Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on 2 Peter 2:15
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Which have forsaken the right way, etc.] The right way of the Lord, the way of truth, the Gospel of truth; or Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; the true way to eternal life, and which is the right way to eternal happiness; the way of life, righteousness, and salvation by Christ, the Christian faith, and the doctrine of it, which they once professed, but now relinquished: and are gone astray; from the right way, the way of truth and holiness, into the paths of error and profaneness: following the way of Balaam [the son] of Bosor; which Jude calls his error, (<650111>Jude 1:11), and is the path of covetousness, uncleanness, and idolatry, sins which he was either guilty of himself, or taught, advised, and seduced others to; (see <660214>Revelation 2:14). The Vulgate Latin version reads “Balaam [out of] Bosor”, taking “Bosor” for the name of a place, of which “Balaam” was; but not “Bosor”, but “Pethor”, was the place of Balaam's residence, (<042205>Numbers 22:5). The Arabic and Ethiopic versions supply, as we do, “the son of Bosor”; and the Syriac version reads, “the son of Beor”, as in (<042205>Numbers 22:5); for Beor and “Bosor” are the same names; the “sheva” being pronounced by “o”, as it is by “oa” in “Boanerges”, and the “ain” by “s”. Moreover, the letters x and [ are sometimes used for one another, as in ˆax and ˆa[, Ura and [ra, and so [ and ç, especially in the Chaldean dialect; and Peter now being at Babylon in Chaldea, (see <600513>1 Peter 5:13); it is no wonder that he so pronounced. Who loved the wages of unrighteousness: which were the rewards of divination, (<042207>Numbers 22:7); which were brought him for his divining or soothsaying, and may well be called unrighteous wages, since it was for doing unrighteous things, or things in an unrighteous manner; and these he loved, desired, and greedily coveted, and fain would he have taken Balak's gold and silver, and have cursed Israel, but was restrained by the Lord: he showed a good will to it, in going along with the messengers, and in building altars, and offering sacrifice in one place after another, in which there was a great resemblance between him and the men here spoken of.
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