Section 5:11–6:12

Grow up in your faith, and do not give up

In Section 5:11–6:12 the author interrupted his teaching about God appointing Christ as the high priest in order to tell his listeners to mature in their faith and to warn them not to stop believing in Christ. After this warning (6:4–12), he will continue to teach them in 6:13–7:28 about the priesthood of Jesus and Melchizedek.

Remember to translate the section before choosing a heading for it. Some other possible headings are:

Warning about abandoning Christ
-or-
Do not be lazy but become mature followers of Christ

Paragraph 5:11–14

In verses 11–14 the author told his listeners that they were like babies who do not understand much about God and his Word. He told them that they ought to be like teachers, not like babies.

5:11a

We have much to say about this: The author put the phrase about this at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize it. In some languages it is more natural to begin the sentence in a different way, as modelled by the Berean Standard Bible. In other languages it may be preferable to follow the Greek word order. For example:

About this we have much to say (New Revised Standard Version)

We: Here the author used the word We to refer to himself, as was common for Greek authors. The word We does not include the readers, and it does not indicate that there is more than one author of Hebrews. In many languages it is more natural and accurate to use “I” here. See the examples in the following note on “have much to say.”

have much to say: In Greek the phrase have much to say is more literally “much (is) the word.” It indicates that the author wants to explain much more about Christ being our high priest in the order of Melchizedek. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

there is much to tell you
-or-
There are many more things I would like to tell you

The author already said something about Christ and Melchizedek in 5:7 and 10. So in some languages it may be helpful to indicate that he has more to say about that topic. For example:

There is much more we would like to say about this (New Living Translation (2004))

about this: The phrase about this refers to the topic that the author has been discussing in 4:14–16 and 5:1–10. That topic is that Christ is our great high priest and his priesthood is like the priesthood of Melchizedek (5:10).

Some ways to refer back to this topic are:

• Refer to the topic in a general way. For example:

About this topic/matter

• Refer to the topic more specifically. For example:

There is much that I could say here concerning the priesthood of Jesus and Melchizedek

5:11b

but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing: In this part of the verse the author tells his listeners why it is difficult to explain Christ’s high priesthood to them. The reason is that they are dull of hearing. As a result, it is hard to explain the topic to them in a way that they can understand. Some other ways to translate this result and its reason are:

it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand (New International Version)
-or-
it is not easy to explain it to you because you do not seem to really listen

In some languages it is more natural to change the order of the reason and result so that the reason comes first. For example:

But you don’t seem to listen, so it’s hard to make you understand. (New Living Translation (1996))

hard to explain: The Berean Standard Bible phrase hard to explain is one word in Greek. This word often refers to a topic that is difficult to understand in itself. However, in this context the author indicates that his topic is hard to explain to them because they are lazy in listening to it. They do not think about it carefully enough to understand it. Some other ways to translate this word are:

difficult to make it clear to you
-or-
hard to make you know/understand

because you are dull of hearing: This clause tells the reason why it was difficult for the author to explain the high priesthood of Christ to his listeners. The reason is that they were too lazy (slow) to understand it. The word the Berean Standard Bible translates as dull means “slow/lazy” and is translated as “sluggish” in 6:12, but it does not occur anywhere else in the NT.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

because you are so slow to understand (Good News Translation)
-or-
you have become too dull/lazy to understand it

In some languages there is a figure of speech for this meaning. For example:

your heads/ears have become too hard

The author said this to encourage his listeners to try harder to understand what he wanted to teach them. Translate this meaning in a natural way in your language.

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

4:12a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as For introduces a list of reasons why we must be diligent to obey God and enter his rest (4:11). These reasons are descriptions of the word of God. It is living, powerful, and discerning. It exposes a person’s secret thoughts. Introduce these reasons in a natural way in your language. In some languages a conjunction may not be necessary.

the word of God is living and active: This statement indicates that God’s word has power to accomplish what God intends. God used his word to create the world, and he uses it to affect what people believe and what they do. Some other ways to translate the statement are:

God’s word is alive and it does ⌊great⌋ things.
-or-
What God says has power to do/accomplish ⌊what he intends⌋.

the word of God: The phrase the word of God refers to what God says. It includes the Scriptures. It also includes whatever God says, whether it is spoken or written. Jesus is also called “the word of God” (for example, in John 1:14). Hebrews 1:2 says that God spoke in (or by) a Son. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

God’s word/message
-or-
the Word that God speaks (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

living and active: The two words which the Berean Standard Bible translates as living and active have a similar meaning here. The author often used pairs of words with similar meanings to emphasize what he wanted to communicate. This pair indicates that God’s word has power to accomplish what God intends. God used his word to create the world, and he uses it to affect what people believe and what they do.

In some languages it may be more natural to emphasize the meaning in a different way. For example:

full of living power (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
it is powerful and it has results

Notice that there are other pairs in 4:12–13. Translate these pairs in a way that will emphasize the meaning in your language.

living: In this context the word living is used in a figurative way. It means “able to accomplish things.” Here it does not refer to breathing or to having physical life. See the preceding note for translation examples.

active: Here the word active means “effective.” It indicates that God’s word accomplishes what he intends.

4:12b

Sharper than any double-edged sword: This statement is a figure of speech. The author compared the word of God to a sword. A sword can be used to cut a person open, and then people can see what is inside his body. The Word of God can do this in a spiritual way. It can reveal a person’s mind and heart and cause him (or other people) to understand it. It reveals to a person what is right and what is wrong about his way of thinking.

Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Use a simile. For example:

God’s word cuts better than a sword that is sharp on both sides.
-or-
God’s word is like a sword with two sharp edges.

• Use a simile and also indicate the meaning. For example:

God’s Word ⌊exposes a person’s thoughts and motives,⌋ just as a sharp sword with two edges ⌊cuts into something and exposes what is in it⌋.

• Translate the meaning without using the figure of speech. For example:

God’s Word exposes our hidden thoughts/motives.

Use a natural way in your language to translate the figure of speech.

any double-edged sword: The Greek word used here for sword occurs only three times in the New Testament. A sword (or “dagger”) is a long knife. The word double-edged indicates that the knife has two sharp (cutting) edges. A double-edged knife is more effective than a knife that has only one sharp edge. That type of knife can cut into something and divide it accurately into parts.

Another way to translate double-edged sword is:

a long knife with two sharp edges

In some languages there is an idiom to describe this. For example, in Hebrew the idiom is literally:

a sword that has two mouths

any: The word any indicates here that there is no sword (even one with two edges) that is more effective than God’s word.

4:12c–d

it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow: This part of the verse continues to describe the word of God. In Greek the phrase even to dividing is literally “as far as (the place of) division.” It implies that God’s word enters even the part of a person where soul and spirit meet or where his joints and marrow meet.

In some languages a phrase like to dividing may wrongly imply that the Word of God separates a person’s soul from his spirit and separates a person’s joints from his marrow. For that reason the Notes uses the God’s Word as the source text for 4:12c:

and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet (God’s Word)

(God’s Word) and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet: The phrase where soul and spirit meet is a figure of speech. The phrase place where joints and marrow meet is also a figure of speech. No one can tell exactly where a person’s soul and spirit meet or where joints and marrow meet.

Together these two figures of speech refer to every part of a person. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

It penetrates even the inner-being and thinking of a person. Therefore no matter what a person’s motive is or what he intends, this word of God can reveal it.
-or-
It pierces into even our thinking and our purpose, and it shows us what God thinks about it.

(God’s Word) soul…spirit: In this context the Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as soul and spirit have similar meanings. In many scriptures the word soul refers to the inner part of a person which thinks, feels, and makes decisions. The word spirit refers to the person himself, especially to the essential part of himself that is responsible to give an account to God. Here the words soul and spirit are used together to refer to the hidden part of a person, his thoughts, and motives.

Other ways to translate soul and spirit here are:

our innermost thoughts and desires (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
a person’s inner-being and mind/thinking

Most English versions (except the New Living Translation (2004)) use the words soul and spirit. See soul, sense A1(a), and spirit, sense A1(a), in Key Biblical Terms.

(God’s Word) joints…marrow: The word joints refers to the material in the body that joins bones together. The word marrow refers to the substance inside the big bones of the body. Another way to translate the literal meaning is:

a person’s joints and the substance inside his bones

Here the phrase “the place where joints and marrow meet” is a metaphor to refer to a person’s secret thoughts and desires. It emphasizes the statement in 4:12c, which has the same meaning. In some languages the metaphor may not be natural, and you may need to translate the meaning in a different way. For example:

every part of a person

4:12e–f

It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart: Here the author says that the word of God (It) is able to judge people’s thoughts and intentions. This is figurative language. It implies that God’s word causes people to know how God wants them to think and act. When a person reads it, it teaches him whether his thoughts are good or bad. Some other ways to translate this statement are:

it pierces into even our thinking, our breath, our purpose, and it shows us what God is thinking about it.
-or-
God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions. (God’s Word)
-or-
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages it may be necessary to translate the meaning without the figurative language. For example:

God uses his Word to show people whether their way of thinking and what they intend to do is right or wrong.

It judges: The Greek word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as judges can describe a judge in a legal case. However, it is often used in a more general way. Here it refers to the ability to distinguish what is right and what is wrong. People can use what God says to examine their thoughts and intentions and know whether they are pleasing to God or not.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

examines
-or-
discovers
-or-
causes…to be exposed

thoughts and intentions: The words thoughts and intentions are used together to describe what a person thinks. The Greek word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as thoughts refers to “the process of considering something, thought, reflection, idea.” It occurs only three other times in the New Testament: Matthew 9:4, 12:25 and Acts 17:29.

The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as intentions is also rare in the New Testament. It occurs only once more, in 1 Peter 4:1. It refers to what a person thinks, his “thoughts, knowledge, and insights.”

Some other ways to translate thoughts and intentions are:

what a person thinks and plans
-or-
our thinking and the purposes in our hearts

of the heart: In both Greek and Hebrew the heart refers to the part of a person that thinks and feels. In some languages a phrase like of the heart may not be necessary in this context. The source of the “thoughts and intentions” may already be implied by referring to the person (or people) who think them. See the first example in the preceding note. For more information, see heart, sense 1(b), in Key Biblical Terms.

General Comment on 4:12a–e

In some languages you may need to make the comparison in this verse more explicit. For example:

God’s word is powerful and active. It exposes what people think and what they want/intend to do as ⌊precisely as⌋ a knife with two sharp edges cuts into ⌊skin⌋.
-or-
God’s word is strong and does great deeds. Like a knife with two sharp edges, it cuts open a person’s thoughts and shows what he secretly thinks and wants to do.

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

5:12

In this verse the author rebuked his listeners for not understanding more about God’s word. He implied that they had known about Christ for a long time, so they should be ready to teach others about him. Instead they still needed someone to teach them the most basic truths that God has revealed to people.

5:12a–b

by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you: This statement implies that the listeners still did not understand basic truths about being a Christian. They had been Christians for a long time, so now they should be able to teach people about the Christian faith. However, they still needed other people to teach them.

Some other ways to translate the statement are:

By now you should have been teachers, but you still need a teacher to repeat to you what you learned before.
-or-
At a time when you should be teaching others, you need teachers yourselves (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

Notice that the word reteach refers specifically here to teaching about God’s word and the Christian faith. It does not imply that the listeners should have become professional teachers or teachers of other subjects. In some languages it is necessary to refer specifically to Christian teaching. For example:

Now for a long time ⌊you have heard about Jesus Christ⌋. If you had not been sluggish in listening, you would now be teaching other people ⌊about him⌋.

5:12a

Although: The common Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Although introduces an explanation. It supports what the author said about the readers being “dull of hearing” (5:11). The word Although indicates that what the author is about to say in 5:12a is unexpected. Some other ways to translate the connection between these clauses in English are:

There has been enough time for you to be teachers—yet you still need someone to teach you (Good News Translation)
-or-
You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
By now you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you (New Century Version)

Connect the clauses in a natural way in your language.

by this time: The phrase by this time refers to the time when the author was writing to his listeners. The author implied that as he was writing to them, they had already been Christians for some time. He also implied that since they first trusted in Christ, they had been hearing God’s word, so now they should know enough to teach it to others. Other ways to translate the phrase are:

Actually it is time
-or-
By now (NET Bible)
-or-
by this time…⌊because you began to trust in Jesus long ago⌋

you ought to be teachers: The clause you ought to be teachers indicates that the listeners should be teaching other people about God’s word. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

you ought to be teaching others (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you should be the ones who are teaching your companions
-or-
You ought to be able to preach/teach now

you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to the people who were listening to the book of Hebrews.

teachers: The word teachers refers to people who teach others. It is a general word that can refer to anyone who teaches, either formally or informally. It was often used to describe people who taught about God. For example, it is used of John the Baptist (Luke 3:12) and of Jesus (Mark 4:38).

In some languages it is more natural to use a verb. For example:

you(plur) should be able to explain these truths to others
-or-
By now you(plur) should be teaching other people these truths.

5:12b

you need someone to reteach you: The clause you need someone to reteach you implies that someone already taught the listeners about Christ. When they joined the Christian community, they were taught the basic truths that Christians believe. Now they seem to have forgotten these truths, so they need someone to teach them again.

Some other ways to translate 5:12b are:

you still need to have someone else to teach you again
-or-
you still have to be taught/preached-to again

the basic principles of God’s word: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as basic principles is more literally “fundamental principles of the beginning.” It refers to the simple truths and principles on which our trust in God is based.

These principles are usually the first truths that people are taught about God, Christ, and salvation when they become Christians. They are God’s word because God is the one who spoke them and revealed them to his people.

Some other ways to translate the basic principles of God’s word are:

the elementary truths of God’s word (New International Version)
-or-
the first lessons of God’s message (New Century Version)
-or-
the simplest things about what God has said (Contemporary English Version)

5:12c

You need milk, not solid food: Here the author used a metaphor. He compared basic teaching to milk. The word milk often refers to “breast milk” that babies and young children take directly from their mothers’ breasts. The author compared the teaching about Jesus being our high priest to solid food. It is a teaching for mature Christians.

In some languages this metaphor may not be clear. Some other ways to translate it are:

• Use a simile. For example:

You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
You still need basic/simple teaching that is like milk. You are not yet ready for the advanced teaching that is like solid food.

• Use a more general comparison. For example:

You are like a young child who can understand only simple teaching. You are not mature enough to understand more difficult teaching.

solid food: The phrase solid food refers to food that must be chewed, like meat or vegetables. Small babies cannot eat that kind of food because they cannot chew it. Remember that the author used solid food as a metaphor to refer to the complex truths that he wanted to teach them.

In some languages a word like solid is not necessary, because food already contrasts with milk. For example:

You again want to be like babies who are nursing, and yet it is necessary that you eat food.
-or-
It’s as if you have become a baby who still needs to nurse, because he can’t chew food.

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

4:13

In 4:12 the author said that God’s word is like a sword which cuts people open and shows what they are like inside. In 4:13 the author indicates that God sees every person and everything that he created, and he knows all about them. No one can hide anything from him, and everyone must give an account to him for what they do.

The statements in 4:13a and 4:13b are parallel, and 4:13b repeats the idea of 4:13a. The parallel parts are indicated here by underlining or bolding:

13a And before him no creature is hidden

13b but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one

13c
to whom we must render an account.

In some languages it is more natural to combine these statements. For example:

13a–b No one can hide anything from God, and he is the one 13c to whom we must give an account.

4:13a

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight: The word hidden refers here to something that is not able to be seen or known. The clause indicates that God can see everything and everyone that he created. Nothing can be hidden from God so that he does not see it.

Some other ways to translate the statement are:

No creature can hide from God (God’s Word)
-or-
There is really nothing that can be hidden from God.
-or-
God can see every one of his creatures, and none of them is hidden from him.

creation: The word creation refers to anything that God created. God created everything.

4:13b

everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes: The words uncovered and exposed mean “uncovered, bare,” and they are used in a figurative way here. It indicates that God knows everything about every creature, just as people can see the whole body of a naked person. Even if a person tries to hide something about himself from God, God will still see it clearly. He will know all about it.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

everything is uncovered…for him to see (God’s Word)
-or-
whatever creature, it is as if they are all naked in his sight

exposed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as exposed occurs only here in the Bible. It probably refers to the custom of exposing the neck of a person or animal in order to cut his throat and kill him. Here the word is used as a figure of speech. It indicates that everything (and every person) is completely known to God, and God has power over each one.

Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

exposed/clear
-or-
there is nothing of our thoughts closed to him
-or-
He can always see anything that we are doing/thinking

4:13c

of Him to whom we must give account: The phrase of Him to whom we must give account refers to God. It indicates that God is the judge of what people do and think throughout their lives. He is the one to whom we will explain the way we have lived.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

And he is the one to whom we will answer for all that we have done and thought.
-or-
It is to him that we must admit/confess our behavior.
-or-
This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done. (New Living Translation (2004))

give account: The phrase give account means “give an answer for our actions” or “say why we have done what we have done.” See the preceding note for translation examples.

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

5:13–14

In 5:13–14, the author explained the figure of speech “You need milk, not solid food” (5:12c). People who do not know what God says about righteousness are like babies who only drink milk (5:13). Mature believers know the difference between right and wrong. They are like mature people who eat “solid food.” (5:14).

5:13a-b

For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness: This verse indicates that people who only pay attention to simple teaching are like babies who still drink only milk. They do not understand much about the word of righteousness.

In some languages it is necessary to make the comparison more explicit. For example:

for a person like that who lives only on the “milk” ⌊of simple teachings⌋ is like an infant. He does not know much about the word of righteousness.
-or-
A person ⌊who only understands simple teachings⌋ is like an infant living on milk. He is not trained in the teaching about righteousness.

5:13a

everyone who lives on milk is still an infant:
The phrase everyone who lives on milk is still an infant refers to someone who has no nourishment except milk because he is a baby. He cannot digest any food except milk until he becomes old enough to eat other food. In many cultures infants take only milk from their mother’s breast until they are ready to eat other food.

Another way to translate this meaning is

anyone who drinks/takes-in only milk because he is still ⌊like⌋ a baby

5:13b

inexperienced in the message of righteousness: The phrase inexperienced in the message of righteousness has several interpretations. The most likely interpretations are:

(1) It means that a person “is unskilled in the matter of what is right.” It indicates that he does not know how to decide what is right and what is wrong. For example:

without any experience in the matter of right and wrong (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It means that a person “does not understand the teaching about righteousness.” It indicates that he does not understand the teaching about Christ as high priest atoning for his people’s sins and making them righteous. For example:

not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness (New International Version)

(New International Version, NET Bible, New Century Version)

(3) It means that a person “is not experienced in speaking about what is right.” For example:

lack the experience to talk about what is right (God’s Word)

(God’s Word)

Some English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits best with the contrast in 5:14 with the mature who know how to discern between right and wrong. Another way to translate this meaning is:

is not able to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong

For more information, see just, sense C3, in Key Biblical Terms.

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

3:17

And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?: In this verse there are another two rhetorical questions about the people who were “in the rebellion” (3:15). As in 3:16, the second question answers the first question. The meaning is that the people who angered God were those who sinned. They were the ones who died in the wilderness because they sinned against God.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

• Use a rhetorical question and a statement for an answer. For example:

17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? He was angry with those who sinned, who died in the desert. (New Century Version)
-or-
With whom was God angry for forty years? With the people who sinned, who fell down dead in the desert. (Good News Translation)

• Use two statements. For example:

And you know that these are the people God became angry with because they committed sin during forty years. Therefore all of these people died there in the desert.

Translate the rhetorical questions in a natural way in your language. See Numbers 14:29, 14:32 for an account of this event.

3:17a

And: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces a question that has a similar meaning as the one in 3:16. Most English versions have And here or do not use a conjunction. Do what is natural in your language.

with whom was God angry for forty years: This rhetorical question implies that the people angered God many times during the forty years when he was leading them through the wilderness. It does not imply that he held onto his anger over one particular sin for forty years. Translate in a way that will imply the right meaning. For example:

who was he angry with during those forty years?
-or-
who was it who angered God ⌊repeatedly⌋ during forty years?

3:17b–c

Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness: This part of the verse answers the rhetorical question in 3:17a. It indicates that the people who sinned were the ones who made God angry. Because God was angry with them, he let them die in the wilderness. Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

And you know that these are the people God became angry with because they sinned, and they died there in the desert.
-or-
They were the same descendants of Israel who sinned against God and because of this, He punished them and they died there in the land where no people live.

whose bodies fell: The phrase whose bodies fell is figurative. It indicates that the people died. Some other ways to translate it are:

• Use a different figurative expression that has the same meaning in your language. For example:

fell down dead in the desert (Good News Translation)

• Translate the meaning directly. For example:

died in the desert (God’s Word)

Translate the phrase in a natural way in your language.

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

3:18

And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?: This verse is one rhetorical question, which has another rhetorical question within it. It means that God swore to the people who disobeyed him that they would not enter his rest.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

• Use one or two rhetorical questions. For example:

To whom did God swear that they would not enter his rest? Wasn’t it to those who disobeyed him?

• Use one rhetorical question and a statement for an answer. For example:

18 And to whom was God speaking when he vowed that they would never enter his place of rest? He was speaking to those who disobeyed him. (New Century Version)
-or-
When God made his solemn promise, “They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest”—of whom was he speaking? Of those who rebelled. (Good News Translation)

• Use two statements. For example:

And you know that these are the people God became angry with because they committed sin during forty years. Therefore all of these people died there in the desert.

Translate the rhetorical question in a natural way in your language.

3:18a–b

And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest?: This question indicates that God swore to certain people that they would never enter his rest. This event was mentioned in 3:11: “So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.” (Berean Standard Bible)

In some languages it may be more natural to translate what God swore in direct speech. For example:

To whom did he swear, saying, “Now you will never enter ⌊the land⌋ that I wanted you to have as a place to rest with me?”

swear: The word swear means to take an oath or make a binding promise. In Hebrew culture, such a promise must not be broken. Here God’s promise implied that he would certainly do what he said. What he said would certainly happen.

You may be able to use the same phrase that you used in 3:11.

that they would never enter His rest: The phrase His rest refers here to the life of dependence on God that God wanted his people to live. He wanted them to depend on him and trust him for everything.

See the note on 3:11a–b. It is important to use the word rest here because the author is going to write more about rest in chapter 4.

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

3:19a–c

So we see that: The phrase So we see that introduces the conclusion of what the author said in 3:7–18. It indicates that the author is about to tell the Hebrews what they should learn and know from what he said in those verses. Some ways to introduce this conclusion are:

So we clearly know that…
-or-
From all this we learn that…

Introduce this conclusion in a natural way in your language.

we: The word we includes both the author and his hearers. However, it is used here as a natural way to introduce a conclusion. In some languages it may be more natural to introduce the conclusion without using we. For example:

Thus it is seen here that…

see: Here the verb see is used in a figurative way to mean “understand, know, learn.” Use a natural verb in your language to introduce the conclusion in this context.

it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter: The phrase because of their unbelief tells the reason that the people were unable to enter God’s rest. God did not allow them to enter his rest because they did not believe him. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

19b they couldn’t receive that rest 19c because they did not believe
-or-

19 the reason they were unable to enter the resting place God had prepared, it was their not believing in him

In some languages it is more natural to put the result of not being able to enter God’s rest before the reason (their unbelief). For example:

19c they were unable to enter 19b because of unbelief (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-

19c they were not able to enter God’s rest. 19b That is because they refused to trust God.
-or-
they could not enter for lack of faith (New American Bible, Revised Edition)

Use a natural order in your language.

because of their unbelief: In 3:18 the sin of the Israelites was called disobedience. Here the author called it unbelief. Disobedience and unbelief are very closely connected.

In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb rather than a noun like unbelief. One way to express this meaning as a verb is:

because they did not believe

they were unable to enter: The words unable to enter refer back to the phrase “enter his rest” in 3:18. It is clear from the historical context that “his rest” refers here to Canaan, the country that God promised the Israelites.

In some languages, it may be necessary to say where the people of Israel were unable to enter. If that is true in your language, you should supply a phrase that will agree with how you translated 3:18. For example:

they were not able to enter ⌊God’s rest⌋

© 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.