2 Peter 1 · Verse 8

2 Peter 1:8

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:8, King James Version

2 Peter 1:8 in other translations

BSBFor if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
WEBFor if these things are yours and abound, they make you to not be idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
ASVFor if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
YLTfor these things being to you and abounding, do make you neither inert nor unfruitful in regard to the acknowledging of our Lord Jesus Christ,
DARBYfor these things existing and abounding in you make you to be neither idle nor unfruitful as regards the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ;
BBEFor if you have these things in good measure, they will make you fertile and full of fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
WebsterFor if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does 2 Peter 1:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
8. be--Greek, "subsist" that is, supposing these things to have an actual subsistence in you; "be" would express the mere matter-of-fact being (Ac 16:20). abound--more than in others; so the Greek. make--"render," "constitute you," habitually, by the very fact of possessing these graces. barren--"inactive," and, as a field lying fallow and unworked (Greek), so barren and useless. unfruitful in--rather, ... in respect to, "The full knowledge (Greek) of Christ" is the goal towards which all these graces tend. As their subsisting in us constitutes us not barren or idle, so their abounding in us constitutes us not unfruitful in respect to it. It is through doing His will, and so becoming like Him, that we grow in knowing Him (Joh 7:17).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 8. For if these things be in you, and abound. If they are in you in rich abundance; if you are eminent for these things.

They make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful. They will show that you are not barren or unfruitful. The word rendered barren, is, in the margin, idle. The word idle more accurately expresses the sense of the original. The meaning is, that if they evinced these things, it would show

(1.) that they were diligent in cultivating the Christian graces, and

(2.) that it was not a vain thing to attempt to grow in knowledge and virtue. Their efforts would be followed by such happy results as to be an encouragement to exertion. In nothing is there, in fact, more encouragement than in the attempt to become eminent in piety. On no other efforts does God smile more propitiously that on the attempt to secure the salvation of the soul and to do good. A small part of the exertions which men put forth to become rich, or learned, or celebrated for oratory or heroism, would secure the salvation of the soul. In the former, also, men often fail; in the latter, never.

(1) "barren" "idle" (h) "unfruitful" Jn 15:2-6

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 For if these things be in you and abound - If ye possess all there graces, and they increase and abound in your souls, they will make - show, you to be neither αργους, idle, nor ακαρπους, unfruitful, in the acknowledgment of our Lord Jesus Christ. The common translation is here very unhappy: barren and unfruitful certainly convey the same ideas; but idle or inactive, which is the proper sense of αργους, takes away this tautology, and restores the sense. The graces already mentioned by the apostle are in themselves active principles; he who was possessed of them, and had them abounding in him, could not be inactive; and he who is not inactive in the way of life must be fruitful. I may add, that he who is thus active, and consequently fruitful, will ever be ready at all hazard to acknowledge his Lord and Savior, by whom he has been brought into this state of salvation.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Peter 1:1-11

Chapter Outline Exhortations to add the exercise of various other graces to faith. (1-11) The apostle looks forward to his approaching decease. (12-15) And confirms the truth of the gospel, relating to Christ's appearing to judgment. (16-21) Verses 1-11 Faith unites the weak believer to Christ, as really as it does the strong one, and purifies the heart of one as truly as of another; and every sincere believer is by…

Read the full comment on 2 Peter 1:1-11 →

2 Peter 1:8 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ταῦταtautaThese thingsG3778
γὰρgarforG1063
ὑμῖνhuminin youG4771
ὑπάρχονταhuparchontabeingG5225
καὶkaiandG2532
πλεονάζονταpleonazontaaboundingG4121
οὐκoukneitherG3756
ἀργοὺςargousidleG692
οὐδὲoudenorG3761
ἀκάρπουςakarpousunfruitfulG175
καθίστησινkathistēsinmake [you]G2525
εἰςeisas toG1519
τὴνtēntheG3588
τοῦtouof theG3588
κυρίουkuriouLordG2962
ἡμῶνhēmōnof usG3165
ἸησοῦIēsouJesusG2424
ΧριστοῦChristouChristG5547
ἐπίγνωσιν.¶epignōsinknowledge.G1922

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Peter 1:8

  • John 15:2

    Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

  • Titus 3:14

    And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

  • Hebrews 6:12

    That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

  • Colossians 3:16

    Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

  • Philippians 1:9

    And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

  • 1 Thessalonians 3:12

    And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

  • 2 Peter 1:2

    Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

  • Philemon 1:6

    That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:58

    Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:1

    Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:3

    We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

  • 2 Corinthians 13:5

    Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
in you.
Joh 5:42; 2Co 9:14; 13:5; Php 2:5; Col 3:16; Phm 1:6
and abound.
1Co 15:58; 2Co 8:2,7; Php 1:9; Col 2:7; 3:16; 1Th 3:12; 4:1; 2Th 1:3
they.
Joh 15:7,8; 2Co 5:13-17
barren. or, idle.
Pr 19:15; Mt 20:3,6; 25:26; Ro 12:11; 1Ti 5:13; Heb 6:12
unfruitful.
Mt 13:22; Joh 15:2,6; Tit 3:14
in.
2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Peter 1:7

    And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

  • 2 Peter 1:8

    For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • 2 Peter 1:9

    But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Read all of 2 Peter 1

2 Peter 1:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque si en vosotros hay estas cosas, y abundan, no os dejarán estar ociosos, ni estériles en el conocimiento de nuestro Señor Jesucristo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		car, si ces choses sont en vous et y abondent, elles font que vous ne serez pas oisifs ni stériles pour ce qui regarde la connaissance de notre Seigneur Jésus Christ;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn wenn diese Dinge bei euch sind und reichlich vorhanden, so stellen sie euch nicht träge noch fruchtleer in Bezug auf die Erkenntnis unseres Herrn Jesu Christi.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Hæc enim si vobiscum adsint, et superent, non vacuos nec sine fructu vos constituent in Domini nostri Jesu Christi cognitione.