“then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,” (2 Peter 2:9).

At issue here, as it relates to conditionalism, is the second half of the verse. What is it mean “to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment”? Is this punishment continuing now? If it is, then the conditionalist view of soul sleep is jeopardized and annihilationism is weakened. Let’s begin by taking a look at how different Bibles translate this verse.

• ASV1901, …to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment.
• ESV, …to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.
• HCSB, … to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.
• ISV, …to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment.
• KJV, … to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished
• LEB, …to reserve the unrighteous to be punished at the day of judgment
• NASB, …to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.
• NIV, …to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
• NKJV, … to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.
• RSV, … to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.
• YLT, … and unrighteous ones to a day of judgment, being punished, to keep.

These translations have a slight variety of meaning from present, ongoing punishment (ASV1901, ESV, HCSB, NASB, NIV, NKJV, RSV, YLT) and to being held for future punishment (KJV, ISV, LEB).  Why do the majority of the Bibles cited opt for the present condition of punishment? It is because of what the Greek says.

What does the Greek say?

Table 1: 2 Peter 2:9 “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment”
English	to keep	the	unrighteous	under	punishment	for	the	day	of	judgment
Greek	τηρεῖν	→	ἀδίκους	→	κολαζομένους	εἰς	→	ἡμέραν	→	κρίσεως
Transliteration	tērein		adikous		kolazomenous	eis		hēmeran		kriseōs
Syntax	• Verb • Present • Active		• Adjective • Accusative		• Present • Participle	P		• Noun • Accusative		• Noun • Genitive

The word punishment in Greek is a present participle. This means that the action is happening now. Generally speaking, in English a participle is a word with “ing” on it.  It denotes a continued action that is associated with the main verb such as “I am eating,” or “He was walking.”

• “The present participle indicates an action occuring [sic] at the same time as the main verb.”¹Zondervan. Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar (Kindle Locations 17333-17334). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
• “Simultaneous process – the action in the participle is a process going on at the same time as the action in the main verb.”²Duff, Jeremy. The Elements of New Testament Greek (Page 85). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.
• “The present participle is normally contemporaneous in time to the action of the main verb. This is especially so when it is related to a present tense main verb.”³Wallace, Daniel B.; Wallace, Daniel B.. The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Greek Grammar (p. 273). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

So, the implication of the present participle with the main present tense verb “keep” is that the unrighteous who have died are presently being kept under punishment.  They are experiencing this punishment.

But this is not consistent with conditionalist thought. So, I wanted to find out what the conditionalists would say about this particular verse. I went to the rethinkinghell.com website and search for 2 Peter 2:9. If it is there, I could not find it. Next, I went to their discussion forums at rethinkinghell.com/forum where I used their search feature and looked for “2 Pet. 2:9” and “2 Peter 2:9” which would give me a listing of posts that I hoped would include 2 Pet. 2:9. Though occasionally the verse was mentioned, none of the posts provided any analysis. I even did a search on Google with the phrase “rethinkinghell 2 Pet 2 9”. Several links showed up, but after examining them, I still didn’t find anything that addressed the issue (as of 7/8/2018).

I also searched through the several Kindle books I have that were written by conditionalists.  I found nothing in The Fire that Consumes by Fudge.  I found nothing in A Consuming Passion:  Essays on Hell and Immortality in Honor of Edward Fudge by Date and Highfield.  However, in the book Rethinking Hell, I found this.

“The same root occurs again in our second occurrence in 2 Pet 2: 9: “the Lord knoweth how . .  . to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished,” or possibly, as we have seen, “to be cut off.” The word here is the participle kolazomenous. Though the participle is in a present form, our translators were clearly right to render it as a future.”⁴Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism (Kindle Locations 2467-2469). Cascade Books, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.

So, the only mention I could find of 2 Peter 2:9 that relates to our topic, provided no analysis in reference to the King James Version, which is the version in the quote above. I find this very problematic. Are the conditionalists ignoring this verse because it doesn’t support their view? You would think that such an important citation will be mentioned in a thorough cross-examination from the conditionalists perspective. But, from what I found, it doesn’t exist. Of course, that doesn’t mean someone hasn’t already analyzed it. I just haven’t found it.

What does the Greek say?

In Table 1 above I provided a look at the Greek with its syntax and quoted New Testament Greek Grammars about the present participle and its implication of present punishment of the wicked. My intention is to look at what the Greek actually says, not what I think it says.  In light of that, the Greek word κολαζομένους, kolazomenous is a form of the Greek word κολάζω, kolazo. It only occurs twice in the Bible.

 

TABLE 2 ALL NEW TESTAMENT USEAGES OF KOLAZO, κολάζω
Address	Verse	Meaning
Acts 4:21	“When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened.”	Punishment experienced while alive
2 Pet. 2:9	“then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”	Punishment experienced while alive

In Acts 4:21, it is obvious that the punishment described is that which is experienced while a person is conscious. In 2 Pet. 2:9, the verse under examination, I have also categorized it as “punishment experienced while alive.” I did this because of the present participle form of “punishment” found in that verse which implies continued present action.  My analysis is consistent with the majority of Bible translations.

Conclusion

2 Peter 2:9 is best understood to mean that the wicked who died without hope in Christ, are presently undergoing punishment. This is based on the present participial form of the word kolazo/punish that is connected with the main verb “keep.” Therefore, “…the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,” is stating that the Lord knows how to presently keep the unrighteous under punishment as they await the day of judgment. However, this does not fit into the conditionalist view which states that people are presently unconscious in a state of soul sleep⁵Soul sleep is a rather ambiguous term used by conditionalists that is not very well defined and explored. and therefore cannot experience punishment. They interpret this verse to mean that they are being held for a future punishment not undergoing a present one. Their bias is showing.

I leave it to you to decide which understanding of the verse is best.

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