2 Peter 3:17

Ye. The pronoun is emphatic in the Greek. Peter, turning from the foolish ones who have misconstrued Scripture, is addressing his readers, whom he seeks to protect from such errors.

Know ... before. The believers have been well instructed, and know in advance about the specious teachings of the false teachers. Hence, they should have nothing to fear in the event the heretical teachings reached them or the wily seducers should come their way.

Beware lest ye also. The believer has a responsibility for his own safety; he cannot afford to fall asleep during the spiritual warfare he is waging (cf. on 1 Cor. 16:13; Eph. 6:10-18).

Being led away with. Gr. sunapago (see on Rom. 12:16).

Error of the wicked. In ch. 2:18 the writer has already spoken of “them who live in error,” that is, the pagan Gentiles. He now implies that the false teachers share in the Gentile sins, or “error,” and urgently entreats his readers not to be ensnared by such conduct. For comment on “wicked” (athesmoi) see on ch. 2:7.

Stedfastness. Gr. sterigmos, used in contrast with asteriktoi, “unstable” (v. 16), and here probably best rendered “foundation.” The true Christian has his own sure foundation (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-14), and has no need to abandon it for any imagined liberty that licentious teachers may seek to offer him.