Bible Strands

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Peter writes to believers being mocked by scoffers who cite the absence of Christ's return as proof it will never come; verse 8 just before reframes the issue as a difference in how God and humans measure time.

The words — βραδύνει (braduneí), "does delay," is the verb the verse argues against: Peter's point is that what looks like delay from the outside is not delay at all from the inside of God's intent.

The thread — The same divine patience-as-purpose appears in Romans 2:4 (God's tolerance leads to repentance) and 1 Timothy 2:4 (God desires all to be saved); Habakkuk 2:3 adds the corollary that the lingering vision is not a broken promise but a timed one.

Why it lands — The verse removes the excuse that God's waiting is indifference; if the delay is purposeful patience aimed at you, the question shifts from "When will He come?" to "What am I doing with the time He is giving?"

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

οὐouNotβραδύνειbraduneidoes delayὁhotheκύριοςkuriosLordτῆςtēstheἐπαγγελίας,epangeliaspromise,ὥςhōsasτινεςtinessomeβραδύτηταbradutētaslownessἡγοῦνται·hēgountaiesteem;ἀλλὰallabutμακροθυμεῖmakrothumeiis patientεἰςeistowardὑμᾶςhumasyouμὴmēnotβουλόμενόςboulomenoswillingτιναςtinas[for] anyἀπολέσθαιapolesthaito perishἀλλὰallabutπάνταςpantasallεἰςeistoμετάνοιανmetanoianrepentanceχωρῆσαι.chōrēsaito come.

King James Version

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Cross-references