Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Peter 1:2

"Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;" — 2 Peter 1:2 (ASV)

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.—This phrase is identical to the last clause of 1 Peter 1:2 and is found in no other greeting in any Epistle. What follows here is unique to this Epistle, which begins and ends with grace and knowledge (Compare to 2 Peter 3:18).

Through the knowledge.—It is better, as stated before, to render this as in. The preposition indicates the sphere or element in which the action occurs, or the aspect in which it is viewed. Tyndale and the Rhemish version translate it as “in.”

The term “knowledge” alone is not quite strong enough. The original uses a compound word, which implies a fuller, more mature, and more precise knowledge. However, any of these expressions would be somewhat too emphatic, while the simple word is somewhat too weak.

This same compound word recurs in 2 Peter 1:3. It is rare in St. Paul’s earlier letters but appears more frequently in his later ones.

This fact, along with its appearance here, aligns well with the more contemplative aspect in which the Gospel gradually began to be presented. This change finds its fullest expression in the transition from the first three Gospels to the fourth.

The word is introduced here with telling emphasis. The phrase “in the fuller knowledge of God” anticipates the coming attack on the godless speculations of the “false teachers” described in 2 Peter 2:1.

And of Jesus our Lord.—This phrase was deliberately added. These false teachers denied the Lord that bought them (2 Peter 2:1) and promised all kinds of high-sounding benefits to their followers (2 Peter 2:18).

The Apostle assures his readers that grace and peace can be multiplied to them only through a fuller knowledge of their Lord. The combination “Jesus our Lord” is unusual, appearing elsewhere only in Romans 4:24.

This is another small indication of independence (see the first Note). A period should be used at “Lord;” as Tyndale, Cranmer, and Geneva punctuate it with a period.