Ἐγένοντο δὲ καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐν τῷ λαῷ, ὡς καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν ἔσονται ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι, οἵτινες παρεισάξουσιν αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας, καὶ τὸν ἀγοράσαντα αὐτοὺς δεσπότην ἀρνούμενοι, ἐπάγοντες ἑαυτοῖς ταχινὴν ἀπώλειαν.
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who privily will bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
KJV But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
- The Greek pseudodidaskaloi ('false teachers') parallels the pseudoprophētai ('false prophets') of Israel's history — the problem is not new. The verb pareisaxousin ('will secretly introduce, smuggle in') implies stealth — these teachings are not openly presented but infiltrated into the community.
- The phrase ton agorasanta autous despotēn arnoumenoi ('denying the Master who bought them') uses commercial language: agorazō ('to buy in the marketplace') applied to Christ's redemptive work. The word despotēn ('Master, absolute Lord') emphasizes Christ's ownership claim over those he purchased.