Psalms 95:11

95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,

‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” ¹ 

Isaiah 28:12

28:12 In the past he said to them, ² 

“This is where security can be found.

Provide security for the one who is exhausted!

This is where rest can be found.” ³ 

But they refused to listen.

Isaiah 66:1

66:1 This is what the Lord says:

“The heavens are my throne

and the earth is my footstool.

Where then is the house you will build for me?

Where is the place where I will rest?

Jeremiah 6:16

6:16 The Lord said to his people: ⁴ 

“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. ⁵ 

Ask where the old, reliable paths ⁶  are.

Ask where the path is that leads to blessing ⁷  and follow it.

If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”

But they said, “We will not follow it!”

Matthew 11:28-30

11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 11:29 Take my yoke ⁸  on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 11:30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”

Hebrews 4:3-11

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!’” ⁹  And yet God’s works ¹⁰  were accomplished from the foundation of the world. 4:4 For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works,” ¹¹  4:5 but to repeat the text cited earlier: ¹²  “They will never enter my rest!” 4:6 Therefore it remains for some to enter it, yet those to whom it was previously proclaimed did not enter because of disobedience. 4:7 So God ¹³  again ordains a certain day, “Today,” speaking through David ¹⁴  after so long a time, as in the words quoted before, ¹⁵  “O, that today you would listen as he speaks! ¹⁶  Do not harden your hearts.” 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God ¹⁷  would not have spoken afterward about another day. 4:9 Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. 4:10 For the one who enters God’s ¹⁸  rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from his own works. 4:11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.

¹ tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).

² tn Heb “who said to them.”

³ sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.

⁴ tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”

⁶ tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the Lord set out in ancient times (cf. Deut 32:7).

⁷ tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”

⁸ sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restrictions that a teacher or rabbi would place on his followers.

⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 95:11.

¹⁰ tn Grk “although the works,” continuing the previous reference to God. The referent (God) is specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ sn A quotation from Gen 2:2.

¹² tn Grk “and in this again.”

¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ sn Ps 95 does not mention David either in the text or the superscription. It is possible that the writer of Hebrews is attributing the entire collection of psalms to David (although some psalms are specifically attributed to other individuals or groups).

¹⁵ tn Grk “as it has been said before” (see Heb 3:7).

¹⁶ tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸ tn Grk “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.