complete verse (Hebrews 4:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Hebrews 4:6:

  • Uma: “They, they did not get rest with God because they did not submit to him. But God’s purpose is that there must be people who get that rest.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The people of old who heard the good news about this place-of-rest did not enter and rest because they did not believe God. But there are other people whom God will cause to enter.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because of this we know that as for those people long ago who were the first to hear the Good news about His rest, God did not make it possible for them to enter in to rest because of their disobedience. However, we (incl.) know also that there are some other people that God, by contrast, will make it possible for them to enter in that they might rest with Him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What it says there that there is a resting-place that he prepared, it means to say that there are those whom God wants to enter. And since those who heard the good news back then didn’t enter on account of their not believing,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore it’s clear that those who first heard this Good News concerning rest under the jurisdiction of God, they could not be included because of their disobedience. But even though it was like that, God desires that there be those who can be included in the rest that he is reserving for people.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Again concerning these people who first heard this word, God did not give them rest in his resting place because they did not believe what he told them. But now there is still awaited other people who will believe what God says and will be given a resting place at his resting place.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Hebrews 4:6

As a comparison with Revised Standard Version shows, Good News Translation follows the logical order rather than the grammatical order of the Greek sentence. Two thoughts run through the whole of verses 5-8. They are: (a) God promised a place of rest to his people in Old Testament times, but later, when they disobeyed him, he shut them out from it. (b) This place of rest remains available for God’s people now. Yet the two ideas should not be separated. Both are rooted in the quotation from Psalm 95.11 and are thus closely related to one another.

The Good News in Good News Translation usually means “the Christian message.” This expression is strange here, in a verse which speaks of Old Testament times. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch solves the problem by translating “the message of God’s rest” (verse 2) and “what God had promised them” (verse 6).

Those who first heard the Good News may be best rendered as “Those who heard the Good News about rest” or even “… the message about being able to rest.”

Did not receive that rest may be rendered as in other verses as “were not allowed to rest” or “were not privileged to rest.” Revised Standard Version‘s “it” in “to enter it” refers back to “my rest” in verse 5.

Revised Standard Version‘s “disobedience” is a more literal translation of the text than did not believe; it is also stronger. Belief and action are closely linked in biblical thought, and so are unbelief and disobedience (see also 3.12).

Because they did not believe may be rendered as “because they did not trust what God had said” or “because they refused to believe what God had said.”

Good News Translation‘s others does not contradict Revised Standard Version‘s more literal “some.” The Greek means simply “some people.”

The passive expression who are allowed to receive it can often be best expressed in an active form with God being the one who permits the event to take place; for example, “others whom God allows to receive that rest” or “those whom God permits to rest.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Hebrews 4:6

Paragraph 4:6–8

It is important to notice that the clauses in this paragraph are closely connected. However, the author did not always talk about events in the order in which they happened. In some languages it is more natural to use a different order. For examples, see the General Comment on 4:6b–8b at the end of 4:8b.

4:6a

Since, then: In this verse the author repeats the two facts in 4:5. He gives them as the basis for his conclusion in 4:7. In many languages it is more natural to have a word like then at the beginning of 4:7, rather than here in 4:6.

The word Since implies that the facts were already mentioned (in 4:5), and the author is about to repeat them. In some languages it may be natural to leave the connection implied. Some other ways to introduce the facts in 4:6 are:

So we learned from this that…
-or-
All this teaches/implies that…
-or-
So/Now we see/understand that

Make these connections clear in your language.

it remains for some to enter His rest: This statement tells what the first scripture in 4:4 teaches people. That scripture says that God rested on the seventh day. By that statement, God implied that his people may also rest. See the notes on 4:1a for more advice about how to translate this statement.

Some other ways to translate the meaning are:

it is still allowed/possible for others to enter that rest
-or-
now ⌊God⌋ gives others the opportunity to enjoy that rest

4:6b–c

and: The word and introduces the second reason why God set another time for people to enter his rest. That second reason contrasts with 4:6a, so some versions indicate that contrast with a word like “but.” Introduce this reason in a natural way in your language.

those who formerly heard the good news: The phrase those who formerly heard the good news is more literally “those-who at a previous time were-evangelized.” It uses the same passive verb (“were evangelized”) that was used in 4:2. You should translate it in a similar way here. For example:

those who earlier heard/received the good news
-or-
those who were told that good message in the past

formerly: The word formerly means “first,” “in the past” or “previously.” It refers to the time when the Israel people were rescued from Egypt and God promised them rest in a new land. Some other ways to refer to this time are:

first (Good News Translation)
-or-
in the past (God’s Word)

heard the good news: As in 4:2a, the good news refers to the good news about the rest that God promised his people. It does not refer to the good news about Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to refer to the good news more specifically. For example:

heard the good news ⌊about his rest⌋

4:6c

did not enter because of their disobedience: This part of the verse has two actions:

(a) They failed to enter God’s rest.

(b) They disobeyed God.

The second action is the cause of the first. In some languages it is more natural to change the order of these actions. For example:

they disobeyed God and so were unable to enter his rest

Translate this cause and its result in a way that is natural in your language.

did not enter: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as did not enter indicates that the people did not enter the rest that God wanted to give them. In some languages it is necessary to make this phrase more specific. For example:

did not receive that rest (Good News Translation)
-or-
did not get rest with God

because of their disobedience: The people of Israel could not enter God’s rest because they disobeyed God. Notice that in 3:19 the author said that the Israelites could not enter the land because of unbelief.

Disobedience and unbelief are similar. The Israelites did not believe that God was able to help them conquer the people living in the land, so they disobeyed God and refused to enter the land. Not believing God and not obeying him are sins. Both of these sins caused the people of Israel not to be able to enter the land.

Some ways to translate because of their disobedience are:

because they disobeyed God (God’s Word)
-or-
because they did not submit to him

General Comment on 4:6a–c

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder some parts of this verse to make the connections with 4:5 and 4:7 clearer. For example:

6b Those who first heard the Good News 6c did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. 6a There are, then, others who are allowed to receive it. 7a This is shown by the fact that God sets another day… (Good News Translation)

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