2 Peter 1:16 (KJV)

Passage

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

Nearby Context

2 Peter 1:14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

2 Peter 1:15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Peter 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

2 Peter 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "followed", "cunningly", "devised", "fables", "known", "power", "coming", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "followed" and "cunningly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Moreover I will endeavour that ye may..." into verse 17's "For he received from God the Father...", so "followed" and "cunningly" belong inside that flow. In 2 Peter context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "followed" and "cunningly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.