2 Peter 2:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you wish to know the reason why this happened? It was a grave and accursed sin. The people of that time remained only with boys (ὲν παισὶν ἐπεμένοντο). For this they bore such punishment.

The Apostle speaks as though saying this: God knows how to punish without fail and without mercy those who live in sins, as He punished the angels who sinned, the people before the flood, and the cities of Sodom.

Here is proof that all the impious will be punished. Listing other examples, the Apostle also speaks of Sodom, so that the one who sees it may not be impious. He knows that all who do similar things will receive an equal punishment.

God willed to announce judgment when He sent Gehenna from heaven upon the impious people, showing an example to future impious men.

The third example of judgment and punishment of the ungodly, and of deliverance of the pious, is the Sodomites and Lot.

“The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah” means not only Sodom and Gomorrah, but also the other cities of the former land of Sodom and Gomorrah. Of these, the more important were Admah and Zeboiim. All are called by the common name of Sodom and Gomorrah.

All these cities became, as it were, common names instead of proper names. All of them, with all their inhabitants, were destroyed (Gen 10:19; 19:24-25; Deut 29:23).

“Having condemned them to destruction,” because of their exceedingly violent corruption, which cried out to heaven (Gen 13:13; 18:20; 19:5 and following; cf. Isa 3:9; Ezek 16:49-50), He “reduced them to ashes.”

As an example of God’s terrible judgment upon heretical corrupters and those corrupted by them, the apostle first cites the fallen angels. The Lord bound them with chains of Hades’ darkness and delivered them to be kept for judgment and punishment, despite their former most exalted dignity.

Second, the apostle points to the example of the ungodly world before the flood. By the justice of God, it was entirely covered by the waves of the flood. Only the household of Noah, preacher of righteousness, was preserved, eight souls in all.

The examples of the destruction of men during the flood, and likewise during the annihilation of the cities of Sodom, are given to show the certain destruction of heretics. Compared with the world before the flood and the inhabitants of Sodom and the other destroyed cities, they are both fewer in number and more guilty.

Jesus Christ Himself says that the ancient ungodly cities would have repented if they had seen what the cities contemporary with Him saw (see Mt 10:15; Lk 10:12).

But heretics could have known both the greater glory of Christ and all His sufferings for our deliverance from sins. Therefore they are more guilty than the inhabitants of the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.