Hebrews 4:1

God’s Promised Rest

4:1 Therefore we must be wary ¹  that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

Hebrews 4:3

4:3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my anger, ‘They will never enter my rest!’” ²  And yet God’s works ³  were accomplished from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 3:11

3:11 “As I swore in my anger, ‘They will never enter my rest!’” ⁴ 

Isaiah 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ⁵  a root from Jesse ⁶  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ⁷  and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 57:2

57:2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace;

they rest on their beds. ⁸ 

Isaiah 60:19-20

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ⁹ 

60:20 Your sun will no longer set;

your moon will not disappear; ¹⁰ 

the Lord will be your permanent source of light;

your time ¹¹  of sorrow will be over.

Revelation 7:14-17

7:14 So ¹²  I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” ¹³  Then ¹⁴  he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They ¹⁵  have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! 7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve ¹⁶  him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. ¹⁷  7:16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, ¹⁸  7:17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” ¹⁹ 

Revelation 21:4

21:4 He ²⁰  will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” ²¹ 

¹ tn Grk “let us fear.”

² sn A quotation from Ps 95:11.

³ tn Grk “although the works,” continuing the previous reference to God. The referent (God) is specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Grk “if they shall enter my rest,” a Hebrew idiom expressing an oath that something will certainly not happen.

⁵ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

⁶ sn See the note at v. 1.

⁷ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

⁸ tn Heb “he enters peace, they rest on their beds, the one who walks straight ahead of himself.” The tomb is here viewed in a fairly positive way as a place where the dead are at peace and sleep undisturbed.

⁹ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”

¹⁰ sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.

¹¹ tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous question.

¹³ tn Though the expression “the answer” is not in the Greek text, it is clearly implied. Direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context.

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹⁵ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁶ tn Or “worship.” The word here is λατρεύω (latreuw).

¹⁷ tn Grk “will spread his tent over them,” normally an idiom for taking up residence with someone, but when combined with the preposition ἐπί (epi, “over”) the idea is one of extending protection or shelter (BDAG 929 s.v. σκηνόω).

¹⁸ tn An allusion to Isa 49:10. The phrase “burning heat” is one word in Greek (καῦμα, kauma) that refers to a burning, intensely-felt heat. See BDAG 536 s.v.

¹⁹ sn An allusion to Isa 25:8.

²⁰ tn Grk “God, and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

²¹ tn For the translation of ἀπέρχομαι (apercomai; here ἀπῆλθαν [aphlqan]) L&N 13.93 has “to go out of existence – ‘to cease to exist, to pass away, to cease.’”