Hebrews 11:12-16

11:12 So in fact children ¹  were fathered by one man – and this one as good as dead – like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of sand ²  on the seashore. ³  11:13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, ⁴  but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners ⁵  on the earth. 11:14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 11:15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 11:16 But as it is, ⁶  they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹ tn Grk “these”; in the translation the referent (children) has been specified for clarity.

² tn Grk a collective “the sand.”

³ sn An allusion to Gen 22:17 (which itself goes back to Gen 15:5).

⁴ tn Grk “the promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.

⁵ tn Or “sojourners.”

⁷ tn Grk “now.”