2Pe 3:4 | NETfull | STEP | and saying, “Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.”

2 Peter 3:4

4 and saying, ^{▼▼ The present participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) most likely indicates result. Thus, their denial of the Lord’s return is the result of their lifestyle. The connection to the false teachers of chapter 2 is thus made clear.} “Where is his promised return? ^{▼▼ Grk “Where is the promise of his coming?” The genitive παρουσίας (parousias, “coming, advent, return”) is best taken as an attributed genitive (in which the head noun, promise, functions semantically as an adjective; see ExSyn 89–91).} For ever since ^{▼▼ The prepositional phrase with the relative pronoun, ἀφ᾿ ἧς (af’ hēs), is used adverbially or conjunctively without antecedent (see BDAG 727 s.v. ὅς 1.k.).} our ancestors ^{▼▼ Grk “fathers.” The reference could be either to the OT patriarchs or first generation Christians. This latter meaning, however, is unattested in any other early Christian literature.} died, ^{▼▼ The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.} all things have continued as they were ^{▼▼ Grk “thus,” “in the same manner.”} from the beginning of creation.”