Discovery BoxHebrews 2:10--12:7
Context2:10 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, 1 in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer 2 of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 2:11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, 3 and so 4 he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 5 2:12 saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; 6 in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.” 7 2:13 Again he says, 8 “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am, 9 with 10 the children God has given me.” 11 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in 12 their humanity, 13 so that through death he could destroy 14 the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), 2:15 and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death. 2:16 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s descendants. 2:17 Therefore he had 15 to be made like his brothers and sisters 16 in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement 17 for the sins of the people. 2:18 For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, 18 partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, 19 3:2 who is faithful to the one who appointed him, as Moses was also in God’s 20 house. 21 3:3 For he has come to deserve greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves greater honor than the house itself! 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 3:5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s 22 house 23 as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken. 3:6 But Christ 24 is faithful as a son over God’s 25 house. We are of his house, 26 if in fact we hold firmly 27 to our confidence and the hope we take pride in. 28
3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 29
“Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! 30
3:8 “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.
3:9 “There your fathers tested me and tried me, 31 and they saw my works for forty years.
3:10 “Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, ‘Their hearts are always wandering 32 and they have not known my ways.’
3:11 “As I swore in my anger, ‘They will never enter my rest!’” 33
3:12 See to it, 34 brothers and sisters, 35 that none of you has 36 an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes 37 the living God. 38 3:13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. 3:14 For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence 39 firm until the end. 3:15 As it says, 40 “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! 41 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 42 3:16 For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership? 43 3:17 And against whom was God 44 provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 45 3:18 And to whom did he swear they would never enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient? 3:19 So 46 we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.
4:1 Therefore we must be wary 47 that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it. 4:2 For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they heard did them no good, since they did not join in 48 with those who heard it in faith. 49 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!’” 50 And yet God’s works 51 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,” 52 4:5 but to repeat the text cited earlier: 53 “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 54 again ordains a certain day, “Today,” speaking through David 55 after so long a time, as in the words quoted before, 56 “O, that today you would listen as he speaks! 57 Do not harden your hearts.” 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God 58 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 59 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. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, 60 but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
4:14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. 61
5:1 For every high priest is taken from among the people 62 and appointed 63 to represent them before God, 64 to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 5:2 He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness, 5:3 and for this reason he is obligated to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. 5:4 And no one assumes this honor 65 on his own initiative, 66 but only when called to it by God, 67 as in fact Aaron was. 5:5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God, 68 who said to him, “You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,” 69 5:6 as also in another place God 70 says, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 71 5:7 During his earthly life 72 Christ 73 offered 74 both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his devotion. 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. 75 5:9 And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 5:10 and he was designated 76 by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek. 77
5:11 On this topic we have much to say 78 and it is difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish 79 in hearing. 5:12 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, 80 you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. 81 You have gone back to needing 82 milk, not 83 solid food. 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant. 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.
6:1 Therefore we must progress beyond 84 the elementary 85 instructions about Christ 86 and move on 87 to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God, 6:2 teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 6:3 And this is what we intend to do, 88 if God permits. 6:4 For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 6:5 tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, 6:6 and then have committed apostasy, 89 to renew them again to repentance, since 90 they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again 91 and holding him up to contempt. 6:7 For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on 92 it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God. 6:8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed; 93 its fate is to be burned. 6:9 But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation. 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. 6:11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, 6:12 so that you may not be sluggish, 94 but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.
6:13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 6:14 saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.” 95 6:15 And so by persevering, Abraham 96 inherited the promise. 6:16 For people 97 swear by something greater than themselves, 98 and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. 99 6:17 In the same way 100 God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, 101 and so he intervened with an oath, 6:18 so that we who have found refuge in him 102 may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie. 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, 103 6:20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. 104
7:1 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. 105 7:2 To him 106 also Abraham apportioned a tithe 107 of everything. 108 His name first means 109 king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time. 7:4 But see how great he must be, if 110 Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe 111 of his plunder. 7:5 And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office 112 have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, 113 although they too are descendants of Abraham. 114 7:6 But Melchizedek 115 who does not share their ancestry 116 collected a tithe 117 from Abraham and blessed 118 the one who possessed the promise. 7:7 Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior, 7:8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive. 7:9 And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham. 7:10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins 119 when Melchizedek met him.
7:11 So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood – for on that basis 120 the people received the law – what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron’s order? 7:12 For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come 121 as well. 7:13 Yet the one these things are spoken about belongs to 122 a different tribe, and no one from that tribe 123 has ever officiated at the altar. 7:14 For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe. 7:15 And this is even clearer if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 7:16 who has become a priest not by a legal regulation about physical descent 124 but by the power of an indestructible life. 7:17 For here is the testimony about him: 125 “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 126 7:18 On the one hand a former command is set aside 127 because it is weak and useless, 128 7:19 for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. 7:20 And since 129 this was not done without a sworn affirmation – for the others have become priests without a sworn affirmation, 7:21 but Jesus 130 did so 131 with a sworn affirmation by the one who said to him, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever’” 132 – 7:22 accordingly Jesus has become the guarantee 133 of a better covenant. 7:23 And the others 134 who became priests were numerous, because death prevented them 135 from continuing in office, 136 7:24 but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever. 7:25 So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 7:26 For it is indeed fitting for us to have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 7:27 He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all. 7:28 For the law appoints as high priests men subject to weakness, 137 but the word of solemn affirmation that came after the law appoints a son made perfect forever.
8:1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: 138 We have such a high priest, one who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 139 8:2 a minister in the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up. 8:3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. So this one too had to have something to offer. 8:4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer 140 the gifts prescribed by the law. 8:5 The place where they serve is 141 a sketch 142 and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, just as Moses was warned by God as he was about to complete the tabernacle. For he says, “See that you make everything according to the design 143 shown to you on the mountain.” 144 8:6 But 145 now Jesus 146 has obtained a superior ministry, since 147 the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted 148 on better promises. 149
8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one. 150 8:8 But 151 showing its fault, 152 God 153 says to them, 154
“Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
8:9 “It will not be like the covenant 155 that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.
8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put 156 my laws in their minds 157 and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. 158
8:11 “And there will be no need at all 159 for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. 160
8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.” 161
8:13 When he speaks of a new covenant, 162 he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear. 163
9:1 Now the first covenant, 164 in fact, had regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary. 9:2 For a tent was prepared, the outer one, 165 which contained 166 the lampstand, the table, and the presentation of the loaves; this 167 is called the holy place. 9:3 And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies. 9:4 It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. In this ark 168 were the golden urn containing the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 9:5 And above the ark 169 were the cherubim 170 of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail. 9:6 So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into the outer tent 171 as they perform their duties. 9:7 But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, 172 and not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. 173 9:8 The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle 174 was standing. 9:9 This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. 9:10 They served only for matters of food and drink 175 and various washings; they are external regulations 176 imposed until the new order came. 177
9:11 But now Christ has come 178 as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, 9:12 and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured 179 eternal redemption. 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, 180 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our 181 consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
9:15 And so he is the mediator 182 of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, 183 since he died 184 to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant. 9:16 For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven. 185 9:17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive. 9:18 So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. 186 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 9:20 and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.” 187 9:21 And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. 9:22 Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 9:23 So it was necessary for the sketches 188 of the things in heaven to be purified with these sacrifices, 189 but the heavenly things themselves required 190 better sacrifices than these. 9:24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation 191 of the true sanctuary 192 – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. 9:25 And he did not enter to offer 193 himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, 9:26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. 9:27 And just as people 194 are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, 195 9:28 so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, 196 to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin 197 but to bring salvation. 198
10:1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. 199 10:2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have 200 no further consciousness of sin? 10:3 But in those sacrifices 201 there is a reminder of sins year after year. 10:4 For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. 202 10:5 So when he came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.
10:6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.
10:7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am: 203 I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’” 204
10:8 When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” 205 (which are offered according to the law), 10:9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” 206 He does away with 207 the first to establish the second. 10:10 By his will 208 we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 10:11 And every priest stands day after day 209 serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again – sacrifices that can never take away sins. 10:12 But when this priest 210 had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand 211 of God, 10:13 where he is now waiting 212 until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. 213 10:14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying, 214 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put 215 my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,” 216 10:17 then he says, 217 “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.” 218 10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, 219 since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 10:20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us 220 through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 221 10:21 and since we have a great priest 222 over the house of God, 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, 223 because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience 224 and our bodies washed in pure water. 10:23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. 10:24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, 225 10:25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day 226 drawing near. 227
10:26 For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, 228 10:27 but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury 229 of fire that will consume God’s enemies. 230 10:28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death 231 without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 232 10:29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for 233 the Son of God, and profanes 234 the blood of the covenant that made him holy, 235 and insults the Spirit of grace? 10:30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” 236 and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 237 10:31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
10:32 But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened. 10:33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way. 10:34 For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison, 238 and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly 239 had a better and lasting possession. 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it 240 has great reward. 10:36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised. 241 10:37 For just a little longer 242 and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. 243 10:38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I 244 take no pleasure in him. 245 10:39 But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls. 246
11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see. 11:2 For by it the people of old 247 received God’s commendation. 248 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds 249 were set in order at God’s command, 250 so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. 251 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith 252 he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith 253 he still speaks, though he is dead. 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death, and he was not to be found because God took him up. For before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God. 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 11:7 By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard 254 constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going. 11:9 By faith he lived as a foreigner 255 in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs 256 of the same promise. 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, 257 whose architect and builder is God. 11:11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, 258 he received the ability to procreate, 259 because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy. 11:12 So in fact children 260 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 261 on the seashore. 262 11:13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, 263 but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners 264 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, 265 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. 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, 266 yet he was ready to offer up 267 his only son. 11:18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,” 268 11:19 and he reasoned 269 that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense 270 he received him back from there. 11:20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 11:21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. 271 11:22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, 272 mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel 273 and gave instructions about his burial. 274
11:23 By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him 275 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 276 to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on 277 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, 278 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 279 fell after the people marched around them 280 for seven days. 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of 281 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, 282 gained what was promised, 283 shut the mouths of lions, 11:34 quenched raging fire, 284 escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, 285 became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, 11:35 and women received back their dead raised to life. 286 But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life. 287 11:36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 11:37 They were stoned, sawed apart, 288 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 289 for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. 290 11:40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. 291
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 292 we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 293 12:3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. 12:4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed 294 in your struggle against sin. 12:5 And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?
“My son, do not scorn 295 the Lord’s discipline
or give up when he corrects 296 you.
12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” 297
12:7 Endure your suffering 298 as discipline; 299 God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?
[2:10] 1 tn Grk “for whom are all things and through whom are all things.”
[2:10] 2 sn The Greek word translated pioneer is used of a “prince” or leader, the representative head of a family. It also carries nuances of “trailblazer,” one who breaks through to new ground for those who follow him. It is used some thirty-five times in the Greek OT and four times in the NT, always of Christ (Acts 3:15; 5:31; Heb 2:10; 12:2).
[2:11] 3 tn Grk “are all from one.”
[2:11] 4 tn Grk “for which reason.”
[2:11] 5 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The context here also indicates both men and women are in view; note especially the collective τὰ παιδία (ta paidia) in v. 14.
[2:12] 5 tn Here, because of its occurrence in an OT quotation, τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς (tois adelfois) has been translated simply as “brothers” rather than “brothers and sisters” (see the note on the latter phrase in the previous verse).
[2:12] 6 sn A quotation from Ps 22:22.
[2:13] 7 tn Grk “and again,” as a continuation of the preceding.
[2:13] 8 tn Grk “behold, I,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).
[2:13] 10 sn A quotation from Isa 8:17-18.
[2:14] 9 tn Or “partook of” (this is a different word than the one in v. 14a).
[2:14] 11 tn Or “break the power of,” “reduce to nothing.”
[2:17] 11 tn Or “he was obligated.”
[2:17] 12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.
[2:17] 13 tn Or “propitiation.”
[3:1] 13 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.
[3:1] 14 tn Grk “of our confession.”
[3:2] 15 tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.
[3:2] 16 tc ‡ The reading adopted by the translation follows a few early
[3:5] 17 tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.
[3:5] 18 sn A quotation from Num 12:7.
[3:6] 19 sn The Greek makes the contrast between v. 5 and v. 6a more emphatic and explicit than is easily done in English.
[3:6] 20 tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.
[3:6] 21 tn Grk “whose house we are,” continuing the previous sentence.
[3:6] 22 tc The reading adopted by the translation is found in Ì13,46 B sa, while the vast majority of
[3:6] 23 tn Grk “the pride of our hope.”
[3:7] 21 sn The following quotation is from Ps 95:7b-11.
[3:7] 22 tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”
[3:9] 23 tn Grk “tested me by trial.”
[3:10] 25 tn Grk “they are wandering in the heart.”
[3:11] 27 tn Grk “if they shall enter my rest,” a Hebrew idiom expressing an oath that something will certainly not happen.
[3:12] 30 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.
[3:12] 31 tn Grk “that there not be in any of you.”
[3:12] 32 tn Or “deserts,” “rebels against.”
[3:12] 33 tn Grk “in forsaking the living God.”
[3:14] 31 tn Grk “the beginning of the confidence.”
[3:15] 33 tn Grk “while it is said.”
[3:15] 34 tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”
[3:15] 35 sn A quotation from Ps 95:7b-8.
[3:16] 35 tn Grk “through Moses.”
[3:17] 37 tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.
[3:17] 38 sn An allusion to God’s judgment pronounced in Num 14:29, 32.
[3:19] 39 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate a summary or conclusion to the argument of the preceding paragraph.
[4:1] 41 tn Grk “let us fear.”
[4:2] 43 tn Or “they were not united.”
[4:2] 44 tc A few
[4:3] 45 sn A quotation from Ps 95:11.
[4:3] 46 tn Grk “although the works,” continuing the previous reference to God. The referent (God) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:4] 47 sn A quotation from Gen 2:2.
[4:5] 49 tn Grk “and in this again.”
[4:7] 51 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:7] 52 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).
[4:7] 53 tn Grk “as it has been said before” (see Heb 3:7).
[4:7] 54 tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”
[4:8] 53 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:10] 55 tn Grk “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:13] 57 tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:16] 59 tn Grk “for timely help.”
[5:1] 61 tn Grk “from among men,” but since the point in context is shared humanity (rather than shared maleness), the plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) has been translated “people.”
[5:1] 62 tn Grk “who is taken from among people is appointed.”
[5:1] 63 tn Grk “appointed on behalf of people in reference to things relating to God.”
[5:4] 63 sn Honor refers here to the honor of the high priesthood.
[5:4] 64 tn Grk “by himself, on his own.”
[5:4] 65 tn Grk “being called by God.”
[5:5] 65 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:5] 66 tn Grk “I have begotten you”; see Heb 1:5.
[5:6] 67 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:6] 68 sn A quotation from Ps 110:4.
[5:7] 69 tn Grk “in the days of his flesh.”
[5:7] 70 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:7] 71 tn Grk “who…having offered,” continuing the description of Christ from Heb 5:5-6.
[5:8] 71 sn There is a wordplay in the Greek text between the verbs “learned” (ἔμαθεν, emaqen) and “suffered” (ἔπαθεν, epaqen).
[5:10] 73 tn Grk “having been designated,” continuing the thought of Heb 5:9.
[5:10] 74 sn The phrase in the order of Melchizedek picks up the quotation from Ps 110:4 in Heb 5:6.
[5:11] 75 tn Grk “concerning which the message for us is great.”
[5:12] 77 tn Grk “because of the time.”
[5:12] 78 tn Grk “the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God.”
[5:12] 79 tn Grk “you have come to have a need for.”
[5:12] 80 tc ‡ Most texts, including some early and important ones (א2 A B* D Ψ 0122 0278 1881 Ï sy Cl), have καί (kai, “and”) immediately preceding οὐ (ou, “not”), but other equally significant witnesses (Ì46 א* B2 C 33 81 1739 lat Or Did) lack the conjunction. As it was a natural tendency for scribes to add a coordinating conjunction, the καί appears to be a motivated reading. On balance, it is probably best to regard the shorter reading as authentic. NA27 has καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
[6:1] 79 tn Grk “Therefore leaving behind.” The implication is not of abandoning this elementary information, but of building on it.
[6:1] 81 tn Grk “the message of the beginning of Christ.”
[6:1] 82 tn Grk “leaving behind…let us move on.”
[6:3] 81 tn Grk “and we will do this.”
[6:6] 83 tn Or “have fallen away.”
[6:6] 84 tn Or “while”; Grk “crucifying…and holding.” The Greek participles here (“crucifying…and holding”) can be understood as either causal (“since”) or temporal (“while”).
[6:6] 85 tn Grk “recrucifying the son of God for themselves.”
[6:8] 87 tn Grk “near to a curse.”
[6:14] 91 tn Grk “in blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply you,” the Greek form of a Hebrew idiom showing intensity.
[6:15] 93 tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Abraham) has been specified for clarity.
[6:16] 95 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”
[6:16] 96 tn Grk “by something greater”; the rest of the comparison (“than themselves”) is implied.
[6:16] 97 tn Grk “the oath for confirmation is an end of all dispute.”
[6:17] 98 tn Or “immutable” (here and in v. 18); Grk “the unchangeableness of his purpose.”
[6:18] 99 tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.
[6:19] 101 sn The curtain refers to the veil or drape in the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies.
[6:20] 103 sn A quotation from Ps 110:4, picked up again from Heb 5:6, 10.
[7:1] 105 sn A series of quotations from Gen 14:17-19.
[7:2] 107 tn Grk “to whom,” continuing the description of Melchizedek. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[7:2] 108 tn Or “a tenth part.”
[7:2] 109 sn A quotation from Gen 14:20.
[7:2] 110 tn Grk “first being interpreted,” describing Melchizedek.
[7:4] 110 tn Or “a tenth part.”
[7:5] 111 tn Or “the priesthood.”
[7:5] 112 tn Grk “from their brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.
[7:5] 113 tn Grk “have come from the loins of Abraham.”
[7:6] 113 tn Grk “the one”; in the translation the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified for clarity.
[7:6] 114 tn Grk “is not descended from them.”
[7:6] 115 tn Or “a tenth part.”
[7:6] 116 sn The verbs “collected…and blessed” emphasize the continuing effect of the past actions, i.e., Melchizedek’s importance.
[7:10] 115 tn Grk “in the loins of his father” (a reference to Abraham). The name “Abraham” has been repeated in the translation at this point (cf. v. 9) in order to clarify the referent (i.e., what ancestor was in view).
[7:11] 117 tn Grk “based on it.”
[7:12] 119 tn Grk “of necessity a change in the law comes to pass.”
[7:13] 121 tn Grk “shares in.”
[7:13] 122 tn Grk “from which no one.”
[7:16] 123 tn Grk “a law of a fleshly command.”
[7:17] 125 tn Grk “for he/it is witnessed that.”
[7:17] 126 sn A quotation from Ps 110:4 (see Heb 5:6 and 6:20).
[7:18] 127 tn Grk “the setting aside of a former command comes to pass.”
[7:18] 128 tn Grk “because of its weakness and uselessness.”
[7:20] 129 sn The Greek text contains an elaborate comparison between v. 20a and v. 22, with a parenthesis (vv. 20b-21) in between; the comparison is literally, “by as much as…by so much” or “to the degree that…to that same degree.”
[7:21] 131 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:21] 132 tn The words “did so” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[7:21] 133 sn A quotation from Ps 110:4 (see Heb 5:6, 6:20, and 7:17).
[7:23] 135 tn Grk “they on the one hand” in contrast with “he on the other hand” in v. 24.
[7:23] 136 tn Grk “they were prevented by death.”
[7:23] 137 tn Grk “from continuing” (the words “in office” are supplied for clarity).
[7:28] 137 sn See Heb 5:2 where this concept was introduced.
[8:1] 139 tn Grk “the main point of the things being said.”
[8:1] 140 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1; see Heb 1:3, 13.
[8:4] 141 tn Grk “there are those who offer.”
[8:5] 143 tn Grk “who serve in,” referring to the Levitical priests, but focusing on the provisional and typological nature of the tabernacle in which they served.
[8:5] 144 tn Or “prototype,” “outline.” The Greek word ὑπόδειγμα (Jupodeigma) does not mean “copy,” as it is often translated; it means “something to be copied,” a basis for imitation. BDAG 1037 s.v. 2 lists both Heb 8:5 and 9:23 under the second category of usage, “an indication of someth. that appears at a subsequent time,” emphasizing the temporal progression between the earthly and heavenly sanctuaries.
[8:5] 145 tn The word τύπος (tupos) here has the meaning “an archetype serving as a model, type, pattern, model” (BDAG 1020 s.v. 6.a). This is in keeping with the horizontal imagery accepted for this verse (see sn on “sketch” earlier in the verse). Here Moses was shown the future heavenly sanctuary which, though it did not yet exist, became the outline for the earthly sanctuary.
[8:5] 146 sn A quotation from Exod 25:40.
[8:6] 145 sn The Greek text indicates a contrast between vv. 4-5 and v. 6 that is difficult to render in English: Jesus’ status in the old order of priests (vv. 4-5) versus his superior ministry (v. 6).
[8:6] 146 tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Jesus) has been specified for clarity.
[8:6] 147 tn Grk “to the degree that.”
[8:6] 148 tn Grk “which is enacted.”
[8:6] 149 sn This linkage of the change in priesthood with a change in the law or the covenant goes back to Heb 7:12, 22 and is picked up again in Heb 9:6-15 and 10:1-18.
[8:7] 147 tn Grk “no occasion for a second one would have been sought.”
[8:8] 149 tn Grk “for,” but providing an explanation of the God-intended limitation of the first covenant from v. 7.
[8:8] 150 sn The “fault” or limitation in the first covenant was not in its inherent righteousness, but in its design from God himself. It was never intended to be his final revelation or provision for mankind; it was provisional, always pointing toward the fulfillment to come in Christ.
[8:8] 151 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 152 tc ‡ Several witnesses (א* A D* I K P Ψ 33 81 326 365 1505 2464 al latt co Cyr) have αὐτούς (autous) here, “[in finding fault with] them, [he says],” alluding to Israel’s failings mentioned in v. 9b. (The verb μέμφομαι [memfomai, “to find fault with”] can take an accusative or dative direct object.) The reading behind the text above (αὐτοίς, autoi"), supported by Ì46 א2 B D2 0278 1739 1881 Ï, is perhaps a harder reading theologically, and is more ambiguous in meaning. If αὐτοίς goes with μεμφόμενος (memfomeno", here translated “showing its fault”), the clause could be translated “in finding fault with them” or “in showing [its] faults to them.” If αὐτοίς goes with the following λέγει (legei, “he says”), the clause is best translated, “in finding/showing [its] faults, he says to them.” The accusative pronoun suffers no such ambiguity, for it must be the object of μεμφόμενος rather than λέγει. Although a decision is difficult, the dative form of the pronoun best explains the rise of the other reading and is thus more likely to be original.
[8:9] 151 tn Grk “not like the covenant,” continuing the description of v. 8b.
[8:10] 153 tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”
[8:10] 155 tn Grk “I will be to them for a God and they will be to me for a people,” following the Hebrew constructions of Jer 31.
[8:11] 155 tn Grk “they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen…” The Greek makes this negation emphatic: “they will certainly not teach.”
[8:11] 156 tn Grk “from the small to the great.”
[8:12] 157 sn A quotation from Jer 31:31-34.
[8:13] 159 tn Grk “when he says, ‘new,’” (referring to the covenant).
[8:13] 160 tn Grk “near to disappearing.”
[9:1] 161 tn Grk “the first” (referring to the covenant described in Heb 8:7, 13). In the translation the referent (covenant) has been specified for clarity.
[9:2] 163 tn Grk “the first,” in order of approach in the ritual.
[9:2] 164 tn Grk “in which [were].”
[9:2] 165 tn Grk “which,” describing the outer tent.
[9:4] 165 tn Grk “in which”; in the translation the referent (the ark) has been specified for clarity.
[9:5] 167 tn Grk “above it”; in the translation the referent (the ark) has been specified for clarity.
[9:5] 168 sn The cherubim (pl.) were an order of angels mentioned repeatedly in the OT but only here in the NT. They were associated with God’s presence, glory, and holiness. Their images that sat on top of the ark of the covenant are described in Exod 25:18-20.
[9:6] 169 tn Grk “the first tent.”
[9:7] 171 tn Grk “the second tent.”
[9:7] 172 tn Or perhaps “the unintentional sins of the people”; Grk “the ignorances of the people.” Cf. BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνόημα, “sin committed in ignorance/unintentionally.” This term seems to be simply a synonym for “sins” (cf. Heb 5:2) and does not pick up the distinction made in Num 15:22-31 between unwitting sin and “high-handed” sin. The Day of Atonement ritual in Lev 16 covered all the sins of the people, not just the unwitting ones.
[9:8] 173 tn Grk “the first tent.” The literal phrase “the first tent” refers to either (1) the outer chamber of the tabernacle in the wilderness (as in vv. 2, 6) or (2) the entire tabernacle as a symbol of the OT system of approaching God. The second is more likely given the contrast that follows in vv. 11-12.
[9:10] 175 tn Grk “only for foods and drinks.”
[9:10] 176 tc Most witnesses (D1 Ï) have “various washings, and external regulations” (βαπτισμοῖς καὶ δικαιώμασιν, baptismoi" kai dikaiwmasin), with both nouns in the dative. The translation “washings; they are… regulations” renders βαπτισμοῖς, δικαιώματα (baptismoi", dikaiwmata; found in such important
[9:10] 177 tn Grk “until the time of setting things right.”
[9:11] 177 tn Grk “But Christ, when he came,” introducing a sentence that includes all of Heb 9:11-12. The main construction is “Christ, having come…, entered…, having secured…,” and everything else describes his entrance.
[9:12] 179 tn This verb occurs in the Greek middle voice, which here intensifies the role of the subject, Christ, in accomplishing the action: “he alone secured”; “he and no other secured.”
[9:13] 181 tn Grk “for the purifying of the flesh.” The “flesh” here is symbolic of outward or ritual purity in contrast to inner purity, that of the conscience (cf. Heb 9:9).
[9:14] 183 tc The reading adopted by the translation is attested by many authorities (A D* K P 365 1739* al). But many others (א D2 0278 33 1739c 1881 Ï lat sa) read “your” instead of “our.” The diversity of evidence makes this a difficult case to decide from external evidence alone. The first and second person pronouns differ by only one letter in Greek, as in English, also making this problem difficult to decide based on internal evidence and transcriptional probability. In the context, the author’s description of sacrificial activities seems to invite the reader to compare his own possible participation in OT liturgy as over against the completed work of Christ, so the second person pronoun “your” might make more sense. On the other hand, TCGNT 599 argues that “our” is preferable because the author of Hebrews uses direct address (i.e., the second person) only in the hortatory sections. What is more, the author seems to prefer the first person in explanatory remarks or when giving the logical grounds for an assertion (cf. Heb 4:15; 7:14). It is hard to reach a definitive conclusion in this case, but the data lean slightly in favor of the first person pronoun.
[9:15] 185 tn The Greek word μεσίτης (mesith", “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.
[9:15] 186 tn Grk “the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
[9:15] 187 tn Grk “a death having occurred.”
[9:16] 187 tn Grk “there is a necessity for the death of the one who made it to be proven.”
[9:18] 189 sn The Greek text reinforces this by negating the opposite (“not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood”), but this double negation is not used in contemporary English.
[9:20] 191 tn Grk “which God commanded for you (or in your case).”
[9:23] 193 tn Or “prototypes,” “outlines,” referring to the earthly sanctuary. See Heb 8:5 above for the prior use of this term.
[9:23] 194 tn Grk “with these”; in the translation the referent (sacrifices) has been specified for clarity.
[9:23] 195 tn Grk “the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
[9:24] 195 tn Or “prefiguration.”
[9:24] 196 tn The word “sanctuary” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.
[9:25] 197 tn Grk “and not that he might offer,” continuing the previous construction.
[9:27] 199 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
[9:27] 200 tn Grk “and after this – judgment.”
[9:28] 201 sn An allusion to Isa 53:12.
[9:28] 202 tn Grk “without sin,” but in context this does not refer to Christ’s sinlessness (as in Heb 4:15) but to the fact that sin is already dealt with by his first coming.
[9:28] 203 tn Grk “for salvation.” This may be construed with the verb “await” (those who wait for him to bring them salvation), but the connection with “appear” (as in the translation) is more likely.
[10:1] 203 tn Grk “those who approach.”
[10:2] 205 tn Grk “the worshipers, having been purified once for all, would have.”
[10:3] 207 tn Grk “in them”; the referent (those sacrifices) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:4] 209 tn Grk “for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
[10:7] 211 tn Grk “behold,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).
[10:7] 212 sn A quotation from Ps 40:6-8 (LXX). The phrase a body you prepared for me (in v. 5) is apparently an interpretive expansion of the HT reading “ears you have dug out for me.”
[10:8] 213 sn Various phrases from the quotation of Ps 40:6 in Heb 10:5-6 are repeated in Heb 10:8.
[10:9] 215 tc The majority of
[10:10] 217 tn Grk “by which will.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[10:11] 219 tn Or “daily,” “every day.”
[10:12] 221 tn Grk “this one.” This pronoun refers to Jesus, but “this priest” was used in the translation to make the contrast between the Jewish priests in v. 11 and Jesus as a priest clearer in English.
[10:12] 222 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.
[10:13] 223 tn Grk “from then on waiting.”
[10:13] 224 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.
[10:15] 225 tn Grk “after having said,” emphasizing the present impact of this utterance.
[10:16] 227 tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”
[10:16] 228 sn A quotation from Jer 31:33.
[10:17] 230 sn A quotation from Jer 31:34.
[10:19] 231 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.
[10:20] 233 tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19.
[10:20] 234 sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.
[10:21] 235 tn Grk “and a great priest,” continuing the construction begun in v. 19.
[10:22] 237 tn Grk “in assurance of faith.”
[10:22] 238 sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16).
[10:24] 239 tn Grk “let us consider one another for provoking of love and good deeds.”
[10:25] 241 sn The day refers to that well-known time of Christ’s coming and judgment in the future; see a similar use of “day” in 1 Cor 3:13.
[10:25] 242 tn This paragraph (vv. 19-25) is actually a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments for English idiom. It begins with several subordinate phrases (since we have confidence and a great priest), has three parallel exhortations as its main verbs (let us draw near, hold, and take thought), and concludes with several subordinate phrases related to the final exhortation (not abandoning but encouraging).
[10:26] 243 tn Grk “is left,” with “for us” implied by the first half of the verse.
[10:27] 245 tn Grk “zeal,” recalling God’s jealous protection of his holiness and honor (cf. Exod 20:5).
[10:27] 246 tn Grk “the enemies.”
[10:28] 248 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.
[10:29] 249 tn Grk “tramples under foot.”
[10:29] 250 tn Grk “regarded as common.”
[10:29] 251 tn Grk “by which he was made holy.”
[10:30] 251 sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.
[10:30] 252 sn A quotation from Deut 32:36.
[10:34] 253 tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א D2 1881 Ï), read δεσμοῖς μου (desmoi" mou, “my imprisonment”) here, a reading that is probably due to the widespread belief in the early Christian centuries that Paul was the author of Hebrews (cf. Phil 1:7; Col 4:18). It may have been generated by the reading δεσμοῖς without the μου (so Ì46 Ψ 104 pc), the force of which is so ambiguous (lit., “you shared the sufferings with the bonds”) as to be virtually nonsensical. Most likely, δεσμοῖς resulted when a scribe made an error in copying δεσμίοις (desmioi"), a reading which makes excellent sense (“[of] those in prison”) and is strongly supported by early and significant witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (A D* H 6 33 81 1739 lat sy co). Thus, δεσμίοις best explains the rise of the other readings on both internal and external grounds and is strongly preferred.
[10:34] 254 tn Grk “you yourselves.”
[10:35] 255 tn Grk “which,” but showing the reason.
[10:36] 257 tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.
[10:37] 259 sn A quotation from Isa 26:20.
[10:37] 260 sn A quotation from Hab 2:3.
[10:38] 262 sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.
[10:39] 263 tn Grk “not…of shrinking back to perdition but of faith to the preservation of the soul.”
[11:2] 265 tn Or “the elders,” “the ancients.”
[11:2] 266 tn Grk “were attested,” “received commendation”; and Heb 11:4-6 shows this to be from God.
[11:3] 267 tn Grk “ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 1:2 for same usage.
[11:3] 268 tn Grk “by God’s word.”
[11:3] 269 sn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that what is seen did not come into being from things that are visible.”
[11:4] 269 tn Or “through his sacrifice”; Grk “through which.”
[11:4] 270 tn Or “through his sacrifice”; Grk “through it.”
[11:7] 271 tn Cf. BDAG 407 s.v. εὐλαβέομαι 2, “out of reverent regard (for God’s command).”
[11:9] 273 tn Or “settled as a resident alien.”
[11:9] 274 tn Or “heirs with him.”
[11:10] 275 tn Grk “that has foundations.”
[11:11] 277 tn Grk “past the time of maturity.”
[11:11] 278 tn Grk “power to deposit seed.” Though it is not as likely, some construe this phrase to mean “power to conceive seed,” making the whole verse about Sarah: “by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and too old, she received ability to conceive, because she regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.”
[11:12] 279 tn Grk “these”; in the translation the referent (children) has been specified for clarity.
[11:12] 280 tn Grk a collective “the sand.”
[11:12] 281 sn An allusion to Gen 22:17 (which itself goes back to Gen 15:5).
[11:13] 281 tn Grk “the promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.
[11:13] 282 tn Or “sojourners.”
[11:17] 285 tn Here “received the promises” refers to the pledges themselves, not to the things God promised.
[11:17] 286 tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.
[11:18] 287 tn Grk “in Isaac seed will be named for you.”
[11:19] 289 tn Grk “having reasoned,” continuing the ideas of v. 17.
[11:19] 290 tn Grk “in/by a symbol.”
[11:21] 291 tn Grk “worshiped on the top of his staff,” a quotation from Gen 47:31 (LXX).
[11:22] 293 tn Grk “coming to an end,” “dying.”
[11:22] 294 sn Joseph’s prophecy about the exodus of the sons of Israel is found in Gen 50:24.
[11:22] 295 tn Grk “about his bones,” which refers by metonymy to the disposition of his bones, i.e., his burial.
[11:23] 295 tn Grk “Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents.”
[11:26] 297 tn Grk “the abuse [or ‘reproach’] of Christ.”
[11:26] 298 tn Grk “he was looking away to.”
[11:28] 299 tn Grk “the pouring out of the blood.”
[11:30] 301 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[11:30] 302 tn Grk “after they had been encircled.”
[11:31] 303 tn Grk “did not perish together with.”
[11:33] 305 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] 306 tn Grk “obtained promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.
[11:34] 307 tn Grk “quenched the power of fire.”
[11:34] 308 tn Or “recovered from sickness.”
[11:35] 309 tn Grk “received back their dead from resurrection.”
[11:35] 310 tn Grk “to obtain a better resurrection.”
[11:37] 311 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] 313 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] 314 tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.
[11:40] 315 tn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that they would not be made perfect without us.”
[12:1] 317 tn Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”
[12:2] 319 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.
[12:4] 321 tn Grk “until blood.”
[12:5] 323 tn Or “disregard,” “think little of.”
[12:5] 324 tn Or “reproves,” “rebukes.” The Greek verb ἐλέγχω (elencw) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
[12:6] 325 sn A quotation from Prov 3:11-12.
[12:7] 327 tn Grk “endure,” with the object (“your suffering”) understood from the context.
