6:10

In Greek this verse is one long sentence. In many languages it is more natural to use two or more sentences. See the General Comment on 6:10a–b at the end of 6:10b for more information.

For: Here the word For introduces a reason for the author’s statement in 6:9. It tells why he is confident that his listeners have God’s salvation. God is not unjust, so he will not forget what they have done for him. Some versions leave the connection implied. Indicate the connection between 6:9 and 6:10 in a natural way in your language.

6:10a

God is not unjust: The phrase not unjust is an emphatic way to say “God is just.” The author used two negatives not and “un just” to emphasize the meaning. He also emphasized it by putting the word not first in the Greek sentence. In some languages, it may be more natural to emphasize the statement in a different way. For example:

God is always fair. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
God really is completely righteous.
-or-
God always treats ⌊people⌋ fairly.

not unjust: In many languages it is necessary to translate the phrase not unjust as “fair, righteous” and then to emphasize the meaning. See the examples in the preceding note.

6:10b

He will not forget your work: The word He refers to God. The phrase will not forget tells a result of 6:10a, God is just (he is not unjust). Because he is just, he will not disregard the work that they did for him. In Greek the negative will not forget emphasizes that God will notice it. It implies that he will reward them for the work that they have done.

Some other ways to translate this statement are:

He will not forget how hard you have worked for him (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
He will remember how you helped his people (Contemporary English Version)

Notice that the phrase not forget is similar to the phrase “not unjust” in 6:10a, because it uses a negative phrase to emphasize a positive statement.

your work: The phrase your work refers here to everything that the Hebrews did for the Lord and the ways that they served him by serving God’s people (as he says in 6:10c). It does not refer to work for which they were paid. In some languages it is more natural to translate the phrase your work more specifically. For example:

the good that you have done
-or-
the work of God that you are doing

your: The pronoun your is plural and refers to the people who heard or read what the author said.

General Comment on 6:10a–b

In the Greek text, 6:10a and 6:10b are part of one clause. For example:

For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work… (Revised Standard Version)

Many English versions translate 6:10a and 6:10b as two sentences. For example:

God is not unfair. He will not forget your work… (Good News Translation)

Translate the connection in a way that is natural in your language.

6:10c–d

and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so: Here the author tells the second thing about his listeners that God will not forget. God will not forget that they showed their love for him by serving their fellow Christians and continuing to serve them. He will remember that they love him and that they proved their love by helping his people.

Some other ways to translate 6:10c–d are:

and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
and your love for him that you have continued to show…in your helping your companions who believe

6:10c

the love you have shown for His name: In this context the word love refers to the love that the listeners showed for God by helping his people. They did practical things to help other Christians who needed it, and their actions showed that they loved God.

In some languages it is more natural to translate love as a verb instead of a noun. For example:

and the ways you have shown that you love him
-or-
how you continue to show that you love him

See love, sense A, in Key Biblical Terms.

for His name: The phrase for His name means “for God.”

6:10d

as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so: The phrase as you have ministered to the saints means “by helping his people.” This is the way the listeners showed that they love God. In some languages it is natural to begin a new sentence here and repeat part of 6:10a–b. For example:

It is clear that you love God, for much is your helping your one-faith relatives, both in past times and at the present time.

as you have ministered: Here the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as you have ministered means “to help by providing what someone needs.” Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

as you have helped (New International Version)
-or-
by caring for (New Living Translation (2004))

the saints: The phrase the saints is literally “the holy ones.” It refers to people who are dedicated to God. In this context it refers specifically to people who follow Christ. The phrase is often used in this way in the epistles to refer to Christians. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

his holy people (God’s Word)
-or-
his people (New International Version)
-or-
other believers (New Living Translation (2004))

For more information, see holy, sense 3(a), in Key Biblical Terms.

and continue to do so: In Greek this phrase is more literally “and serving.” It completes the meaning of the preceding phrase. It indicates that the listeners continued to help their fellow believers as they did in the past. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

and you continue to help them (God’s Word)
-or-
And he will remember that you are still serving them. (New Century Version)

General Comment on 6:10a–d

There are different ways to divide this verse into sentences and to connect the clauses. For example:

God is fair. He won’t forget what you’ve done or the love you’ve shown for him. You helped his holy people, and you continue to help them. (God’s Word)
-or-
God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians. (Good News Translation)

Connect the clauses in a natural way in your language.

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