The Greek word, ταρταρώσας (tartarōsas), in 2 Peter 2:4 only occurs once in the entire Bible. In many Bible versions it is translated as "cast them into hell." What most people don't know is that the place this passage refers to comes directly from classical Greek mythology. Tartarus, or Τάρταρος, is where the Greek god Zeus imprisoned the Titans after he defeated them in the Titan War. By using this word, is Peter telling us that God is actually the pagan god Zeus and/or that the Tartarus of Greek mythology is his prison? Would the Christians of Peter's time have tolerated the blending of the one, true God with elements of a pagan religion and its myths? One would certainly hope that is not the case!
How can the inclusion of this Greek word in scripture be explained, then? Perhaps Peter borrowed the word (and concept?) from Greek mythology, and he uses it in order to influence recent pagan converts and Hellenistic Jews. Perhaps it was added to the original writing at a later date. Unfortunately, there is no way to know why the word was used, so we must examine how this obscure reference to Greek mythology is used. In 2 Peter 2:4, Tartarus is used not in the form of a proper noun, but in the form of a verb. As such, the passage does not describe a physical place, but an ACTION. A more literal translation of the passage would be: For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but is tartarusing them in pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;. Bottom line: God isn't Zeus, and God isn't borrowing Zeus's jail to hold fallen angels.
Not every translation uses the words"cast them into hell" for ταρταρώσας. The Darby Translation, and others, do not. Ultimately, alternative translations and speculation about Peter's reasoning doesn't really provide much ammunition to shoot down the traditionalists' dogma, but it does provide some framework for the word. It also supports the argument that maybe "cast them into hell" has been intentionally used by some Bible translators to prop up the doctrine of eternal damnation. Regardless of the translation, looking at the context of the verse conclusively proves that the place these fallen messengers (and the others mentioned in the text) are held is temporary.
Take a look at Peter 2:4-9 in the New Living Translation:
4 For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. 5 And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood. 6 Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. 7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. 8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. 9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.
Regardless of which version you look to, they all conclusively state that in 2 Peter 2:9 that the fallen angels and the ungodly are imprisoned until the day of judgement. This is important to note, because it does NOT say that the fallen angels and the ungodly people are imprisoned for eternity (a word that doesn't have a Hebrew or Greek equivalent). It also does not say that ANY humans were imprisoned in Tartarus. On the contrary, verse 6 says God "turned them into heaps of ashes". This passage provide stronger support for annihilationism than it does do for an eternal damnation "end times" scenario.
Nowhere in any part of the speeches or writings of Peter, the person Jesus put in charge of His church, is there any mention of God punishing sinners forever. If casting off men forever (oops!) into a gloomy pit or a lake of fire was part of God's final plan, then wouldn't it stand to reason that Peter would have warned us?
