2 Peter 3:5 (LSB)

Passage

For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

Nearby Context

2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,

2 Peter 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

2 Peter 3:5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

2 Peter 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being deluged with water.

2 Peter 3:7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "maintain", "escapes", "notice", "word", "heavens", "existed", "long", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "maintain" and "escapes", 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 "through which the world at that time...", so "maintain" and "escapes" 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 "maintain" and "escapes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.