2 Peter 3:9
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Lord is not slow about His promise but patient, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
What Does 2 Peter 3:9 Mean?
Peter explains the true reason for the delay. The Lord "is not slack concerning his promise," as some judge slackness; rather He is "longsuffering" — patient — "to us-ward." His patience has a saving purpose: He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." The apparent delay is mercy at work.
What scoffers call slowness is in fact love. God withholds the final day not because He has forgotten His promise but because He is giving time for repentance, desiring that none be lost. Every passing day the world deems proof of God's absence is actually an open door of mercy. This reveals the very heart of God toward sinners — patient, longing for their turning. For the believer, the lesson is twofold: do not mistake God's patience for indifference, and see in the delay an invitation extended to the lost. The God who will surely judge is, even now, holding the door open in love, not willing that any should perish.
In the Original Language
makrothymeo (μακροθυμέω), 'longsuffering' — patient and slow to anger, bearing long with others for their good.