2 Peter 2:17
New International Version
These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

New Living Translation
These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.

English Standard Version
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.

Berean Standard Bible
These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

Berean Literal Bible
These are springs without water and mists being driven by storm, for whom gloom of darkness has been reserved.

King James Bible
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

New King James Version
These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

New American Standard Bible
These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.

NASB 1995
These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.

NASB 1977
These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.

Legacy Standard Bible
These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been kept.

Amplified Bible
These [false teachers] are springs without water and mists driven by a tempest, for whom is reserved the gloom of black darkness.

Christian Standard Bible
These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
These people are springs without water, mists driven by a whirlwind. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them.

American Standard Version
These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved.

Contemporary English Version
These people are like dried up water holes and clouds blown by a windstorm. The darkest part of hell is waiting for them.

English Revised Version
These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
These false teachers are dried-up springs. They are a mist blown around by a storm. Gloomy darkness has been kept for them.

Good News Translation
These people are like dried-up springs, like clouds blown along by a storm; God has reserved a place for them in the deepest darkness.

International Standard Version
These men are dried-up springs, mere clouds driven by a storm. Gloomy darkness is reserved for them.

Majority Standard Bible
These men are springs without water and clouds driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is forever reserved for them.

NET Bible
These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved.

New Heart English Bible
These are wells without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved.

Webster's Bible Translation
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

Weymouth New Testament
These people are wells without water, mists driven along by a storm, men for whom the dense darkness has been reserved.

World English Bible
These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
These are wells without water, and clouds driven by a storm, to whom the deepest gloom of darkness has been kept throughout the age;

Berean Literal Bible
These are springs without water and mists being driven by storm, for whom gloom of darkness has been reserved.

Young's Literal Translation
These are wells without water, and clouds by a tempest driven, to whom the thick gloom of the darkness to the age hath been kept;

Smith's Literal Translation
These are fountains wanting water, clouds impelled by a hurricane; for whom the obscurity of darkness has been kept forever.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
These are fountains without water, and clouds tossed with whirlwinds, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved.

Catholic Public Domain Version
These ones are like fountains without water, and like clouds stirred up by whirlwinds. For them, the mist of darkness is reserved.

New American Bible
These people are waterless springs and mists driven by a gale; for them the gloom of darkness has been reserved.

New Revised Standard Version
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
These men are springs without water, as clouds that are carried with a tempest; the mist of darkness is reserved to them forever.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
These are fountains without water, clouds which are driven by a hurricane, for whom the gloom of darkness is reserved.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
These men are fountains without water, clouds driven by a tempest, for whom the gloom of darkness is reserved forever.

Godbey New Testament
These are fountains without water, and mists driven away by the storm, for which the blackness of darkness has been reserved.

Haweis New Testament
These are fountains without water, clouds driven by a hurricane; for whom the blackness of darkness for ever is reserved.

Mace New Testament
These are wells without water; clouds agitated with a tempest, who are consigned to the obscurity of eternal darkness.

Weymouth New Testament
These people are wells without water, mists driven along by a storm, men for whom the dense darkness has been reserved.

Worrell New Testament
These are fountains without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved.

Worsley New Testament
These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom thick darkness is reserved for ever.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Deliverance from False Prophets
16But he was rebuked for his transgression by a donkey, otherwise without speech, that spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. 17These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.…

Cross References
Jude 1:12-13
These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted. / They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Jeremiah 14:3-4
The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. / The ground is cracked because no rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads.

Proverbs 25:14
Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given.

Isaiah 57:20-21
But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck. / “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

James 1:6
But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Jeremiah 2:13
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Matthew 15:14
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Romans 16:18
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Isaiah 5:13
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

Ezekiel 13:3-4
This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit yet have seen nothing. / Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes among the ruins.

1 Timothy 6:5
and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.

Isaiah 56:10-11
Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber. / Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:


Treasury of Scripture

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

are wells.

Job 6:14-17
To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty…

Jeremiah 14:3
And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

Hosea 6:4
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

clouds.

Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

mist.

darkness.

2 Peter 2:4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Matthew 8:12
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:13
Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Age Black Blackest Blackness Carried Clouds Darkness Dense Driven Driving Eternal Forever Fountains Gloom Kept Mist Mists Nether Night Reserved Springs Storm Tempest Thick Water Waterless Wells
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Age Black Blackest Blackness Carried Clouds Darkness Dense Driven Driving Eternal Forever Fountains Gloom Kept Mist Mists Nether Night Reserved Springs Storm Tempest Thick Water Waterless Wells
2 Peter 2
1. Peter warns of false teachers, showing the impiety and punishment both of them and their followers;
7. from which the godly shall be delivered, as Lot was out of Sodom;
10. and more fully describes the manners of those profane and blasphemous seducers.














These men are springs without water
This phrase refers to false teachers who promise spiritual nourishment but fail to deliver. In the arid regions of the Middle East, a spring without water would be a profound disappointment, symbolizing emptiness and deceit. Biblically, water often represents life and truth (John 4:14), and these false teachers lack the true substance of the Gospel. Their teachings are void of the life-giving truth found in Christ, similar to the barren fig tree that Jesus cursed for its lack of fruit (Mark 11:12-14).

and mists driven by a storm
This imagery suggests instability and lack of direction. Mists, or clouds, driven by a storm are unpredictable and fleeting, much like the teachings of these false prophets. They may appear promising but are ultimately insubstantial and lead to confusion. This can be connected to Ephesians 4:14, where believers are warned against being "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine." The storm represents the chaotic and destructive nature of their influence.

Blackest darkness is reserved for them
This phrase indicates the severe judgment awaiting false teachers. The "blackest darkness" symbolizes the ultimate separation from God, often associated with hell or eternal punishment (Jude 1:13). This reflects the seriousness of leading others astray and the spiritual consequences of rejecting the truth of the Gospel. The imagery of darkness contrasts with the light of Christ, who is the "light of the world" (John 8:12). The reserved nature of this darkness underscores the certainty and inevitability of divine judgment for those who persist in falsehood.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Peter
The apostle and author of this epistle, addressing false teachers and their destructive heresies.

2. False Teachers
Individuals within the early Christian community who were misleading believers with false doctrines.

3. Early Christian Communities
The recipients of Peter's letter, who were being warned against the influence of false teachings.
Teaching Points
Discernment in Teaching
Believers must be vigilant and discerning about the teachings they accept, ensuring they align with Scripture.

The Danger of False Promises
Like springs without water, false teachers offer promises that cannot satisfy or sustain spiritual life.

Judgment for Deception
The "blackest darkness" reserved for false teachers serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of leading others astray.

The Importance of Sound Doctrine
Grounding oneself in sound doctrine is crucial to avoid being swayed by misleading teachings.

Spiritual Vigilance
Regular study of the Bible and prayer are essential practices to maintain spiritual vigilance and discernment.(17) These are wells.--Or, springs; same word as John 4:6. These men are like dried-up watering-places in the desert, which entice and mock the thirsty traveller; perhaps leading him into danger also by drawing him from places where there is water. (Comp. Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 14:3.) The parallel passage, Jude 1:12-13, is much more full than the one before us, and is more like an amplification of this than this a condensation of that--e.g., would a simile so admirably suitable to false guides as "wandering stars" have been neglected by the writer of our Epistle? A Hebrew word which occurs only twice in the Old Testament is translated by the LXX. in the one place (Genesis 2:6) by the word here used for "well," and in the other (Job 36:27) by the word used in Jude 1:12, for "cloud." Thus the same Hebrew might have produced "wells without water" here and "clouds without water" in Jude. This is one of the arguments used in favour of a Hebrew original of both these Epistles. Coincidences of this kind, which may easily be mere accidents of language, must be shown to be numerous before a solid argument can be based upon them. Moreover, we must remember that the writers in both cases were Jews, writing in Greek, while thinking probably in Hebrew, so that the same Hebrew thought might suggest a different Greek expression in the two cases. When we have deducted all that might easily be accounted for in this way, and also all that is perhaps purely accidental, from the not very numerous instances of a similar kind that have been collected, we shall not find much on which to build the hypothesis of these Epistles being translations from Hebrew originals. (See Introduction to Jude, II.) . . . Verse 17. - These are wells without water. St. Peter has spoken of the vices of the false teachers; he goes on to describe the unprofitableness of their teaching. They are like wells without water; they deceive men with a promise which they do not fulfill. In Jude 1:12 there is a slight difference - "clouds without water" (comp. Jeremiah 2:13). Clouds that are carried with a tempest; better, mists driven by a tempest. The best manuscripts have ὁμίχλαι, mists, instead of νεφέλαι, clouds; they are driven along by the tempest; they give no water to the thirsty land, but only bring darkness and obscurity. The Greek word for "tempest" (λαῖλαψ) is used by St. Mark and St. Luke in their account of the tempest on the Sea of Galilee. To whom the mist of darkness is reserved for over; rather, as in the Revised Version, the blackness of darkness. The words are the same as those of Jude 1:13 (comp. verse 4 of this chapter; also 2 Peter 3:7; and 1 Peter 1:4, where the same verb is used of the inheritance reserved in heaven for the saints). The words "for ever" are omitted in the Vatican and Sinaitic Manuscripts; it is possible that they may have been inserted from the parallel passage in St. Jude; but they are well supported here.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
These [men]
Οὗτοί (Houtoi)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

are
εἰσιν (eisin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

springs
πηγαὶ (pēgai)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4077: A fountain, spring, well, issue, flow. Probably from pegnumi; a fount, i.e. Source or supply.

without water
ἄνυδροι (anydroi)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 504: Without water, dry; subst: dry places, desert. Waterless, i.e. Dry.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

mists
ὁμίχλαι (homichlai)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 887: A mist, dimness, darkening. Of uncertain derivation; dimness of sight, i.e. a cataract.

driven
ἐλαυνόμεναι (elaunomenai)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 1643: (a) trans: I drive (on), propel, (b) intrans: I row. A prolonged form of a primary verb of uncertain affinity; to push.

by
ὑπὸ (hypo)
Preposition
Strong's 5259: A primary preposition; under, i.e. of place, or with verbs; of place (underneath) or where (below) or time (when).

a storm.
λαίλαπος (lailapos)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2978: A sudden storm, squall, whirlwind, hurricane. Of uncertain derivation; a whirlwind.

Blackest
ζόφος (zophos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2217: Darkness, murkiness, gloom. Akin to the base of nephos; gloom.

darkness
σκότους (skotous)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 4655: Darkness, either physical or moral. From the base of skia; shadiness, i.e. Obscurity.

is reserved
τετήρηται (tetērētai)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5083: From teros; to guard, i.e. To note; by implication, to detain; by extension, to withhold; by extension, to withhold.

for them.
οἷς (hois)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.


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NT Letters: 2 Peter 2:17 These are wells without water clouds driven (2 Pet. 2P iiP ii Pet)
2 Peter 2:16
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