2 Peter 3:16
“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul wrote of these things in all his letters, some of which the unlearned and unstable distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own ruin.
What Does 2 Peter 3:16 Mean?
Peter notes that Paul speaks of these matters "in all his epistles," and grants that some things in them are "hard to be understood." The "unlearned and unstable" twist these — and "the other scriptures" too — "unto their own destruction." Notably, Peter sets Paul's writings alongside "the other scriptures," recognizing their authority.
Difficulty in Scripture is not a flaw but a place where the unstable stumble. Peter does not deny that some passages are hard; he warns that those without grounding distort them to their own ruin. The remedy is the stability he has urged throughout — being established in the truth so one does not "wrest" the Word to fit one's desires. It is sobering that Scripture itself can be misused unto destruction by those who handle it carelessly or willfully. The believer is called to humble, careful reading rather than the twisting that serves the flesh. And in passing, Peter affirms the high standing of the apostolic writings as Scripture alongside the rest.
In the Original Language
streblo (στρεβλόω), 'wrest' — to twist or distort, as on a rack; the violent wrenching of words from their meaning.