Section 2:1–4
Warning: Do not ignore what God has spoken
In the last verse of chapter 1, the author mentioned “salvation.” In 2:1–4, he told the people to pay careful attention to this salvation that God’s Son brought them. He warned them that if they did not pay attention to it, God would certainly punish them. Their punishment would be greater than the punishment of people who ignored the law, since the law was brought only by angels. This warning is the first of five important warnings in the book of Hebrews.
In some languages it may be helpful to change the order of some of the parts of 2:2–3 to help readers understand the contrast between the law and the salvation that the Son brought. See the General Comment on 2:2–3 at the end of 2:3b for an example.
It is good to translate the section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings are:
Warning Against Neglecting Salvation (English Standard Version)
-or-
We must give earnest attention to what we have heard
Some translators decide to combine this section with 2:5–10. If you decide to do that, one possible section heading is:
Everything Is Under Jesus’ Control (God’s Word)
Paragraph 2:1–4
2:1a
We: The pronoun We is inclusive and refers to the author and anyone who hears or reads this letter.
must pay closer attention:
The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must pay closer attention is literally “it is necessary much-more to hold-to.” It indicates that it is necessary to think seriously about (what God has said), to believe it and obey it carefully.
In some languages there may be a figurative way to talk about this type of careful attention. For example:
hold on all the more firmly to (Good News Translation)
-or-
take what we have heard and grip it more tightly
-or-
be more careful to follow (New Century Version)
In some languages it may not be natural to use a comparison without being specific about what is being compared. If that is true in your language, you may want to emphasize the careful attention without the comparison. For example:
listen very carefully (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
give our full attention (Contemporary English Version)
therefore: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as therefore is literally “because of this.” The Berean Standard Bible puts therefore in the middle of the clause because this is good English style, but the Greek phrase occurs at the beginning of the verse. Put the transition word or phrase wherever it is natural in your language.
The word therefore introduces what people should do as a result of what the author said in chapter 1: Now God has spoken to us through a Son (not just through angels), therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard through God’s Son.
Some other ways to translate this connection are:
For this reason (God’s Word)
-or-
That is why (Good News Translation)
In some languages it is necessary to refer back to the theme of chapter 1 more specifically. For example:
Since the greatness of God’s Child is like this
-or-
Because all this is true (UBS Handbook)
Connect this verse to chapter 1 in a natural way in your language.
to what we have heard: The clause to what we have heard refers to what God spoke to his people through his Son Jesus. The author and readers of Hebrews heard it from Jesus or his apostles or other people who proclaimed it. In 2:3 the author indicates that what they heard was about salvation.
In some languages it is necessary to make the phrase what we have heard more specific. For example:
the message that we have heard
-or-
the truth which was taught us
-or-
the good news which was told to us
2:1b
so that we do not drift away: The phrase so that…not introduces the purpose for the action in 2:1a. This purpose is to avoid drifting away from what God spoke through his Son. This purpose is also an implied warning. It implies that if we do not pay attention to the message (2:1a), we will drift away from it.
Some other ways to translate this purpose and warning are:
or we may drift away from it (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Then we will not drift away from it.
we: The pronoun we is inclusive and refers to the author and anyone who hears or reads this letter.
do not drift away: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as drift away often describes how a boat can be carried away by water to a different place. In this verse the verb is used as a figure of speech. It refers to the way that we might stop believing and obeying the truth if we do not pay attention to it.
In some languages this figure of speech may be difficult to understand. It may be more natural to translate the meaning in a different way. For example:
• Use a figure of speech with a similar meaning in your language. For example:
will not stray away from the truth (New Century Version)
• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
will not gradually stop believing/obeying it
Some translations supply the phrase “from it” to indicate that drift away refers back to “what we have heard” in 2:2a. Make this clear in a natural way in your language.
General Comment on 2:1b
In this part of the verse the author used the action of drifting away (on a boat) as a figure of speech. In 6:19 he used a similar figure of speech. He compared our hope to an anchor (the heavy object that keeps a boat from drifting away).
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