Authorship.

Although a pseudepigrapher would want to clarify which Jude he was

(i.e., Jesus’ brother) or to write in the name of someone more prominent, this author
does not specify which Jude he is, making it probable that the letter was genuinely
written by Jude. At the same time, his lack of clarification as to which Jude he is and
the fact that he seems to be already known to his audience (vv. 3, 5) suggest that he
is the most prominent Jude, brother of the most prominent James—the younger
brother of Jesus (Mk 6:3). Early *church tradition varied on which Jude wrote the
letter, but this is the only Jude specifically known to us whose brother was called
James. His Greek is sophisticated, but the thought world he shares with his readers
is that of popular Judaism; for a Palestinian Jew’s knowledge of Greek or the availability
of scribal help, see the introduction to James.
Situation. The letter clearly opposes false teachers whose sexual lifestyles are
immoral and who are teaching arrogantly. The thought world of Jude and his
readers is popular Judaism; his opponents may be rooted in the same Jewish-
Christian tradition that Jude is, but they have also sought to assimilate many values
of immoral pagan culture. Given Jude’s heavy use of *1 Enoch, that book may represent
a tradition cited by his opponents, who apparently appeal to their own mystical
visions as divine revelations like Enoch’s (v. 8).
Genre. This may be a letter-essay, a letter used as a sermon. Letters were meant
as substitute speeches or surrogates for the presence of the writer.
Commentaries. Excellent commentaries include R. J. Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter,
WBC 50 (Waco, TX: Word, 1983), and (easier for those without Greek) J. N. D. Kelly,
A Commentary on the Epistles of Peter and Jude, BNTC (reprint, Grand Rapids:
Baker Academic, 1981).

1-2
Introduction
Jude’s lack of elaboration on his office suggests
that he is the well-known Jude, brother not
only of James but of Jesus as well. Although
a son of Joseph and Mary, he now describes
his half-brother Jesus as “Lord” rather than
as brother. On “slave,” see comment on
Romans 1:1.
3-6
Falling from Grace
3-4. At least part of the error that Jude addresses
resembles that proclaimed by false
prophets in the *Old Testament: judgment
would not come on God’s people because of
his special favor for them—a teaching that led
to sin (Jer 6:14; 8:11; 23:17; Ezek 13:10, 16; Mic
3:5). Biblical *grace means forgiveness and
power to overcome sin, not permission to act
immorally. Ancient writers often applied the
language of battle or athletic contests
(“contend”) to spiritual or moral battles.
5. All Jewish hearers and even most recent
*Gentile converts to Christianity knew the
exodus story. That people had experienced
God’s redemption did not guarantee that they
could not fall away and be destroyed.
6. In Jewish tradition (except most of the
*rabbis), the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4
were fallen angels who left their assigned place
to have intercourse with women (see comment
on 2 Pet 2:4). In the earliest of these traditions,
*1 Enoch, the fallen angels were imprisoned and
bound (e.g., 10:11-14; 18:15-16; 21:3-6); Azazel
was thrown into “darkness” (10:4), which was
applied to the realm of the dead in much ancient
tradition. First Enoch (22:11; 54:6; 84:4)
uses “great day” for the day of judgment. Cf.
Wisdom of Solomon 17:17 (and 17:2).
7-16
Sin and Judgment
7. Already in the Old Testament and even
more so in later Jewish tradition, Sodom came
to be viewed as the epitome of wickedness.
“Strange flesh” (kjv, nasb) here could mean angelic
bodies, but because Jewish tradition
would not call angels “flesh” and the Sodomites
did not realize that the guests were
angels (Gen 19:5), Jude may have their attempted
homosexual acts in view. (“Strange”
flesh is literally “other” flesh, but this may
mean “other than what is natural,” rather than
“other than their own kind.” Then again, “in the
same way” as those of v. 6 might imply angels
and people having intercourse with each other.
Apart from Philo, few ancient Jewish writers
stressed the Sodomites’ homosexual behavior;
most instead stressed their lack of hospitality,
arrogant sin or sexual immorality in general,
which in the Jewish perspective included but
was not limited to homosexual acts.)
8. “Dreaming” probably refers to the dreams
of false prophets, who produce falsehood while
claiming to speak truth (Jer 23:25); angelic “majesties”
(literally “glories”; cf. nrsv) refers to the
various ranks of angelic hosts, to which God has
assigned authority over nations, nature and so
on in Jewish tradition. Disrespect for earthly
authorities and the spiritual powers behind
them appointed by God would cause Christians
to be labeled as subversive and encourage widespread
persecution of them in the Roman
Empire. (Some scholars have also suggested that
they reviled these angels as the angels through
whom God gave the *law, because of their
antilaw
stance, but it is not clear that they argued
for their immorality primarily on the basis of
their rejection of the law.)
9. Michael (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1) and Gabriel
(Dan 8:16; 9:21) are the only two angels named
in the Old Testament (though others were
soon added, e.g., Tobit 5:4; 2 Esdras 4:36), and
they naturally became the two most popular
angels in contemporary Jewish lore, with Michael
as Israel’s guardian and generally the
most prominent archangel.
Jewish traditions about Moses’ death (or
lack of it, despite Deut 34) varied widely, and
this report seems to have been one of these
versions. In the Old Testament and Jewish literature,
the devil acted as an accuser; here the
great archangel Michael did not challenge his
accusations; he deferred the issue to God the
supreme judge. God’s angelic messenger also
cries, “The Lord rebuke you” in defending the
*high priest in Zechariah 3:2.
10. The false teachers, however, were ridiculing
angelic powers, probably including
*Satan. The *Dead Sea Scrolls show that some
people cursed Satan (see comment on 2 Pet
2:10-11), but Jude does not approve of that. In
stead, he seems to agree with the moral embodied
in a later rabbinic story: a man named
Pelimo went around making fun of the devil
until one day the devil showed up and chased
him into a bathhouse, whereupon he learned
his lesson (Babylonian Talmud Qiddushin
81ab); cf. also the saying in Sirach 21:27 lxx.
Christians also should not speak authoritatively
on secret or esoteric matters God has
not chosen to reveal (cf. Deut 29:29).
11. More than in the Old Testament, in
Jewish tradition Cain (see comment on 1 Jn
3:12) and Balaam (see comment on 2 Pet 2:15)
had become symbolic for leaders of wickedness.
Balaam was regarded as one of the
most powerful prophets, as prophet of the
*Gentiles, but he used his powers for evil, enticing
Israel to sin so they would be judged.
Korah revolted against the leadership of Moses
(Num 16) and became a standard figure for
rebelling against the law in Jewish tradition.
12. The Last Supper was a full Passover
meal, and the early *church had continued the
tradition of celebrating a meal (“the Lord’s
Supper”) of which bread and wine were only a
part. Communion as a full meal was apparently
also called a “love feast.”
“Concealed rocks” (or “hidden reefs”—
nasb) were deceptive and killed sailors who
failed to navigate their vessels away from
them; empty clouds promised rain to needy
farmers but delivered nothing (Prov 25:14).
The image of trees may be because harvesting
would be complete by late autumn, when
many trees shed their leaves before the advent
of winter; or it may mean that they did not
bear summer fruit and showed no signs of
fruitfulness by early autumn; in any case, these
trees were plainly dead (on the future second
death, see comment on Rev 2:11).
13. In Greek tradition, Aphrodite, goddess
of desire, was produced from sea foam at the
castration of the Titan Uranos (alluding to the
teachers’ immorality); probably more relevant,
waves appear in the Dead Sea Scrolls as an
image of casting up the filth of sin. “Wandering
stars” referred to the erratic orbits of
planets, sometimes attributed to disobedient
angels, who were to be imprisoned under
God’s judgment and are called “stars” in *1
Enoch. Judgment as eternal darkness appears
in 1 Enoch and elsewhere. The wicked as raging
waves appear in Isaiah 57:20 and in subsequent
Jewish tradition (Dead Sea Scrolls).
14-15. Jude quotes from 1 Enoch 1:9, citing
a popular story that is still extant to make his
point. This passage in 1 Enoch represents some
themes that run throughout that section of
Enoch.
16. “Grumblers” may allude to Israel’s murmuring
in the wilderness, but especially to the
wrong speech (“defiant words”—niv) of verse
15, expounding the citation from 1 Enoch. Ancient
moralists repeatedly condemned flattery
and advocated forthright speech; politicians
commonly used flattery to win people over
with speeches, and flattery was a necessity for
subordinates of many emperors to survive.
Jude had already addressed both their lusts (vv.
6-8b) and arrogant speech (vv. 8c-10).
17-25
Call to Persevere
17-19. Later *Gnostics claimed to be spiritual,
thinking that others were at best “worldly”
(nasb, nrsv) or “natural” (niv); under the influence
of certain kinds of Greek philosophy,
some false teachers may have been already
moving in this direction. More important, because
the false teachers claimed to be prophetically
inspired (v. 8), they no doubt laid claim to
the *Spirit (cf. comment on v. 20), but Jude says
that they are altogether lacking in the Spirit.
20-21. Because the *Holy Spirit was usually
viewed as the Spirit of *prophecy, “praying in
[or by] the Holy Spirit” probably means inspired
prayer (1 Chron 25:3; Psalms), likely
including (though not necessarily limited to)
tongues (cf. comment on Acts 2:4; 1 Cor 14).
22-23. Some of the language here is from
Zechariah 3:2 and 4, but the reference is to
those being led astray and others who are already
astray or false teachers themselves, who
are dangerous.
24-25. Jude closes with praise, as would be
common in a *synagogue service; the emphasis
is that, for all the danger of falling away
(vv. 3-23), God is able to keep believers secure
and persevering.