Interpreting Kosmos in 2 Peter: Support for a Local/Universal Flood

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The Greek word (kosmos), translated as "world" in 2 Peter 2:5 and 3:6, is a key component in arguments against a geographically global (planet-wide) flood and in favor of a universal (all of humanity) or local (inhabited region) flood. The argument rests on the semantic range and contextual qualification of kosmos in the New Testament, especially in Peter's epistles.

The Semantic Range of Kosmos

In biblical Greek, kosmos carries a broader range of meaning than just the modern English "planet" or "entire physical universe." Its meanings include:

  • Order/Arrangement/Ornament: This is its original meaning (seen in 1 Peter 3:3, "adornment").

  • The Created Universe: The physical heavens and earth (e.g., Acts 17:24).

  • The Inhabitants of the Earth (Humanity): The human family, often the object of God's love and judgment (e.g., John 3:16).

  • The Earthly System Opposed to God: The world as a structured system of evil and ungodliness (e.g., 1 John 2:15).

The argument for a local or universal flood highlights that context is crucial for determining which of these meanings Peter intends.

Contextual Qualification in 2 Peter 2:5

In 2 Peter 2:5, Peter explicitly qualifies the noun: "when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.”

  • Focus on Humanity: By attaching the genitive "of the ungodly", Peter immediately shifts the focus from the geography of the planet to the moral and human aspect of the "world." The central concern of the passage is God's judgment on sin and unrighteousness, not a geological survey.

  • Limited Scope of Judgment: The phrase strongly suggests that the judgment (the Flood) was proportional to the extent of the ungodly human population. If, as some models suggest, the human population at the time of the Flood was still confined to a localized region (e.g., Mesopotamia and the Near East), then a flood destroying that entire inhabited area would be a destruction of the "world of the ungodly," even if it didn't cover the uninhabited continents like the Americas or Australia. This makes the Flood universal in terms of humanity and local in terms of geography, which still completely fulfills the language of judgment.

  • Salvation of Noah: The point is further solidified by the fact that only eight people were spared. If the purpose was to judge the "ungodly," and the ungodly were concentrated in one area, then a flood limited to their inhabited region would accomplish the divine decree without needing to inundate the entire globe.

Qualification and Parallelism in 2 Peter 3:6

In 2 Peter 3:6, the text states, "the world that then existed perished.”

  • Temporal Distinction: The key qualification here is the adjective, meaning "at that time" or "then." This is known as the kosmos tote ("the then-world"). By making this temporal distinction, Peter implies that the "world of Noah" is distinct from the "world that now exists" (2 Peter 3:7).

  • Destruction as Disordering: The word "perished" does not necessarily mean global annihilation, but rather destruction in a local/universal view. This ruin describes the utter destruction of the social and moral order and the inhabitants of Noah's world, which, from their perspective, was their whole world.

In conclusion, the careful use of qualifiers like "of the ungodly" and "at that time" provides a strong textual foundation for the argument that the Flood’s primary scope was universal in its application to the human race and their civilization, rather than a necessary inundation of the entire physical globe.


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