3:8a
do not harden your hearts: The clause do not harden your hearts is figurative. It means “do not be obstinate” or “do not refuse to listen.” Some other ways to translate the clause are:
do not be stubborn (Good News Translation)
-or-
do not rebel
-or-
do not refuse ⌊to do⌋ ⌊what he says⌋
your hearts: The Jews speak of their hearts as the part of a person that thinks, feels, and makes decisions. This word occurs eleven times in Hebrews, four of which are in this chapter. It also occurs often in quotations from the Old Testament.
In many languages, people use a different part of the body, such as the stomach or the liver, as the part of a person that thinks and feels. In other languages people do not use a part of the body to refer to the source of feelings or thoughts. They may use a different idiom or no idiom at all. Other ways to translate “harden your hearts” are:
make your ears hard/dull
-or-
refuse to listen/obey
Use a natural expression in your own language. For more information, see heart, sense 1(b) in Key Biblical Terms.
3:8b–c
as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness: The phrases in 3:8b and 3:8c refer to a time when the ancestors of the Hebrews rebelled against God. After God took them from slavery in Egypt, they rebelled against him as he led them through the wilderness.
There are two different views about which rebellion and day of testing the author referred to:
(1) He referred to the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea. There the Israel people refused to enter the land of Canaan that God promised to give them (Numbers 14:22).
(2) He referred to the rebellion at the place that was later named Meribah and Massah. There the people of Israel complained that they had no water. They made God angry by their attitude and by what they said (Exodus 17:1–7).
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits well with the theme of a resting place in Hebrews 4. Your translation should indicate that rebellion and day of testing refer to the same event. For example:
when they continually rejected what I said until they caused me to become angry
-or-
where your ancestors challenged my authority and tried my patience
rebellion: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebellion refers here to a revolt against God. The ancestors of the Hebrews rebelled against God and refused to enter the land, as he told them to do. They refused to believe that God would help them conquer the land that he promised them.
Some other ways to translate rebellion are:
your ancestors rebelled against God
-or-
they refused to do what God told them to do
the day of testing in the wilderness: The phrase the day of testing in the wilderness refers to the same occasion as “the rebellion.” It implies that the Israelites tested God when they rebelled against him.
testing: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as testing can refer either to a test or to a temptation. It is an action that a person does to see what someone else will do (or not do). The word may also refer to tempting someone to sin or to become angry. The choice between these meanings depends on the context where the word is used. In this context the people tested God to see what he would do.
Some ways to translate testing in this context are:
as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test (Good News Translation)
-or-
when they tested God’s patience in the wilderness (New Living Translation (2004))
in the wilderness: The word wilderness means an uninhabited place. Some ways to translate this word are:
in the land where no people live
-or-
the uninhabited place
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