and caused the earth to emerge from the waters that engulfed it in the beginning (Gen 1:2, 9-10). Fashioning the world "out of" and "by means of" water is probably a reference to God separating and gathering the primeval waters in order to make the earth a place of habitation and life (Gen 1:6-7, 20; Ps 33:7). 
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3:8-13
Peter foresees the final catastrophe of history, when the structure of the visible universe will melt down in flames. The goal of this judgment is not annihilation of the world per se; rather, it is the dramatic prelude to the "new heavens" and "new earth" that God will unveil in the end (3:13). • Scenes of cosmic catastrophe were used by the OT Prophets as metaphorical depictions of spiritual and political upheaval. In a sense, the ultimate end of the world was prefigured on a smaller scale every time Yahweh laid waste to a wicked nation. Judgments on the ungodly are thus envisioned as world-shaking events, e.g., the destruction of Babylon (Is 13:9-13), the fall of Edom (Is 34:1-5), the overthrow of kingdoms (Hag 2:21-22), and the devastation of Judah and Jerusalem (Jer 4:23-28). Peter employs the same type of apocalyptic language used by the Prophets, only he foretells the end of the world as we know it on a truly cosmic scale. • God delays the destruction of the world on account of Christians. Were it not so, the fire of judgment would come down and dissolve all things, just as in former times the flood left no survivor except Noah and his family. Thus we claim that there will be a conflagration (St. Justin Martyr,
2 Apology
7). 
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3:8 one day . . . thousand years:
A reminder that God's plan will unfold according to his timing, not ours. In point of fact, the Lord is being patient—not procrastinating—when he holds back his judgment long enough for sinners to repent (3:9; Rom 2:4). • Peter is alluding to Ps 90:4, which contrasts the eternal perspective of God, who stands outside of history, with the brief existence of man. 
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3:9 all should reach repentance:
God desires every person to be saved (CCC 1037).
See note on 1 Tim 2:4
. 
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3:10 the day of the Lord:
A biblical expression for times of divine judgment on the world. • It is used repeatedly in the OT for those turning points in history when God called nations to account for their sinful ways, whether it be Israel (Amos 5:18-24; Joel 2:1-11; Zeph 1:7-13) or one of its Near Eastern neighbors (Jer 46:10; Joel 3:11-15; Obad 15-18). Even the holy city of Jerusalem was the recipient of the Lord's justice on more than one occasion (Lam 2:22; Zech 14:1-5; Mal 3:15; 4:1-6). Each of these localized judgments serves as a foreshadowing of the universal judgment of the world envisioned by Peter.
like a thief:
I.e., unexpectedly and without warning. The simile goes back to Jesus (Mt 24:43-44) and was also used by Paul (1 Thess 5:2) and the Book of Revelation (Rev 3:3; 16:15).
the elements:
Writers in antiquity often used this Greek term for the foundational substances of the material world (Wis 7:17), usually thought to be earth, air, water, and fire (e.g., Josephus,
Antiquities
3, 183). It can also refer to heavenly bodies. See word study:
Elemental Spirits
at Col 2:8. 
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3:11 lives of holiness:
The coming judgment provides incentive for heroic Christian living. 
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3:12 hastening:
In the sense that God is quick to respond to human repentance. Usually it is God himself who is said to hasten the day of his judgments (Sir 36:8) and blessings (Is 60:22). 
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3:13 new heavens . . . new earth:
Peter borrows words from Isaiah to describe the future transformation and renewal of the cosmos. • Isaiah used this language to promise a new beginning of peace and blessedness for Israel and the world (Is 65:17-25). The universal worship of Yahweh by all flesh will be one of its defining characteristics (Is 66:2223). Like Peter, the Book of Revelation makes use of these prophetic oracles in its description of the glorified heaven and earth that awaits the saints (Rev 21:1-5). Paul too anticipates a future liberation of the created order from its bondage to death and decay (Rom 8:19-21) (CCC 1042-48, 1405). • Our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven with glory on the last day. For there will be an end to this world, and the creation will be made new again. To prevent this dwelling from remaining forever filled with iniquity, this world will pass away to make way for a more beautiful world (St. Cyril of Jerusalem,
Catechesis
15, 3). 
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3:15 Paul wrote to you:
The recipients of 2 Peter were also among the recipients of at least one Pauline epistle. It could be a letter now lost (like the one mentioned in 1 Cor 5:9) but is more likely a letter in the NT canon. If the previous letter implied in 2 Pet 3:1 is 1 Peter, an epistle written to believers in Asia Minor, then the list of candidates can be reduced to Galatians and possibly Ephesians and Colossians, each of which was written to congregations in Asia Minor. 
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3:16 all his letters:
Peter is aware that Paul wrote several epistles and is knowledgeable about their contents. Some think this mention of "letters" refers to a purportedly well-known collection of Pauline writings that was put together in the late first century. Unfortunately, there is no real evidence to confirm this hypothesis, nor is there a convincing reason why the epistles of Paul could not have been assembled earlier, even within the apostle's lifetime. After all, Paul encouraged his Churches to share and exchange his letters among themselves (Col 4:16).
hard to understand:
I.e., susceptible to misinterpretation.
the ignorant:
Or, better, "the uninstructed". The idea is that Paul's teaching is not easily or rightly understood by those who lack sound formation in apostolic doctrine. The false teachers denounced in the letter are a case in point: most likely, they are the primary culprits guilty of twisting Paul's doctrine to fit the mold of their own heretical beliefs. There is no insinuation in this verse that Peter himself found the letters of Paul particularly difficult or obscure.
the other Scriptures:
Indicates that Paul's epistles were revered and credited with the same level of authority as the books of the OT. Concretely, this probably means they were being read aloud in the context of the Christian liturgy. 
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