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12 So in fact children[a] were fathered by one man—and this one as good as dead—like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of sand[b] on the seashore.[c] 13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised,[d] but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners[e] on the earth. 14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:12 tn Grk “these”; in the translation the referent (children) has been specified for clarity.
  2. Hebrews 11:12 tn Grk a collective “the sand.”
  3. Hebrews 11:12 sn An allusion to Gen 22:17 (which itself goes back to Gen 15:5).
  4. Hebrews 11:13 tn Grk “the promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.
  5. Hebrews 11:13 tn Or “sojourners.”

12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,(A) came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.(B)

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;(C) they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,(D) admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.(E) 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.

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