Hebrews 11
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 60 – AD 69 · The early church · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
40 verses · 899 words · ~4 min read · ~6 min listen
Faith and Assurance
1Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2This is why the ancients were commended.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at Godʼs command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah
4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
6And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
The Faith of Abraham and Sarah
8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. 9By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.
The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph
20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Josephʼs sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.
The Faith of Moses
23By faith Mosesʼ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the kingʼs edict.
24By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaohʼs daughter. 25He chose to suffer oppression with Godʼs people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. 26He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.
27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the kingʼs anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch Israelʼs own firstborn.
29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.
The Faith of Many
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.
32And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
37They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. 38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. 40God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.
Footnotes (6)
- a v5 Literally transferred or translated
- b v5 Genesis 5:24(see also LXX)
- c v17 Or only begotten son or unique son
- d v18 Genesis 21:12
- e v29 Literally made an attempt
- f v37 NE, WH, BYZ, and TR include they were put to the test,
Study notes on this chapter · 3
How to read the days of creation
Genesis 1 describes God creating in six days and resting on the seventh. Christians have read the days in several ways, and the question of how to relate the chapter to modern science is among the most discussed in biblical interpretation. The New Testament affirms creation through Christ and the created order, and Exodus ties the Sabbath to the six days.
When: Genesis; ancient readers such as Philo, Origen and Augustine already debated the nature of the days.
Ways people read this (5)
- Six ordinary days, with a young earth (young-earth creationism).
- Days as long periods, with an old earth (day-age, progressive creation).
- A literary framework: the days form a structure for teaching God's ordering of creation, without timing (framework view).
- An ancient cosmology: the chapter describes the cosmos as a temple, and its claims are functional, not material (cosmic temple or 'functional' readings).
- Augustine read creation as instantaneous, with the days an account for human understanding.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The binding of Isaac
God tests Abraham by asking him to offer his beloved son Isaac. A ram is provided instead, and Abraham names the place 'The LORD will provide'. Hebrews says Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and received Isaac back 'figuratively'. Many Christian readers link Isaac and the ram with the Father's giving of his Son, and Romans 8:32 echoes the wording.
When: Genesis (traditionally c. 1900 BC); Romans, c. AD 57; Hebrews, before AD 70 (most likely).
Ways people read this (3)
- A pattern pointing to the cross: a beloved son, a wood-bearing walk up the mountain, and a substitute provided.
- Jewish tradition (the Akedah) reads the story as a model of obedience and as a merit on which later generations rely.
- The narrative's plain point is God's rejection of child sacrifice and his provision for Abraham's faith.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Rahab's scarlet cord
Rahab hung a scarlet cord from her window so that her household would be spared when Jericho fell. Some early Christian writers saw the cord as a sign of Christ's blood, while the New Testament itself presents Rahab as an example of faith and in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus.
When: Joshua, c. 1406 BC (traditional date).
Ways people read this (3)
- Patristic allegory: the red cord stands for the blood of Christ that saves those inside the house (Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 12).
- The New Testament does not make this connection, and it cites Rahab as a model of faith and works (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25).
- The scarlet cord most plainly recalls the Passover blood on the doorposts.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.