“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:”
King James Version (KJV)
3:5 For this they are willingly ignorant of - They do not care to know or consider. That by the almighty word of God - Which bounds the duration of all things, so that it cannot be either longer or shorter. Of old - Before the flood. The aerial heavens were, and the earth - Not as it is now, but standing out of the water and in the water - Perhaps the interior globe of earth was fixed in the midst of the great deep, the abyss of water; the shell or exterior globe standing out of the water, covering the great deep. This, or some other great and manifest difference between the original and present constitution of the terraqueous globe, seems then to have been so generally known, that St. Peter charges their ignorance of it totally upon their wilfulness.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of. Their ignorance which causes them to speak thus is willful. They obstinately forget all the lessons taught by the deluge. There the fixed order was interrupted. That by the word of God. See Ge 1:6,9. The heavens were of old. This alludes to the beginning of creation. See Ge 1:1,2. And the earth standing out of the water. "Compacted out of water" (Revised Version). That is, water is a principal element in its formation, a fact seen in three-fourths of its surface being sea, and water being found in the depths of the earth everywhere, and being found largely in earthly combinations.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heauens were of olde, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water,
- King James Version (1611) - View 1611 Bible Scan
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,
- New American Standard Version (1995)
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;
- American Standard Version (1901)
But in taking this view they put out of their minds the memory that in the old days there was a heaven, and an earth lifted out of the water and circled by water, by the word of God;
- Basic English Bible
For this is hidden from them through their own wilfulness, that heavens were of old, and an earth, having its subsistence out of water and in water, by the word of God,
- Darby Bible
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
- Webster's Bible
For they are wilfully blind to the fact that there were heavens which existed of old, and an earth, the latter arising out of water and extending continuously through water, by the command of God;
- Weymouth Bible
For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water, by the word of God;
- World English Bible
But it is hid fro hem willynge this thing, that heuenes were bifore, and the erthe of water was stondynge bi watir, of Goddis word;
- Wycliffe Bible
for this is unobserved by them willingly, that the heavens were of old, and the earth out of water and through water standing together by the word of God,
- Youngs Literal Bible