Jude 1:13

New Testament Epistle (General) ASV (1901)

What does Jude 1:13 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever.
Jude 1:13 — American Standard Version

Context — Jude 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Raging waves of the sea, etc.] False teachers are so called, for their, swelling pride and vanity; which, as it is what prevails in human nature, is a governing vice in such persons, for knowledge without grace puffs up; and this shows that they had not received the doctrine of grace in truth, for that humbles; as also for their arrogance, boasting, and ostentation; and for their noisiness, their restless, uneasy, and turbulent spirits, for their furious and wrathful dispositions; as well as for their levity and inconstancy, and for their turpitude and filthiness: foaming out their own shame: wrathful words, frothy and obscene language, and filthy doctrines; and which expresses the issue of…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Raging--wild. Jude has in mind Isa 57:20. shame--plural in Greek, "shames" (compare Phi 3:19). wandering stars--instead of moving on in a regular orbit, as lights to the world, bursting forth on the world like erratic comets, or rather, meteors of fire, with a strange glare, and then doomed to fall back again into the blackness of gloom.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Raging waves of the sea - Compare 2 Peter 2:18. They are like the wild and restless waves of the ocean. The image here seems to be, that they were noisy and bold in their professions, and were as wild and ungovernable in their passions as the billows of the sea. Foaming out their own shame - The waves are lashed into foam, and break and dash on the shore. They seem to produce nothing but foam, and to proclaim their own shame, that after all their wild roaring and agitation they should effect no more. So with these noisy and vaunting teachers. What they impart is as unsubstantial and valueless as the foam of the ocean waves, and the result is in fact a proclamation of their own shame. Men…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Wandering stars - Literally, planets, which shine for a time, but have no light in themselves, and will be soon cast into utter darkness. Thus the apostle illustrates their desperate wickedness by comparisons drawn from the air, earth, sea, and heavens. Jude 1:14”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“1:13 The planets were considered to be wandering stars because they moved across the sky in seemingly irregular patterns. The false teachers wandered, and God condemned their sin.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Raging: Psa 65:7, Psa 93:3, Psa 93:4; Isa 57:20; Jer 5:22, Jer 5:23 foaming: Phi 3:19; Ti2 3:13 wandering: Rev 8:10, Rev 8:11 to whom: Pe2 2:17; Rev 14:10, Rev 14:11, Rev 20:10, Rev 21:8 Jude 1:14”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification