Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Peter 2:3

"And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not." — 2 Peter 2:3 (ASV)

And through covetousness.—Better, In covetousness. This is the atmosphere in which they live. (See Notes on 2 Peter 2:18; 2 Peter 1:1–2; 2 Peter 1:4; 2 Peter 1:13.) Wycliffe and Rheims have “in.” Simon Magus offering St. Peter money, which he was no doubt accustomed to take himself for his teaching, may illustrate this (Acts 8:18; compare to 1 Timothy 6:5; Titus 1:10–11).

These false teachers, like the Greek Sophists, taught for money. A bombastic mysticism, promising to reveal secrets about the unseen world and the future, was a very lucrative profession in the last days of Paganism, and it passed over to Christianity as an element in various heresies. (Compare to the Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude IX.19.3.)

Make merchandise of you.—The verb literally means to travel, especially as a merchant on business, and therefore “to be a merchant,” “to trade,” and, with an accusative, “to deal in,” or “make merchandise of.” (Compare to our commercial phrase, “to travel in” such and such goods.) It may also mean simply “to gain,” or “gain over,” which would make good sense here; but our version is perhaps better. The word occurs elsewhere only in James 4:13.

With feigned words possibly refers back to cunningly devised fables (2 Peter 1:16).

Lingereth not.—Literally, is not idle, the cognate verb of the adjective in 2 Peter 1:8. Their sentence has long since been pronounced, is working, and in due time will strike them. We have a similar thought in 1 Peter 4:17.

Their damnation slumbereth not.—Better, their destruction. (See fourth Note on 2 Peter 2:1.) Wycliffe and Rheims have “perdition.” The destruction involved in the judgment pronounced by God is awake and on its way to overtake them. The word for “slumbereth” occurs in Matthew 25:5 only.

We now proceed to see how this judgment, of a long time, has been working. It was pronounced against all sinners, such as they are, from the very beginning of the world.