Notice how verses 2-5 balance one another, as seen in the literal translation of Revised Standard Version:

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 .

So shows that verses 22-25 logically depend on the statements in verses 19-21. In summary: “We have a way into God’s presence, and a High Priest; therefore let us come near … hold on … be concerned” (verses 22-24). Throughout this passage the author includes himself and his readers in the words “we” and “us.”

On come near, see 4.16, where Good News Translation has approach. Come near does not imply that the writer is nearer to God, even figuratively, than are his readers. To God is implied. These words did not need to be expressed in the Greek, because come near renders a well-known expression related to worship, but it needs to be made clear in translation.

Since the expression let us come near to God is figurative in meaning, it may be necessary to mark it as such; for example, “let us, as it were, come near to God.” However, a verb meaning “come” may not be appropriate, since the movement is from the place where people are to a different point close to God. Accordingly, it may be necessary to translate “let us go near to God.”

A sincere heart gives the meaning of “a true heart”; Jerusalem Bible translates a similar expression in Isaiah 38.3, “sincerity of heart” (New English Bible “loyal”). It is the opposite of the attitude described in James 1.8 as “unstable” (RSV; compare James 1.6). Heart, as usual, stands for the whole person, especially what is central to the personality; it has no special reference to emotion. See comment on 3.8.

A sure faith is similar in meaning to a sincere heart. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch avoids the word for faith, since it is not often used outside church language, and instead translates “firm trust” (“in God” is understood, as in Good News Translation). Translator’s New Testament uses a verb, “sincerely and fully believing in him,” where “believe in” must mean “trust” rather than “believe that he exists.”

The phrase with a sincere heart and a sure faith expresses what is called “attendant circumstances.” That is, this phrase describes the situation which should exist when people approach God. The meaning of the phrase with a sincere heart and a sure faith may be expressed as “when we approach God, we must be sincere and trust him” or “… our hearts must be pure, and we should have no doubts.”

The rest of the verse recalls Ezekiel 36.25-26, though it is not a direct quotation. This is not a poetic passage, but the writer of Hebrews produces something very similar to a couplet of Hebrew verse, in which the two lines have a similar meaning:
“hearts made clean from a guilty conscience,
and bodies washed with pure water.”

Some commentators link the second line with verse 23, but this suggestion is not followed by translators.

Hearts and bodies are not contrasted any more than are “blood” and body in verses 19-20.

On purified or “sprinkled,” see comments on 9.13. On conscience, see comments on 9.9. It may be difficult to speak of “hearts being purified from a guilty conscience.” Since in this context “hearts” refers to individuals and not to some part of the personality, it may be possible to translate with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience as “being purified from a sense of guilt” or “with our sense of guilt having been taken away.”

Bodies washed with clean water may suggest a comparison of Christian baptism with the washing done by Old Testament priests (see 6.2 and 9.10). Knox‘s “hallowed water” is not a natural meaning of the Greek or even of the Vulgate. The tense of the words for purified and washed emphasizes the permanent effect of these events.

Since bodies also refers to the persons as such, the expression and with bodies washed with clean water may be expressed as “and we, as it were, washed with clean water.” In this way one may avoid the suggestion of merely taking a bath. With the expression “as it were,” the figurative meaning of the final phrase is clearly marked. However, if the reference is to Christian baptism, water will not be figurative, and clean may imply “cleansing.” In this case it may be possible to translate “our whole selves washed and made clean by a special bath.”

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 .

In the Greek this verse is part of the same sentence as verses 17-18. Most modern translations begin a new sentence, since it is at this point that the writer passes from a summary of the story of Isaac to a comment on it.

Reckoned suggests a process of thought or reasoning; Barclay says “had reasoned it out.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders the first half of this verse as “Even a dead man, he said to himself, God is able to resurrect him.”

God was able to raise Isaac from death may be expressed as “God was able to cause Isaac to live again” or “… to come back to life.”

So to speak is literally “in a parable,” but the word for “parable” in biblical Greek has a much wider meaning than its English equivalent, since it can include proverbs and various other types of figurative language (see symbol in 9.9). The point here is that Isaac was practically dead, like Abraham for different reasons in verse 12. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente brings out the meaning more fully than Good News Translation: “God restored the son to him (that is, gave his son back to him), and this fact has the value of a symbol.”

The phrase so to speak marks the final statement of verse 19 as being a simile. In some languages this may be rendered “as though to say,” “as though it were,” or “as it might seem.”

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 .

As Good News Translation‘s Guard against…. Let no one…. Let no one shows, verses 15-16 consist of three warnings expressed in a similar form. The introductory words of each warning are the same in Greek, literally “lest anyone.” A continual effort is suggested.

See Deuteronomy 29.17-18; also 1 Maccabees 1.10, where a pagan ruler is called a “sinful root.” The verb which Good News Translation fourth edition translates Guard against (Good News Bible third edition “Be careful”), and which introduces the three warnings of verses 15-16, is used in 1 Peter 5.2 of the activity of church leaders; it is related to the word for “bishop.” Here, however, there is no suggestion that the writer of Hebrews is addressing only church leaders, and in fact, 13.7, 17 implies the opposite.

Guard against may often be rendered as “Be sure you do not” or “Make certain that you do not,” or even “By all means do not.”

The word translated turning back may mean “be deprived of” (Jerusalem Bible), or more precisely “deprive himself of” (Barclay). This is the likely meaning of a related verb, for example, in Romans 3.23 (New English Bible “all … are deprived of the divine splendour”). However, in the present verse there is an additional word meaning “(away) from,” so turning back from; New American Bible, Translator’s New Testament “falls away from” is more likely. The wider context (including 6.4; 10.39; 12.25) supports the idea of receiving God’s grace and then letting it go rather than that of missing it altogether (Revised Standard Version).

In place of turning back, many languages employ an expression such as “turning away from” or “departing from,” or even “leaving.” But it may be difficult, if not impossible, to speak of “turning away from the grace of God.” One can, however, “turn away from God who shows grace,” or “… who shows loving kindness,” or “… who is so good to us.”

The whole of this verse, especially the second half, recalls Deuteronomy 29.18. However, there is no need for quotation marks, since this is not a direct quotation. Translations of the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 29.18 vary: Revised Standard Version “a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit”; New English Bible “a root from which springs gall and wormwood”; Good News Translation a root that grows to be a bitter and poisonous plant. Some Greek manuscripts of Deuteronomy contain the word for “gall,” but there is nothing in Hebrews 12.15 about either “gall” or “poison” in the literal sense. The Greek words for “in gall” (en cholē) and troubles (enochlē) are easily confused. “Root of bitterness” (Acts 8.23 Revised Standard Version), applied to a person, means a bad influence, and figuratively a “poisonous” influence.

Let no one become like a bitter plant may be understood as “See to it that no one becomes like a bitter plant.” In other words, this could be an admonition for people to prevent someone in the Christian community from becoming like a bitter plant. On the other hand, it may also be understood as “No one among you should become like a bitter plant.”

The word for causes … troubles sometimes describes the activity of people who disturb the peace of a country by stirring up a revolt against the government (1 Esdras 2.29). Instead of modifying troubles as in Good News Translation, the Greek for many may mean “everyone,” that is, “people in general,” or more specifically “the Christian community as a whole”; Barclay “to make trouble for you and to contaminate the whole community”; similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; Translator’s New Testament “spoil everybody’s life.”

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 .

So little is known about the circumstances in which this letter was written that it is impossible to be sure whether we in this verse refers to the author alone, as Moffatt thinks, or to a number of people, as other translators believe. The fact that I is used in the next verse (for the first time, see verse 22) can be used as evidence on both sides. On the one hand, it can be argued that if the writer is talking of himself in verse 19, he is likely to be doing so in verse 18 too. On the other hand, if he is already talking about himself in verse 18, why should he change from we to I in verse 19? A stronger argument in favor of “I” in verse 18 is that the writer speaks of conscience, which almost by definition is something inward and therefore individual.

In some languages the positive statement Keep on praying for us may be more effectively stated in a negative form, “Do not cease to pray for us” or “Do not ever stop praying on our behalf” or “… speaking to God for our benefit.”

We are sure we have a clear conscience may be expressed as “We are certain that our heart has no guilt.”

Most modern translations omit Revised Standard Version‘s “for.” It seems here to act as a rather weak and general connecting link, rather than marking a logical relation between the two parts of the verse.

The right thing renders an adverb related to the word for good used in verse 9 (see the comment). There is, of course, no reference to any particular thing; Barclay “to live a good life”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “to do what is right.”

At all times is literally “in all (things)” or “in all (people)”; there is no explicit reference to time. “In all you do” would be a possible paraphrase; alternatively, but less probably, “in each of you.” It is also possible to translate at all times as “in all circumstances.”

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 .

For a little while lower may also mean “a little lower” in place or in status, as in King James Version, Knox, Phillips. This is certainly what the phrase means in the psalm. However, verses 8-9 strongly suggest that the writer of Hebrews is more interested here in time than place: (a) for a little while in the past, Jesus was made lower than the angels; (b) now … we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor; (c) in the future, we shall see Jesus (or man; see discussion on verses 8-9) as ruler over all things. There is thus a contrast between verse 7a and 7b. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch brings out the meaning of the passage as the writer of Hebrews understands it: “You lowered him for a short time, made him lower than the angels; but then you gave him fame and honor….” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch first edition also replaced the metaphor crowned by a simile: “like a king.”

As in verse 6, it may be necessary to translate him as “people,” since this is a reference to mankind and not to one specific individual. Lower than the angels must often be expressed as “less important than the angels” or “with less power than the angels.” In some cases the hierarchical nature of man’s position may be expressed in terms of authority; for example, “with less authority than the angels.”

You crowned him with glory and honor must often be recast, since the concept of “crowning” may be relatively meaningless. You crowned him with glory may be expressed as “you made him wonderful” or more literally “you gave him glory.” And honor must often be expressed as a verb; for example, “and you caused him to have honor” or “… be honored.”

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 .

The conjunction For is a loose causal conjunction and should not link the first clause of verse 4 immediately with the final statement in verse 3.

Somewhere: in the Scriptures is implied. See discussion on 4.3. Somewhere is a vague reference, like that in 2.6, to Genesis 2.2. The expression somewhere in the Scriptures this is said may be rendered as “somewhere in the holy writings one may read.”

It may be necessary to specify that the seventh day refers to “the seventh day of the week” or “the seventh day of making the universe,” for it is not merely any seventh day.

In a number of languages temporal expressions may need to occur first in the sentence, especially if the temporal setting is emphasized. It may therefore be wise to restructure the direct quotation as “On the seventh day God rested from all that he had done” or, to make the activity more explicit, “… what he had done in creating the world.”

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 .

The first half of the illustration (verse 7) recalls Genesis 1.11-12, and the second half (verse 8) echoes Genesis 3.17-18. The translator should not attempt to mark the reference by quotation marks, since only isolated words are quoted (such as grows thorns and weeds and cursed). The meaning of the sentence as a whole is rather different. In Genesis the curse makes the ground infertile; here God curses the ground because it is infertile.

It is impossible to be scientifically certain which species of plants are referred to as thorns and weeds. Weeds are probably some kind of thistle. The point is that, far from being useful (verse 7), they interfere with desirable plants. The translator should feel free to use the names of any plants in his area which meet this condition.

If it grows thorns and weeds must be restructured in some languages as “if thorns and weeds grow in it.”

It is worth nothing may be expressed as “it produces nothing,” “it has no value,” or even “no one wants it.”

Good News Translation and some other translations include a slight contradiction which may cause misunderstanding: the words in danger of being cursed are followed by the more definite and will be destroyed by fire. There is no contradiction in the text. It means either (a) that the land is about to be cursed and then finally burned (will be is implied) or (b) more probably, as Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch puts it, that the land is “under the threat of being cursed by God and finally burned.”

By God is implied.

In danger of being cursed by God may be rendered as “is near to being cursed by God” or “God is likely to curse it.” The final passive expression will be destroyed by fire may be expressed actively as “fire will destroy it.” There may, however, be a difficulty involved in suggesting that fire will destroy soil. In a sense, of course, this is a mixed figure of speech, since the text is in reality speaking about divine judgment of persons.

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 .