2 Peter 1:20 teaches that no prophecy in Scripture comes from the prophet’s own private opinion or personal guesswork, so it should not be read as if each reader can make it mean whatever they like. Peter is saying that the messages of the prophets have a God-given source and a God-intended meaning, and that believers should read them with that in mind. The verse appears in the second letter of Peter, traditionally attributed to the apostle himself, and it is addressed to the wider community of Christians who were being exposed to false teaching.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation.
2 Peter 1:20 (WEB)
What 2 Peter 1:20 Means
The phrase “knowing this first” tells the reader that Peter considers this point foundational. Before anything else about how Scripture is used, he wants his readers to understand that its origin matters. The word “prophecy” here refers broadly to the message of God given through people, which in Peter’s day would include the Hebrew Scriptures as Christians received them.
The key claim is that such prophecy is not “of private interpretation.” In everyday terms, the message did not begin inside the mind of a single person who then decided what it would say. The verse does not promise that every reader will instantly grasp every passage, and it does not say that Christians cannot learn from one another. What it does is set a boundary: the meaning of Scripture is anchored in what God gave, not in whatever a reader happens to prefer.
The Context of 2 Peter 1:20
Second Peter is a short letter written to strengthen believers against false teachers who were leading people astray. Just before this verse, Peter recalls the transfiguration, when he heard the voice of God on the holy mountain. He says that the prophetic word is “more sure” than even that personal experience, and that readers do well to pay attention to it as a lamp shining in a dark place. The surrounding verses set Scripture as a reliable guide in a confusing time.
Read in that setting, verse 20 works as a safeguard. Peter has just urged his readers to hold tightly to the prophetic word, and now he explains why it deserves that trust: it did not originate with human whim. The verse that follows, verse 21, supplies the reason, saying that the prophets spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Verse 20 and verse 21 belong together.
Key Phrases in 2 Peter 1:20
2 Timothy 3:16
Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness…
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This verse affirms that all Scripture is breathed out by God and useful for teaching and correction. It pairs naturally with Peter’s claim that prophecy did not originate in human will, because both locate the source of Scripture in God rather than in human invention.
Acts 17:11
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
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The Bereans examined the Scriptures daily to see whether Paul’s teaching was true. This shows the careful, humble reading that Peter’s principle encourages, where believers test their understanding against the written word rather than trusting their own impressions alone.
A Short Prayer From 2 Peter 1:20
Lord, thank you that your word did not come from the mind of a single person but was given to us through your Spirit. Help me to read the Scriptures with humility, to receive them as your gift, and to resist the temptation to bend them toward my own wishes. Teach me to listen carefully, to pay attention to the context of each passage, and to trust the wisdom of your people as I seek to understand what you are saying. Let your word be a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. Amen.
