1. 2 Peter 1:20 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does it mean for prophecy to come from the prophet’s own interpretation?

2 Peter 1:20 (ESV)

20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.

Prophecies in Scripture should be respected because they come from God and not from man. False prophecy has its origin in human will (Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 23:16; Ezekiel 13:3) but not the prophecies found in God’s Word. Peter is countering the heretic claim that prophets have spoken of their own accord, at least when it comes to predictions about the future coming of Christ and the final judgment.1 Since Old Testament prophecy was not the product of human desires but divine inspiration, it is a trustworthy source of information.2