The main point of this verse is the contrast between the Lord, who will always remain in existence, and the world he has made, which will not.

The word for disappear is often used in the Bible in contexts which speak of violent destruction; therefore Barclay and Translator’s New Testament translate “be destroyed.” However, the idea of destruction is not present in the second half of the verse, which simply speaks of growing old. They will disappear may be rendered as “They will no longer be seen,” “They will no longer exist,” or “There will be a time when they will no longer be.”

The Greek verb for remain, as written in the oldest manuscripts, may mean either “you remain” (compare Revised Standard Version) or you will remain. Most early translations have the future tense. The immediate context (They will disappear, they will … wear out) suggests the future, but you are (verse 12) is a present tense in the Greek. Whether present or future is chosen, the meaning is much the same, since remain suggests a permanent state, including both present and future. Therefore it is important in rendering remain to indicate continued existence rather than merely remaining in a place. Hence, you will remain may be rendered as “you will always exist.”

It may be somewhat difficult to speak of the earth and the sky as “wearing out like clothes,” but sometimes one may speak of such a process as “they will become useless like old clothes.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .