"KNOWING THIS FIRST, THAT NO PROPHECY OF THE SCRIPTURE IS OF ANY PRIVATE

INTERPRETATION. FOR THE PROPHECY CAME NOT IN OLD TIME (marg. at any time) BY THE WILL OF

MAN: BUT HOLY MEN OF GOD SPAKE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST." -- 2 Peter i.

20, 21.

The words of the 20th verse are confessedly difficult of translation, and have given rise to many and various

interpretations. The Revisers, after we may suppose the fullest consideration, have adhered to the A.V.

merely omitting the word "any," and then giving v. 21, thus:-- "For no prophecy came (marg. was brought)

by the will of man: but men spake from God being moved by the Holy Ghost."

The difficulty arises partly from the fact that the word translated "interpretation" occurs no where else in the

whole Bible (and only once or twice in secular writings). We have therefore to seek its meaning chiefly from

the context. Even the verb from which this noun is formed, occurs only twice in the New Testament (Mark

iv. 34 and Acts xix. 39); and in the Old Testament only once in the lxx. (Gen xli. 12). Literally, it means a

loosening upon, unloosing: then, of what is before unknown, an unfolding. Hence the rendering

Then, the word "private" is the translation of a Greek word that occurs 112 times, and is never translated

"private" except in this verse! Seventy-two times it is rendered "his own," e.g., "his own sheep," "his own

city," "his own brother," "his own place," "his own body," &c., &c.

But no translation of this verse can be correct which does not allow the verb its full and proper force. The

verb here translated "is," is no part of the ordinary verb "to be"; but it is another verb altogether, and means

to begin to be, to come into existence, to originate, to produce, to become.

Now, putting these facts together, and remembering that the next verse begins with "for" ("for the

prophecy," &c.), thus depending on and flowing from verse 20, we arrive at the following sense:--

"Knowing this first that no prophecy of the Scripture came (or originated) of his (i.e., the prophet's) own

unfolding, for no prophecy ever came by the will of man; but men spake from God (not from themselves)

moved by the Holy Ghost."

Prophecy is the unfolding of the future, and though men were used as instruments, yet they did not

originate or produce it of themselves, but it came from God, by His Holy Spirit.

This being so, prophecy comes to us already as an interpretation of the future, and our business with it is

not so much to interpret this interpretation, as to receive and believe the interpretation which it gives to us.

The same Holy Spirit who inspired this prophecy, is now with the Church of Christ, and His special Mission

is to unfold the Scriptures to us. "He shall guide you into all truth:" "He will show you things to come"

(John xiv. 13, 14). Speaking of the natural man, it is written: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have

entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared them unto us by His Spirit." (I Cor. ii. 9,

David was a prophet, and in 2 Sam. xxiii. 1-3, we read, "David the son of Jesse, said...the sweet psalmist of

Israel said, the Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue. The God if Israel said, the

Rock of Israel spake to me." It is not possible to emphasise the truth of our text more strongly, and we have

here a wonderful corroboration of its truth, and importance. Prophecy therefore (and in this statement the

whole Bible is of course included) did not originate from any private views, peculiar ideas, or favourite

theories, of any men. It is divine: and no matter how intelligent, or scholarly, any student of prophecy may

be, he must have the illumination of the Spirit of God. Artificial light ma y reveal the beauties of the structure

of a sun-dial, and display its carvings, or mosaics, or outward design, but only Heaven's light can show