God’s Infallible Purpose in Christ

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, (A)He swore by Himself, 14 saying, (B)“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the (C)promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and (D)an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to (E)the heirs of promise (F)the [a]immutability of His counsel, [b]confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two [c]immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to (G)lie, we [d]might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope (H)set before us.

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, (I)and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 (J)where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, (K)having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 6:17 unchangeableness of His purpose
  2. Hebrews 6:17 guaranteed
  3. Hebrews 6:18 unchangeable
  4. Hebrews 6:18 M omits might

The Reliability of God’s Promise

13 For when[a] God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying,

“Surely I will greatly bless[b] you, and I will greatly multiply[c] you.”

15 And so, by[d] persevering, he obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by what is greater than themselves, and the oath for confirmation is the end of all dispute for them. 17 In the same way God, because he[e] wanted to show even more to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his resolve, guaranteed it with an oath, 18 in order that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge may have powerful encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us, 19 which we have like an anchor of the soul, both firm and steadfast, and entering into the inside of the curtain, 20 where Jesus, the forerunner for us, entered, because he[f] became a high priest forever[g] according to the order of Melchizedek.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 6:13 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal participle (“made a promise”)
  2. Hebrews 6:14 Literally “blessing I will bless”
  3. Hebrews 6:14 Literally “multiplying I will multiply”
  4. Hebrews 6:15 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“persevering”) which is understood as means
  5. Hebrews 6:17 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“wanted”) which is understood as causal
  6. Hebrews 6:20 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“became”) which is understood as causal
  7. Hebrews 6:20 Literally “to the age”