That is why (New American Bible “In view of this”; Translator’s New Testament “For this reason”; New English Bible, Bijbel in Gewone Taal “Thus”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “It follows”): these words connect verses 1-4 with the whole argument of chapter 1. We includes both the author and his readers.

It may be necessary in some instances to make somewhat more specific the transitional reference in the expression That is why or “In view of this” or “For this reason.” In some instance a clause may be necessary, for example, “In view of what God has done” or “Because all this is true.”

All the more firmly is a very strong comparative which raises the question “More firmly than what?” There are three possibilities: (a) “More firmly than we are doing now” (compare Jerusalem Bible “more attentively than before”). This is probably what the word means in 13.19, but nothing in the context supports this meaning here. This meaning would be more likely if the text had “you” instead of we. (b) “More firmly than we should do if the Christian message had been given merely by angels” fits the context well, and is the basis for Good News Translation and many other translations. (c) It is also possible to translate “pay particular attention,” the comparative being used for additional emphasis. This is the basis of Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch‘s “Therefore must we first hold firm…” and perhaps Bijbel in Gewone Taal‘s “… (pay) more than usual attention.” On the whole, however, meaning (b) is to be preferred.

Hold on combines the ideas of paying close attention to something and putting it into practice; see Acts 8.6, 10; 16.14.

It may be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to speak of “holding on more firmly to truth,” since in some languages truth is something one does not “hold onto.” It is, however, often possible to speak of “paying close attention to truth” or idiomatically “to listen with one’s heart to the truth.” In other instances, the concept of holding onto the truth must be expressed in terms of belief, for example, “we must believe even more the truths.”

The truths we have heard (truths is implied): the writer never uses the Greek word for “Good News” or “Gospel,” but this phrase is probably his way of saying the same thing. The tense of the verb indicates that the truths have been heard at a particular point in time, but since the time is not stated, Knox‘s “which have now come to our hearing” is too specific.

Many languages do not use a noun for expressing the concept of truth. Rather, they use some type of qualifying adjective, so that the truths we have heard may be expressed as “that which we have heard which is true” or “the true words which we have heard.” In some instances “truth” must be expressed in terms of that in which one may have confidence: “that which we have heard which can be believed” or “… which can be trusted.”

So that we will not be carried away is not a statement about what will or will not happen. So that means “in order that,” expressing purpose. Negative purpose must sometimes be expressed in terms of a condition; for example, “if we do that, we will not be….” In some instances the purpose must be very plainly indicated as “the reason for our doing this is so that we will not be….”

Be carried away translates a word which is used only once in the New Testament. It is the negative of what hold on has expressed positively (see Prov 3.21 where the Septuagint uses the same verb). In secular Greek it is sometimes used to describe a ship drifting away; thus Barclay says “Otherwise, we may well be like a ship which drifts past the harbour to shipwreck.”

A literal rendering of be carried away can be quite misleading since it might suggest that someone actually carried persons away. It may therefore be better to use an expression such as “pass by” or “drift by” (if the figurative language of the motion of a ship can be implied). In some cases the equivalent of be carried away may be expressed in terms of failure to reach one’s intended destination; for example, “so as not to arrive at one’s goal.”

Verses 2-4 form a single sentence in Greek. They present a comparison between the Old Testament Law and the Christian message, followed by two conclusions. This structure may be outlined as follows:

A. The Old Testament Law
1. The Law, given through angels, was true (verse 2a)
2. As a result, acts of disobedience were punished (verse 2b)
B. The Christian message of salvation
1. was announced by the Lord (verse 3b)
2. was attested by witnesses (verse 3c)
3. was confirmed by miracles and wonders by the Holy Spirit (verse 4)
• therefore
C. The Christian message is more important than the Old Testament Law (implied)
• therefore
D. Conclusion: we cannot be saved if we ignore the Christian message (verse 3a)

Notice that the logical order is not the same as the grammatical order, which is followed by most translations, including Good News Translation. The difficulty in following the logical order is the length and subdivisions of point B (verses 3b-4). The logical solution would be to transfer verse 3a (point D: How, then, shall we escape…?) to the end of verse 4. However, it is doubtful whether the author intended to adopt a strictly logical presentation. He is more concerned to persuade than to prove a point. Therefore in this passage the translator should take careful note of the underlying logical structure, though he need not necessarily follow it in translation. But he should be ready, as a matter of principle, to divide long sentences, and also to leave logical relations unexpressed if it is natural to do so in his language.

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 .