Hebrews 11:22-40
Context11:22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, 1 mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel 2 and gave instructions about his burial. 3
11:23 By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him 4 for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 11:24 By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 11:25 choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. 11:26 He regarded abuse suffered for Christ 5 to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on 6 the reward. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who is invisible. 11:28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, 7 so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 11:29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho 8 fell after the people marched around them 9 for seven days. 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of 10 the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.
11:32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. 11:33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, 11 gained what was promised, 12 shut the mouths of lions, 11:34 quenched raging fire, 13 escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, 14 became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, 11:35 and women received back their dead raised to life. 15 But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life. 16 11:36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 11:37 They were stoned, sawed apart, 17 murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 11:38 (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. 11:39 And these all were commended 18 for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. 19 11:40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. 20
[11:22] 1 tn Grk “coming to an end,” “dying.”
[11:22] 2 sn Joseph’s prophecy about the exodus of the sons of Israel is found in Gen 50:24.
[11:22] 3 tn Grk “about his bones,” which refers by metonymy to the disposition of his bones, i.e., his burial.
[11:23] 4 tn Grk “Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents.”
[11:26] 5 tn Grk “the abuse [or ‘reproach’] of Christ.”
[11:26] 6 tn Grk “he was looking away to.”
[11:28] 7 tn Grk “the pouring out of the blood.”
[11:30] 8 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[11:30] 9 tn Grk “after they had been encircled.”
[11:31] 10 tn Grk “did not perish together with.”
[11:33] 11 tn This probably refers to the righteous rule of David and others. But it could be more general and mean “did what was righteous.”
[11:33] 12 tn Grk “obtained promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.
[11:34] 13 tn Grk “quenched the power of fire.”
[11:34] 14 tn Or “recovered from sickness.”
[11:35] 15 tn Grk “received back their dead from resurrection.”
[11:35] 16 tn Grk “to obtain a better resurrection.”
[11:37] 17 tc The reading ἐπρίσθησαν (ejprisqhsan, “they were sawed apart”) is found in some important witnesses (Ì46 [D* twice reads ἐπίρσθησαν, “they were burned”?] pc syp sa Orpt Eus). Other
[11:39] 18 sn The expression these all were commended forms an inclusio with Heb 11:2: The chapter begins and ends with references to commendation for faith.
[11:39] 19 tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.
[11:40] 20 tn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that they would not be made perfect without us.”