The Meaning of Jude 1:5 Explained

Jude 1:5

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.

YLT: and to remind you I intend, you knowing once this, that the Lord, a people out of the land of Egypt having saved, again those who did not believe did destroy;

Darby: But I would put you in remembrance, you who once knew all things, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, in the second place destroyed those who had not believed.

ASV: Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Jude 1:5 Mean?

Study Notes

saved
.
salvation
The Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία , safety, preservation, healing, and soundness). Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification. Salvation is in three tenses:
(1) The believer has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin Luke 7:50 ; 1 Corinthians 1:18 ; 2 Corinthians 2:15 ; Ephesians 2:5 ; Ephesians 2:8 ; 2 Timothy 1:9 and is safe.
(2) the believer is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin Romans 6:14 ; Philippians 1:19 ; Philippians 2:12 ; Philippians 2:13 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 ; Romans 8:2 ; Galatians 2:19 ; Galatians 2:20 ; 2 Corinthians 3:18 .
(3) The believer is to be saved in the sense of entire conformity to Christ. Romans 13:11 ; Hebrews 10:36 ; 1 Peter 1:5 ; 1 John 3:2 . Salvation is by grace through faith, is a free gift, and wholly without works; Romans 3:27 ; Romans 3:28 ; Romans 4:1-8 ; Romans 6:23 ; Ephesians 2:8 . The divine order is: first salvation, then works; Ephesians 2:9 ; Ephesians 2:10 ; Titus 3:5-8 .

Verse Meaning

Jude"s introductory words were polite (cf. 2 Peter 1:12) but also a reminder that what he now said was fact beyond dispute. His readers knew these things "once for all" because God had delivered them "once for all" in Scripture ( Jude 1:3; cf. 1 John 2:20-21).
After God redeemed Israel and liberated the nation from bondage in Egypt, the people failed to continue to believe God"s promises and to trust in His power (cf. Numbers 14:11; Deuteronomy 1:32). God judged those who failed by destroying them in the wilderness. He let that generation die rather than bringing the unbelieving apostates into the Promised Land. Some of the false teachers in Jude"s day evidently were Christians. That is a reasonable conclusion since Jude compared them to the redeemed Israelites. They too were turning from continuing trust and obedience to God, and God would judge them as well.
"This allusion to Israel in the wilderness makes it very plain that Jude"s opponents were once orthodox Christians who had gone wilfully [1] astray into error." [2]
Other interpreters believe Jude was referring to those Israelites who had never really believed in Yahweh in this verse. [3]
Jude primarily wanted to point out the behavior of these false teachers, not to identify whether they were believers or unbelievers. Unbelief always results in some kind of destruction whether the unbeliever is lost or saved. God definitely destroyed these unbelievers physically. He also destroyed them eternally if they were unsaved.
"Jude insists that the Saviour can also be the Destroyer." [1]3

Context Summary

Jude 1:1-11 - "contend Earnestly For The Faith"
Kept is the keynote of this Epistle. It occurs in Judges 1:1; Judges 1:6; Judges 1:21, and in another form in Judges 1:24. Many evil doctrines and practices were intruding into the Church. Certain persons had crept in, who quoted the mercy of God as an excuse for immorality and practically disowned the teachings of the Lord Jesus.
In contrast with these were the disciples whom Jude addresses and who owned the Lord Jesus as their beloved "Despot," (the Greek for Master, Judges 1:4, r.v.) They were kept for him, as the others were kept in chains. Let us also keep ourselves in the love of God, Judges 1:21. It is much easier to live consistently in hours of storm than in hours of ease.
Let us be warned against drifting back from our first faith. Let us take heed from the fate of fallen angels, of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Cain and Balaam, of Korah and others. Let us watch and pray and earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, Judges 1:3, bearing it through the world as the pilgrim host bore the sacred vessels in the days of Ezra. See Ezra 8:28. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jude 1

1  He exhorts them to be constant in the profession of the faith
4  false teachers crept in to seduce them, for whose evil doctrine a horrible punishment is prepared;
20  whereas the godly may persevere, grow in grace, and keep the faith

Greek Commentary for Jude 1:5

To put you in remembrance [υπομνησαι]
See 2 Peter 1:12 υπομιμνησκειν — hupomimnēskein (present active infinitive there, first aorist active infinitive here). [source]
Though ye know all things once for all [ειδοτας απαχ παντα]
Concessive perfect (sense of present) active participle as in 2 Peter 1:12, but without καιπερ — kaiper Lord Some MSS. add Ιησους — Iēsous The use of κυριος — kurios here is usually understood to mean the Lord Jesus Christ, as Clement of Alex. (Adumbr. p. 133) explains, Exodus 23:20, by ο μυστικος εκεινος αγγελος Ιησους — ho mustikos ekeinos aggelos Iēsous (that mystical angel Jesus). For the mystic reference to Christ see 1 Corinthians 10:4, 1 Corinthians 10:9; Hebrews 11:26. Some MSS. here add τεος — theos instead of Ιησους — Iēsous Adverbial accusative, “the second time.” After having saved the people out of Egypt.Destroyed (απωλεσεν — apōlesen). First aorist active indicative of απολλυμι — apollumi old verb, to destroy.Them that believed not First aorist active articular participle of πιστευω — pisteuō The reference is to Numbers 14:27-37, when all the people rescued from Egypt perished except Caleb and Joshua. This first example by Jude is not in 2 Peter, but is discussed in 1 Corinthians 10:5-11; Heb 3:18-4:2. [source]
Destroyed [απωλεσεν]
First aorist active indicative of απολλυμι — apollumi old verb, to destroy. [source]
Them that believed not [τους μη πιστευσαντας]
First aorist active articular participle of πιστευω — pisteuō The reference is to Numbers 14:27-37, when all the people rescued from Egypt perished except Caleb and Joshua. This first example by Jude is not in 2 Peter, but is discussed in 1 Corinthians 10:5-11; Heb 3:18-4:2. [source]
Ye once knew [εἰδότας ἅπαξ]
Entirely wrong. The participle is to be rendered as present, and the once is not formerly, but once for all, as Judges 1:3. So Rev., rightly, though ye know all things once for all. [source]

What do the individual words in Jude 1:5 mean?

To remind now you I want having known you at one time all this that - Jesus a people out of [the] land of Egypt having saved - afterward those not having believed He destroyed
Ὑπομνῆσαι δὲ ὑμᾶς βούλομαι εἰδότας ‹ὑμᾶς› ἅπαξ πάντα ὅτι [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς» λαὸν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου σώσας τὸ δεύτερον τοὺς μὴ πιστεύσαντας ἀπώλεσεν

Ὑπομνῆσαι  To  remind 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ὑπομιμνῄσκω  
Sense: to cause one to remember, bring to remembrance, recall to mind: to another.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
βούλομαι  I  want 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 1st Person Singular
Root: βούλομαι  
Sense: to will deliberately, have a purpose, be minded.
εἰδότας  having  known 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: οἶδα  
Sense: to see.
ἅπαξ  at  one  time 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἅπαξ  
Sense: once, one time.
πάντα  all  this 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
[ὁ]  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς»  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
λαὸν  a  people 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: λαός  
Sense: a people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language.
ἐκ  out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
γῆς  [the]  land 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: γῆ  
Sense: arable land.
Αἰγύπτου  of  Egypt 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: Αἴγυπτος  
Sense: a country occupying the northeast angle of Africa.
σώσας  having  saved 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐκσῴζω 
Sense: to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.
τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
δεύτερον  afterward 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: δεύτερον 
Sense: the second, the other of two.
τοὺς  those 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πιστεύσαντας  having  believed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: πιστεύω  
Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.
ἀπώλεσεν  He  destroyed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀπόλλυμι  
Sense: to destroy.