Jude 1:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

NIV: Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

NASB: Now I want to remind you, though you know everything once and for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.

CSB: Now I want to remind you, although you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe;

NLT: So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful.

KJV: I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

NKJV: But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

In this verse Jude reminds his readers about what happened after the Lord rescued the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. A massive nation of Israelites left Egypt and were accompanied by many non-Israelites (Exodus 12:37–38). During their journey through the desert, on their way to Canaan, the Promised Land, a rebellious number of them, called "rabble" in Numbers 11:4, caused Israel to complain about the Lord's provision. God had given them manna: a food from heaven. By complaining, they showed they did not believe in the Lord or in His ability to provide for their needs. They expressed their regret that they had left Egypt and voiced their desire to return there.

Psalm 78:32 says that in spite of all God's mighty works on behalf of the people in the desert, "they still sinned…they did not believe." Later, these complainers rejected the Lord's command to enter the Promised Land. As a result of their unbelief, the Lord wiped them out (Numbers 14; Hebrews 3:16–19). The complainers died in the desert.

The apostates of Jude's days had heard the truth, and had seen God save souls, yet they refused to believe. Hebrews 3:7–12 offers a warning against similar apostasy: "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, "They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways." As I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest." Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.'"

Jude 1:5–16 describes the nature, errors, and fate of false teachers plaguing the Christian church. Jude's readers seem to have been acquainted with Israel's history. This passage references Old Testament events to help explain the apostates' sins, the danger they pose, and how the Lord will punish them. Jude references the unbelief of Israel after the Lord delivered them from slavery in Egypt, rebellious angels, the ungodly people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the dangers of allowing such people to mingle with other believers.

Jude's brief letter describes men at their worst and God at His best. Believers are already on the victorious side! Those who mock God's truth and who follow their own desires all while claiming to be Christians, are the most dangerous kind of unbelievers. These persons pose a danger to themselves and to any Christians they might influence. In response, Christians need to focus on understanding the truth of God's written Word and submitting to His will.

Jude is a single-chapter letter which reflects earlier warnings about apostates and their false teachings. Other passages of Scripture describe evil men who taught that Jesus was not fully human or fully God (1 John 2:22; 4:1–3), that God's grace allowed them to live immorally (2 Peter 2; Romans 6:1, 15), that Jesus blood was not an adequate sacrifice (Galatians 1:6–9; Hebrews 3:12–19; 10:19), and sinners gain a right standing in God's sight by keeping the law of Moses (Galatians 5:4, 7–9). Jude's letter combats false teaching and exhorts readers to remain faithful to the Lord.