It is impossible (verse 6 in Good News Translation) begins the sentence in Greek (compare Revised Standard Version). It is a strong expression which is used also in 6.18; 10.4; 11.6. The writer does not say for whom It is impossible. The implication is that it is impossible not only for man but even for God. In some languages it may be better to translate “No one can bring them back.” In Greek the sentence is a statement, not a rhetorical question as in Good News Translation. Good News Bible introduces a question in verse 4, perhaps to avoid word-for-word repetition with verse 6.

Languages vary greatly in the extent to which they use rhetorical questions in ordinary speech or writing (see the comment on 1.5). Among European common language translations, only Bible en français courant follows Good News Bible in introducing a question here. In the case of languages which do not normally use rhetorical questions to express strong doubt, it may be necessary to modify the question For how can those who abandon their faith be brought back to repent again? and make it a negative statement; for example, “Those who abandon their faith cannot be brought back to the point of repenting again.” This is a kind of summary statement which anticipates much which occurs later in verses 4-6.

Abandon their faith may be expressed as “cease believing” or “cease to trust in Christ.” And be brought back to repent may be expressed as “cause to repent again.”

They were once in God’s light: God’s is implied. As once emphasizes, these words refer, not to a state, but to a single event, probably baptism; Bible en français courant has “they once received God’s light,” and Barclay “once people have been enlightened” (compare Translator’s New Testament). The meaning is similar to after the truth has been made known to us in 10.26; see also 10.32. Once and once and for all are favorite words in Hebrews; see 9.7, 26, 27, 28; 10.2, 12; 12.26, 27.

Though the concept of light is often related to moral truth, this is not so in all languages. In some languages a literal rendering of They were once in God’s light might simply mean that they were standing in the sunlight. An equivalent might be “They once recognized God’s truth,” “… the truth that comes from God,” or “They once acknowledged the message from God as being true.”

They tasted heaven’s gift: the metaphor changes from light to food. Both are basic human experiences, and most translations keep the metaphors. They may be replaced if necessary by equivalent metaphors or by literal expressions. Barclay says “experience the heavenly gift” (similarly New English Bible). Heaven is a stylistic variant for “God.” Translator’s New Testament has a more general expression, “They have experienced God’s generosity”; Bijbel in Gewone Taal and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “gifts.” The writer seems to refer to a particular gift received from God at the beginning of the Christian life. Indeed, this whole passage refers to specific events, so heaven’s gift or “God’s gift” is better. This phrase is closely linked with They were once in God’s light, and once may apply to both phrases: “They once received God’s light and tasted his gift.” The gift, like the light, is probably associated with baptism, but it is the commentator’s task, not the translator’s, to say what the gift is.

The Holy Spirit (compare 2.4) has a glossary note in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, since it is an expression largely limited to church use. It may be necessary to translate “God’s Holy Spirit” in languages where “Holy Spirit” alone would be misunderstood or not understood at all. In several parts of the New Testament, it is said that individual Christians receive different gifts from the Holy Spirit, but this is not emphasized here. The writer simply states that believers receive the Holy Spirit together, in common with one another. In much the same way as received their share of, the writer said in 5.12 that young Christians “live on” milk. Moffatt‘s “participated in” or New American Bible‘s “become sharers in” therefore seems slightly better here than received their share of (Bijbel in Gewone Taal) or “a share of” (Jerusalem Bible, Barclay, Translator’s New Testament). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Phillips have simply “received the Holy Spirit.” A literal translation of received their share of the Holy Spirit might wrongly suggest that the Holy Spirit is a substance which can be divided up and be distributed to believers. This implication may be avoided by translating “they together with others received the Holy Spirit.”

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 key text is quoted again, this time as a whole and in the right order (unlike 6.20). Revised Standard Version‘s literal “it is witnessed” means “Scripture witnesses” as in verse 8, rather than “God witnesses” as in King James Version and Knox, though the two ideas are closely linked. Compare 10.15 , where the verb is used in the same sense (though in the active voice) of the Holy Spirit’s witness in Scripture.

For the scripture says may be rendered as “For in the holy writings one may read.”

You will be a priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek may be expressed as “You will always be a priest of the kind that Melchizedek was” or “… like Melchizedek was.”

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 .

What is a symbol? Translations which take the “first tent” in verse 8 to be the outer tent of the earthly sanctuary will take This to be the outer tent too; for example, Phillips has “For this outer tent we see a picture of the present time.” Translations which take “the first tent” to mean “the former tent” or “sanctuary” will understand This in verse 9 in a more general sense. Grammatically This is the tent, but all these arrangements connected with worship are included too.

In view of the fact that so much is potentially included in the symbolism of the sanctuary, it may be legitimate to translate the first sentence of verse 9 as “All of this is a symbol which points to the present time,” “All this shows us something about the present time,” or “All of this is a picture about what is important now.”

In place of It means it may be legitimate to repeat the subject of the first sentence; for example, “All this means” or “All this shows.”

Offerings and animal sacrifices: animal is implied since the reference is only to Old Testament worship, not as in 8.3. Animal sacrifices are contrasted with the sacrifice of Christ, to be mentioned in verses 11-14. The animal sacrifices were also offerings; one might translate “animal sacrifices and other offerings.”

Cannot make may be expressed as “cannot cause to be” or “cannot cause to become.”

Worshiper is “one who shares in the public worship” mentioned in verse 1.

Heart in Greek is literally “conscience,” as in verse 14; 10.2, 22; 13.18; compare Wisdom 17.10. Heart and make … perfect are keywords for describing the purpose of sacrifice, and thus of what Christ has done. See comments on 2.10 and 5.9.

The word usually translated “conscience” in the New Testament sometimes has the general meaning “consciousness,” especially consciousness of having done right or wrong. The function of the conscience is to cause inward pain when one has done wrong. However, sin often makes the conscience function badly, so that someone may not be conscious of the wrong he has done (a possibility suggested in 1 Cor 4.4), or he may suffer the pain of conscience over matters which should not trouble a Christian at all, because Christ has set him free (see 1 Cor 10.25-29). In Hebrews, except in 13.18, the situation is as follows: those who do not have faith in Christ suffer the pain of conscience because of the wrong they have done. The Old Testament sacrifices can do nothing to put this right. Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross makes believers clean from their sins, and thus their consciences cease to give them pain. The thought of this verse is developed in 9.14, and more fully in 8.10-11. In all these passages, the “conscience,” like the heart, is an aspect of a human being’s whole nature, and of his relationship to God.

In some languages the focal element of the feelings, will, and personality may not be the heart or even the conscience, but the liver, or the abdomen, or even the throat.

In speaking about the perfection of the heart or the conscience, one may talk about the way in which something “ought to be.” Therefore, cannot make the worshiper’s heart perfect may be rendered as “cannot cause the worshiper’s heart to be as it ought to be” or “… as good as it ought to be.”

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 .

This verse, like verses 9b-10, is concentrated and leaves certain details implicit. Forgiven translates the same word used in 9.22. These are clearly their sins and evil deeds just mentioned. When is a logical expression, literally “where”; there is no special reference to the place or time of forgiveness. The meaning is “in a situation in which sins have been forgiven, no sacrifice is needed any longer to take them away.” No longer, however, refers to time; therefore common language translations, Jerusalem Bible (but not Bible de Jérusalem), and Barclay translate when.

The verse contains no verb in Greek, which is literally “but where forgiveness of these, no longer offering for sins.” Different translations supply different verbs in the second phrase: (a) “there is” in Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New American Bible; compare Moffatt, “an offering for sin exists no longer”; (b) “no more offering for sin takes place” in Luther 1984; similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; (c) an offering to take away sins is no longer needed in common language translations, Barclay, Translator’s New Testament; (d) “there is no longer any room for a sin-offering” in Knox; similarly Jerusalem Bible “there can be no more sin offerings”; (e) Phillips expands the whole sentence: “Where God grants remission of sin there can be no question of making further atonement.” In choosing between these possibilities, it should be remembered that this statement comes in a very emphatic position, at the end of the longest section of teaching in the whole letter. This is perhaps an argument for preferring a stronger statement of type (d) or (e), rather than the less emphatic translation (c). On offering to take away sins, see comments on Heb. 10.6.

In some languages the conclusion in verse 18 may be effectively rendered as “Therefore, when God has forgiven people’s sins, it is no longer necessary for priests to make offerings which are supposed to take away sins” or “… cause the forgiveness of sins.”

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 .

This verse quotes Genesis 22.17, a passage referred to in various parts of the Old Testament and also in Romans 4.19.

Though is an idiomatic equivalent for Revised Standard Version‘s “and him.” Most of the rest of the verse, except as many, comes directly from Genesis 22.17. For languages which do not possess a concessive clause introduced by a conjunction meaning “though” or “even though,” one may express the meaning as “Abraham was practically dead but nevertheless he….” It may, however, be important to indicate that the expression was practically dead is figurative; for example, “was, as it were, almost dead.”

The word came is not strictly a translation of the UBS Greek text, which means “there were born”; this text is followed by other common language translations and Revised Standard Version. The expression from this one man came as many descendants as may be expressed as “this man had as many descendants as,” “this one man produced as great a lineage as,” or “the people who descended from this one man were as many as.”

The comparison of the descendants of Abraham with the number of stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore is a kind of literary hyperbole or exaggeration, and these comparisons are to be understood as such. The statement as many as the numberless grains of sand on the seashore may be expressed as “as many as the grains of sands on the seashore which cannot be counted” or “… which no one can count.”

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 contrast between human fathers and the heavenly Father is now expanded a little.

Our human fathers may be expressed as “Our own fathers” or “Our fathers on earth,” as in verse 9.

Punished is once more the word translated corrects in verse 6.

For a short time in the Greek is literally an understatement, “for a few days,” as in King James Version and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente; Phillips, unnecessarily, says “during the brief days of childhood.” This is a usual expression of time, found also in James 4.14. It is also possible but less likely that purpose may be implied, as in New American Bible‘s “to prepare us for the short span of mortal life” (see Gen 47.9; Psa 109.8). For a short time may be rendered as “for the short time that we were children” or “for the limited time while we were still children.”

As it seemed right to them: Revised Standard Version‘s “at their pleasure” modifies King James Version‘s “after their own pleasure,” which sounds cruel to a speaker of modern English. The writer and his readers knew that the father, especially under Roman law, had almost absolute power over his children, and was therefore considered to be the final judge of how best to bring them up. As it seemed right to them may be rendered “as they thought it was best” or “as they thought they should punish us.”

But God does it: Revised Standard Version‘s “he” is God, and most modern translations say so. The statement but God does it for our own good may be rendered as “but when God punishes us, it is for our own good” or “… it is in order to help us.”

So that we may share his holiness expands for our own good and makes it more specific. Holiness, rather surprisingly, translates a Greek word not used anywhere else in the New Testament, except in some manuscripts of 2 Corinthians 1.12. It means primarily, not good conduct, but what makes God different from human beings. Share his holiness therefore means practically the same as share the divine nature in 2 Peter 1.4, though the Greek is different. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy bring this out by “to make us holy as he is holy”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, more precisely, says “that we may participate in his perfection.” In some languages, however, the term “holy,” when it is applied to individuals, means “dedicated to God” or “consecrated to God.” In such cases it would be difficult to use the same term for “holy” in reference both to people and to God himself. An equivalent might be “so that we might be like God” or “… be in a measure like God.”

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 .

This verse contrasts the city which is to come with a city for us here on earth. As often in Hebrews, the language of time and space is intertwined. This verse recalls 11.10, 16. The difference between the city which is to come and the heavenly country of 11.16a is one of language, not of meaning. They are both pictures of the state of being made perfect (11.40), which even for Christians still lies in the future. Bijbel in Gewone Taal perhaps rightly emphasizes the permanence at the expense of other aspects of the city, such as size: “we have here no permanent place to live”; Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente “a city in which we remain forever.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch throws the emphasis on the changing state of human life: “On earth there is no city in which we can stay,” but in view of 12.26-27, and also 1.11-12, this does not seem to give the whole meaning, which should include the idea that no city is permanent. Another possible restructuring of the first half of this verse would be “For here on earth we have no place to dwell which will always be ours.”

Looking for renders the verb used in 11.14. It is a strong Greek word which implies, not usually looking for something which is lost, but longing and striving to obtain something which is out of reach and out of sight. To come does not imply movement but means “in the future.”

We are looking for the city which is to come may be expressed as “we are looking for a future city” or “… for a city which will exist in the future.” A literal rendering of we are looking for might mean only “going around seeking to discover.” If so, it may be better to employ an expression such as “we strongly desire to have a city which will be ours in the future.”

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 .

Verses 14-15 form a single sentence in the Greek. Verse 14 partly overlaps in meaning with verse 10, and partly sums up what was said in verses 11-13.

Revised Standard Version‘s “therefore” refers back to verse 11a, which this verse repeats in other words and then somewhat expands. Good News Translation omits “therefore,” perhaps because the connection with verse 11a is too far away to be seen by most readers, and because there is no direct link with the end of verse 13.

The first part of the sentence contains two statements: (a) the children share a common human nature with one another, and (b) Jesus shared this nature with them. The children: the is necessary because the children have just been mentioned in verse 13. Good News Translation and Bible en français courant bring this out by adding as he calls them. New English Bible and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy say “The children of a family,” which is less definite than the Greek. The children may be expressed as “these children,” especially if a reference to “the children” has been made in the previous verse. The phrase as he calls them may be expressed parenthetically as “that’s what he calls them.”

Flesh and blood (literally “blood and flesh”) is a common way of describing human nature, especially in its weakness. The expression of flesh and blood can rarely be translated literally, since people obviously consist of more than flesh and blood. Accordingly, people of flesh and blood may be rendered as “people like all other kinds of people” or “people in every sense of the word.”

Like them is emphatic; Barclay says “in exactly the same way.” Good News Translation reproduces this emphasis by expansion, for there is nothing in the Greek which literally corresponds to became like them and. This phrase is presupposed by shared their human nature (literally “shared them,” that is, shared their flesh and blood).

Became like them may be rendered as “became a person like they are persons,” “became a human being like them,” or “… even as they are.” It may, however, be extremely difficult to render the expression shared their human nature, because a literal rendering would assume that in some way Jesus took from them part of their human nature, since the concept of “sharing” so frequently suggests dividing up something. Therefore, shared their human nature may be expressed as “was a human being just like they are.” In fact, became like them and shared their human nature must often be combined in a single expression, such as “came to be just like all other human beings.”

The phrase about Jesus’ human nature is the focal point of the sentence, both in grammar and in meaning. The writer then goes on to describe the purpose of Christ’s sharing human nature. Barclay and Translator’s New Testament think the writer is referring to the result of this event, but this interpretation suits the structure less well.

He did this must be rendered in some languages as “He became like this” or even more specifically “He became a person.”

Through his death may be expressed as “by his dying” or “by means of his giving his life.”

Destroy does not always imply that the thing destroyed no longer exists. The first meaning of the Greek is “render ineffective” (see 1 Cor 15.26, where Good News Bible translates “defeated”). Here Moffatt has “crush”; Segond, Jerusalem Bible “take away all the power of”; New American Bible “rob … of his power”; Knox, Translator’s New Testament “depose”; Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “reduce to impotence.” The point is that the Devil is so utterly defeated that he is no longer able to do anything, and is thus like the pagan gods mentioned in Isaiah 44.9-20.

A literal rendering of might destroy the Devil might appear to be contradictory to other passages of Scripture, especially those references in the book of Revelation. Therefore it may be important to use some such expression as “take away completely the power of the Devil” rather than to use a literal rendering of “destroy,” which would mean annihilation.

Good News Translation simplifies the structure by putting the Devil before the phrase which describes him, who has the power over death. The idea is that the Devil has both control over death and the power to inflict death. Who has the power over death may be rendered as “who is able to kill” or “who is able to cause people to die.”

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 .