Hebrews 3
Young's Literal Translation
3 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus,
2 being stedfast to Him who did appoint him, as also Moses in all his house,
3 for of more glory than Moses hath this one been counted worthy, inasmuch as more honour than the house hath he who doth build it,
4 for every house is builded by some one, and He who the all things did build [is] God,
5 and Moses indeed [was] stedfast in all his house, as an attendant, for a testimony of those things that were to be spoken,
6 and Christ, as a Son over his house, whose house are we, if the boldness and the rejoicing of the hope unto the end we hold fast.
7 Wherefore, (as the Holy Spirit saith, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear --
8 ye may not harden your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of the temptation in the wilderness,
9 in which tempt Me did your fathers, they did prove Me, and saw My works forty years;
10 wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, Always do they go astray in heart, and these have not known My ways;
11 so I sware in My anger, If they shall enter into My rest -- !')
12 See, brethren, lest there shall be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in the falling away from the living God,
13 but exhort ye one another every day, while the To-day is called, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of the sin,
14 for partakers we have become of the Christ, if the beginning of the confidence unto the end we may hold fast,
15 in its being said, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear, ye may not harden your hearts, as in the provocation,'
16 for certain having heard did provoke, but not all who did come out of Egypt through Moses;
17 but with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with those who did sin, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?
18 and to whom did He swear that they shall not enter into His rest, except to those who did not believe? --
19 and we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Our Apostle and High Priest
3 Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession;(A) 2 He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all God’s household. 3 For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house. 4 Now every house is built by someone, but the One who built everything is God.(B) 5 Moses was faithful as a servant(C) in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household. And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.[a](D)
Warning against Unbelief
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
Today, if you hear His voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
and saw My works 10 for 40 years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation
and said, “They always go astray in their hearts,
and they have not known My ways.”
11 So I swore in My anger,
“They will not enter My rest.”(E)[b]
12 Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.(F) 14 For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality[c] that we had at the start.(G) 15 As it is said:
16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses?(I) 17 And who was He provoked with for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?(J) 18 And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 3:6 Other mss add firm to the end
- Hebrews 3:11 Ps 95:7-11
- Hebrews 3:14 Or confidence
- Hebrews 3:15 Ps 95:7-8
Hebrews 3
Darby Translation
3 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of [the] heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus,
2 who is faithful to him that has constituted him, as Moses also in all his house.
3 For *he* has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, by how much he that has built it has more honour than the house.
4 For every house is built by some one; but he who has built all things [is] God.
5 And Moses indeed [was] faithful in all his house, as a ministering servant, for a testimony of the things to be spoken after;
6 but Christ, as Son over his house, whose house are *we*, if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end.
7 Wherefore, even as says the Holy Spirit, To-day if ye will hear his voice,
8 harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness;
9 where your fathers tempted [me], by proving [me], and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was wroth with this generation, and said, They always err in heart; and *they* have not known my ways;
11 so I swore in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest.
12 See, brethren, lest there be in any one of you a wicked heart of unbelief, in turning away from [the] living God.
13 But encourage yourselves each day, as long as it is called To-day, that none of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are become companions of the Christ if indeed we hold the beginning of the assurance firm to the end;
15 in that it is said, To-day if ye will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation;
16 (for who was it, who, having heard, provoked? but [was it] not all who came out of Egypt by Moses?
17 And with whom was he wroth forty years? [Was it] not with those who had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to those who had not hearkened to the word?
19 And we see that they could not enter in on account of unbelief;)
Hebrews 3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
III. Jesus, Faithful and Compassionate High Priest
Chapter 3
Jesus, Superior to Moses.[a] 1 Therefore, holy “brothers,” sharing in a heavenly calling, reflect on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was “faithful in [all] his house.”(A) 3 But he is worthy of more “glory” than Moses, as the founder of a house has more “honor” than the house itself.(B) 4 Every house is founded by someone, but the founder of all is God. 5 Moses was “faithful in all his house” as a “servant” to testify to what would be spoken, 6 [b](C)but Christ was faithful as a son placed over his house. We are his house, if [only] we hold fast to our confidence and pride in our hope.
Israel’s Infidelity a Warning. 7 [c]Therefore, as the holy Spirit says:
“Oh, that today you would hear his voice,(D)
8 ‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion
in the day of testing in the desert,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me
and saw my works(E) 10 for forty years.
Because of this I was provoked with that generation
and I said, “They have always been of erring heart,
and they do not know my ways.”
11 As I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter into my rest.”’”
12 Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. 13 Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. 14 We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end,(F) 15 for it is said:
“Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion.’”(G)
16 (H)Who were those who rebelled when they heard? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt under Moses? 17 With whom was he “provoked for forty years”? Was it not those who had sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert?(I) 18 And to whom did he “swear that they should not enter into his rest,” if not to those who were disobedient?(J) 19 And we see that they could not enter for lack of faith.
Footnotes
- 3:1–6 The author now takes up the two qualities of Jesus mentioned in Hb 2:17, but in inverse order: faithfulness (Hb 3:1–4:13) and mercy (Hb 4:14–5:10). Christians are called holy “brothers” because of their common relation to him (Hb 2:11), the apostle, a designation for Jesus used only here in the New Testament (cf. Jn 13:16; 17:3), meaning one sent as God’s final word to us (Hb 1:2). He is compared with Moses probably because he is seen as mediator of the new covenant (Hb 9:15) just as Moses was of the old (Hb 9:19–22, including his sacrifice). But when the author of Hebrews speaks of Jesus’ sacrifice, he does not consider Moses as the Old Testament antitype, but rather the high priest on the Day of Atonement (Hb 9:6–15). Moses’ faithfulness “in [all] his house” refers back to Nm 12:7, on which this section is a midrashic commentary. In Hb 3:3–6, the author does not indicate that he thinks of either Moses or Christ as the founder of the household. His house (Hb 3:2, 5, 6) means God’s house, not that of Moses or Christ; in the case of Christ, compare Hb 3:6 with Hb 10:21. The house of Hb 3:6 is the Christian community; the author suggests its continuity with Israel by speaking not of two houses but of only one. Hb 3:6 brings out the reason why Jesus is superior to Moses: the latter was the faithful servant laboring in the house founded by God, but Jesus is God’s son, placed over the house.
- 3:6 The majority of manuscripts add “firm to the end,” but these words are not found in the three earliest and best witnesses and are probably an interpolation derived from Hb 3:14.
- 3:7–4:13 The author appeals for steadfastness of faith in Jesus, basing his warning on the experience of Israel during the Exodus. In the Old Testament the Exodus had been invoked as a symbol of the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile (Is 42:9; 43:16–21; 51:9–11). In the New Testament the redemption was similarly understood as a new exodus, both in the experience of Jesus himself (Lk 9:31) and in that of his followers (1 Cor 10:1–4). The author cites Ps 95:7–11, a salutary example of hardness of heart, as a warning against the danger of growing weary and giving up the journey. To call God living (Hb 3:12) means that he reveals himself in his works (cf. Jos 3:10; Jer 10:11). The rest (Hb 3:11) into which Israel was to enter was only a foreshadowing of that rest to which Christians are called. They are to remember the example of Israel’s revolt in the desert that cost a whole generation the loss of the promised land (Hb 3:15–19; cf. Nm 14:20–29). In Hb 4:1–11, the symbol of rest is seen in deeper dimension: because the promise to the ancient Hebrews foreshadowed that given to Christians, it is good news; and because the promised land was the place of rest that God provided for his people, it was a share in his own rest, which he enjoyed after he had finished his creative work (Hb 3:3–4; cf. Gn 2:2). The author attempts to read this meaning of God’s rest into Ps 95:7–11 (Hb 3:6–9). The Greek form of the name of Joshua, who led Israel into the promised land, is Jesus (Hb 3:8). The author plays upon the name but stresses the superiority of Jesus, who leads his followers into heavenly rest. Hb 3:12, 13 are meant as a continuation of the warning, for the word of God brings judgment as well as salvation. Some would capitalize the word of God and see it as a personal title of Jesus, comparable to that of Jn 1:1–18.
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