Chapter Text
Greeting
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
2Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
The Sin and Doom of the Ungodly
3Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5I 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.
6And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh , despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
A Call to Persevere
17But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Doxology
24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever . Amen.
Summary
Jude writes to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Ungodly men have crept into the church, turning grace into a license for immorality and denying the Lord Jesus Christ. Jude warns with examples of judgment: Israel in the wilderness, fallen angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah. These false teachers are blemishes at love feasts, waterless clouds, and wandering stars reserved for darkness. Jude exhorts believers to build themselves up in faith, pray in the Spirit, keep themselves in God's love, and look for Christ's mercy unto eternal life.
Meaning
Jude's urgent call to contend for the faith recognizes that the gospel faces internal as well as external threats. False teachers who distort grace into moral permissiveness are more dangerous than outright enemies because they operate from within the community of believers.
The examples of divine judgment — Israel, the angels, Sodom — demonstrate that God's patience has limits. Those who presume upon His grace while persisting in rebellion will face the same fate as their spiritual ancestors. Yet the letter ends not with doom but with one of the most magnificent doxologies in Scripture: God is able to keep believers from stumbling and to present them faultless before His glory with exceeding joy.
Background
Jude, the brother of James and half-brother of Jesus, wrote this brief but powerful letter likely in the 60s A.D. His references to the book of Enoch and the dispute between Michael and the devil about Moses' body draw on Jewish traditions not found in the canonical Old Testament. The letter's close parallel to Second Peter chapter two suggests a shared concern about the same or similar false teachers.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-2Greeting and Blessing
- vv. 3-4The Call to Contend for the Faith
- vv. 5-7Three Examples of Past Judgment
- vv. 8-10The Arrogance of False Teachers
- vv. 11-13Woes and Vivid Condemnation
- vv. 14-16Enoch's Ancient Prophecy
- vv. 17-23Exhortation to the Beloved
- vv. 24-25Doxology of Preservation
Key Verses
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”— 1:3
The thematic heart of the epistle and a foundational text for Christian apologetics, asserting that the apostolic faith is a fixed deposit to be defended against distortion.
“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”— 1:9
A unique reference drawn from extra-canonical Jewish tradition, illustrating restraint in spiritual conflict and naming Michael as archangel — a key text in angelology.
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”— 1:24
One of the most beloved benedictions in Scripture, affirming God's preserving power and the believer's ultimate presentation in glory.
“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”— 1:25
A high doxology ascribing eternal sovereignty to God, frequently used in Christian liturgy and worship.
People & Places
People
- Jude — The author, servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, traditionally identified as a half-brother of Jesus.
- James — Jude's brother, leader of the Jerusalem church, lending apostolic weight to Jude's authority.
- Jesus Christ — The Lord whom Jude serves and whose faith is being defended against false teachers.
- Cain — The firstborn of Adam, cited as the archetype of envious, godless rebellion.
- Balaam — The mercenary prophet of Numbers who pursued reward at the cost of righteousness.
- Core — Korah, who led a rebellion against Moses' God-given authority and perished in judgment.
- Michael — The archangel who contended with the devil over the body of Moses, exemplifying reverent restraint.
- Moses — The lawgiver of Israel, whose body was the subject of angelic dispute.
- Enoch — The seventh from Adam, cited as a prophet who foretold the Lord's coming in judgment.
- Adam — The first man, named to establish Enoch's antediluvian pedigree.
Places
- Egypt — The land of Israel's bondage, recalled as the setting from which God saved a people he later judged for unbelief.
- Sodom — The infamous city of the plain destroyed for sexual immorality, held up as a warning of eternal judgment.
- Gomorrha — Sodom's sister city, likewise consumed by fire as an example of divine vengeance.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Jude preserves the only direct quotation of Enoch's prophecy in Scripture (vv. 14-15), foretelling the Lord's coming with His holy ones to execute judgment on the ungodly — a vision that anticipates the Day of the Lord and the return of Christ. He also cites apostolic prophecy (vv. 17-18) that mockers would arise in the last time, identifying the false teachers of his day as fulfillment. By weaving Old Testament patterns of judgment (Egypt, fallen angels, Sodom) with eschatological expectation, Jude frames history as moving toward a final reckoning at Christ's parousia.
Devotional
Jude writes to people who expected to read about shared joys but instead receive an urgent call to vigilance. Faith, he reminds us, is not merely inherited — it must be contended for, built up through prayer and Scripture, and kept warm in the love of God.
Yet contending is not all combat. Jude pairs sharp warning with tender mercy: have compassion on the wavering, rescue others with fear, and entrust yourself to the One who is able to keep you from falling. Today, ask where you need to stand firm — and where you need to extend a patient hand.
Literary Style
A brief general epistle written as urgent polemical exhortation. Jude employs vivid metaphor, triadic groupings, Old Testament typology, and citations from Jewish tradition (1 Enoch, the Assumption of Moses), closing with one of the New Testament's most exalted doxologies.