Jude 17–19, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Jude 17–19
Remember the Apostles' Prediction
The beloved remember the apostles, not a rumor mill
But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. Attention turns from the infiltrators to memory. The apostles already warned that desire-driven mockers would come. Jude does not name which apostle, and he does not settle whether he is using 2 Peter, oral teaching, or a shared tradition.
The last time is the apostles' horizon, not a calendar you can set. Prediction here is for recognition, not for panic or date-setting. Remembering is the first obedience of this unit.
Division and mockery are not the same as honest questions
These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. Jude identifies the present people with that warning: they divide, they live as merely natural people, and they do not have the Spirit. 'Sensual' in the KJV can mislead. The contrast is Spirit-less life, not a diagnosis of sexuality, personality, or mental health.
Mockery is scorn joined to ungodly desire. It is not a traumatized question, a careful disagreement, or a person who votes differently. Fascination with opponents is not the assignment. The next sentences will send the beloved toward building, prayer, and mercy.
How this should shape us
When mocking division shows up, recall the gospel you already received, then spend your energy on shared teaching and prayer. Do not treat a skeptic, a wounded questioner, or an ordinary opponent as Jude's last-time mocker.
Teach it back
Explain Jude 17–19 in your own words. Include what came before, the section's movement, one important uncertainty, and one conclusion the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Interpreters dispute whether Jude quotes 2 Peter, whether 2 Peter uses Jude, or whether both reflect shared teaching. Verse 19 may mean people who create divisions or separate themselves. The primary movement remains clear: remember the apostles' warning and recognize the intruders by the conduct Jude names.
How certain? uncertainResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: The exact displayed KJV wording and immediate English context for Jude 17–19.
eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Jude 1, verses within Jude 17–19; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording, clause relationships, and visible variation markers checked for the passage.
Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Jude.txt, verses within Jude 17–19.
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax questions, and textual variants checked for this passage.
NET Bible, Jude 1, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Jude 17–19.
Supports: Verse-level Greek, textual variants, older interpretive alternatives, and historical proposals tested against newer evidence.
Charles Bigg, The Epistle of St. Jude, commentary pp. 337–340; introduction pp. 306–322 where historical orientation is involved.
Supports: A cross-check of Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for reader-facing word notes.
STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records, Jude 1, verses within Jude 17–19.
Supports: A modern whole-letter check on passage boundaries, argument, and major interpretive options.
Thomas R. Schreiner, Jude, heading 'A Call to Persevere,' verses within Jude 17–19; Introduction paragraphs 'Authorship,' 'Date,' and 'Recipients' where orientation claims are involved.
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The exact displayed KJV wording and immediate English context for Jude 17–19.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Jude 1, verses within Jude 17–19; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording, clause relationships, and visible variation markers checked for the passage.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Jude.txt, verses within Jude 17–19.
Open the Jude Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Jude with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax questions, and textual variants checked for this passage.
Exact location: NET Bible, Jude 1, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Jude 17–19.
Open source ↗public domain critical commentary
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude
Charles Bigg
T&T Clark / Charles Scribner's Sons, 1902
Supports: Verse-level Greek, textual variants, older interpretive alternatives, and historical proposals tested against newer evidence.
Exact location: Charles Bigg, The Epistle of St. Jude, commentary pp. 337–340; introduction pp. 306–322 where historical orientation is involved.
Open source ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: A cross-check of Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for reader-facing word notes.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records, Jude 1, verses within Jude 17–19.
Open source ↗modern open commentary
Jude
Thomas R. Schreiner
The Gospel Coalition, 2023
Supports: A modern whole-letter check on passage boundaries, argument, and major interpretive options.
Exact location: Thomas R. Schreiner, Jude, heading 'A Call to Persevere,' verses within Jude 17–19; Introduction paragraphs 'Authorship,' 'Date,' and 'Recipients' where orientation claims are involved.
Open source ↗