2 Peter 3:5 (ASV)

Passage

For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God;

Nearby Context

2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts,

2 Peter 3:4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2 Peter 3:5 For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God;

2 Peter 3:6 by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

2 Peter 3:7 but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "willfully", "forget", "heavens", "earth", "compacted", "water", and "amidst". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "willfully" and "forget", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "and saying Where is the promise of..." into verse 6's "by which means the world that then...", so "willfully" and "forget" 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 "willfully" and "forget" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.