Font Size
Hebrews 6:13-20
New International Version
Hebrews 6:13-20
New International Version
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,(A) 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[a](B) 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.(C)
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.(D) 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging(E) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,(F) he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,(G) we who have fled to take hold of the hope(H) set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,(I) 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.(J) He has become a high priest(K) forever, in the order of Melchizedek.(L)
Footnotes
- Hebrews 6:14 Gen. 22:17
Hebrews 6:13-20
New English Translation
Hebrews 6:13-20
New English Translation
13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.”[a] 15 And so by persevering, Abraham[b] inherited the promise. 16 For people[c] swear by something greater than themselves,[d] and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute.[e] 17 In the same way[f] God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable,[g] and so he intervened with an oath, 18 so that we who have found refuge in him[h] may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain,[i] 20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.[j]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Hebrews 6:14 tn Grk “in blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply you,” the Greek form of a Hebrew idiom showing intensity.sn A quotation from Gen 22:17.
- Hebrews 6:15 tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Abraham) has been specified for clarity.
- Hebrews 6:16 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποι (anthrōpoi) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”
- Hebrews 6:16 tn Grk “by something greater”; the rest of the comparison (“than themselves”) is implied.
- Hebrews 6:16 tn Grk “the oath for confirmation is an end of all dispute.”
- Hebrews 6:17 tn Grk “in which.”
- Hebrews 6:17 tn Or “immutable” (here and in v. 18); Grk “the unchangeableness of his purpose.”
- Hebrews 6:18 tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.
- Hebrews 6:19 sn The curtain refers to the veil or drape in the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies.
- Hebrews 6:20 sn A quotation from Ps 110:4, picked up again from Heb 5:6, 10.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.