abbath, works of Satan, or birth pangs. In the case of 2 Peter 3:10-13 the objects of this verb are “essential elements” (v. 10) and “heavens” (v. 12). The usual meaning of this language then would imply that these “essential elements” and “heavens” are abolished through some extraordinary act. They no longer have form or structure and cease to exist in their previous form.
The verb parerchomai can describe the motion of “passing by” some point of reference (usually an object occurs with this verb or some descriptor indicate how this movement occurred), but in 2 Peter 3:10 there is no object and in such instances the verb has the sense “pass away, disappear.” Flowers and generations “pass away,” i.e., die and disappear. Jesus says several times that “heaven and earth will pass away” (e.g., Matthew 5:18; 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; 21:33). The language used here by the writer of 2 Peter (perhaps mirroring that used by Jesus) indicates that “the heavens” will “disappear,” i.e., they no longer will exist.
And then there are the verbs that describe some process of burning. The writer uses kausoō twice, referring to the “essential elements” in verses 10 and 12. This verb means “be consumed by heat, burn up,” again suggesting a destructive process. However, this verb does not have much usage prior to 2 Peter 3:10. It does occur in first century AD authors and following, but primarily in medical texts (the cognate noun kausos describes a fever).
The other verb related to burning used by the writer is puroō which describes something on fire and so burning or something that is made very hot and so is glowing. It is true that this verb is used in contexts that describe a refining process, particularly in the Greek Old Testament (e.g., Psalm 11:7; 16:3; 17:21; 25:2; 65:10; cf. Job 22:25; Zechariah 13:9; Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 9:6; Daniel 11:35(Theodotion); 12:10(Theodotion)), but in these contexts other verbs in parallel stichs describe refining and testing processes or else relate this process to purification in some way. The exceptions are Psalm 104:17 and 118:140 (cf. Wisdom of Solomon 17:43) in which the writer says that God’s message is purified (cf. Proverbs 30:5) and purifies people. According to Proverbs 10:20 “the tongue of the righteous is purified silver.” However, in the context of 2 Peter 3:10-13 the verb is not coupled with ideas of refining metals or burning with a view to purification. As far as I can determine the metaphor of refining is not used by the writer of 2 Peter. However, he does use the idea of destruction by fire (see in addition 2 Peter 2:6 and 3:7). So if the idea of “judgment or assessment” with the intent of purification by refining is intended by the writer, then he does not express it very clearly.
And so we come to the question of what the author meant, if the variant heurethēsetai (v. 10d) is the original reading. The manuscript evidence for this text is quite mixed. There are six variants related to this reading:
- heurethēsetai — witnessed by א B P 1175 1448 1739(txt) 1852 sy(ph mss txt), sy(hmg). (“will be found/discovered”) [The various sigla are those used in Nestle-Aland 28.]
- heurethēsetai luomena — P72. (“will be found destroyed”)
- aphanisthēsontai — C. (“will be destroyed”)
- katakaēsetai — A 048 33 81 307 436 442 642 1611 1739(v.l.) 2344 Byz vg(cl) sy(ph mss v.l.) sy(h) Cyr. (“will be burned up/consumed”)
- katakaēsontai — 5 1243 1735 2492. (“will be burned up/consumed”)
- ouch heurethēsetai — sy(ph mss) sa cv(vid). (“will not be found/discovered”). This reading is regarded by NA28 as the original reading and this is change from NA 27 which simply read heurethēsetai.
What is clear from this array of variants is that early scribes struggled to understand the text and various options emerged in the transmission of the text, all intended to clarify the text’s intent. The variants involving the verbs aphanizō and katakaiō interpret the text as describing the destruction of the earth and its products/works, as does the variant heurethēsetai luomena. What heurethēsetai luomena in papyrus 