Hebrews 6
New Matthew Bible
He continues with the thing that he began in the latter end of chapter 5, and exhorts them not to faint, but to be steadfast and patient, seeing as God is trustworthy and faithful in his promise.
6 Therefore let us leave the questions that belong to the beginning of a Christian life, and let us go on to maturity, and not now again lay the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 of baptism, of doctrine, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection from death, and of eternal judgment. 3 And so will we do, if God permits.
4 For it is not possible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted of the good word of God and of the power of the world to come, 6 if they fall, to be renewed again to repentance, seeing they have (as concerning themselves) crucified the Son of God afresh, making a mock of him. 7 For that earth which drinks in the rain that comes oft upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for those who tend it, receives blessing from God. 8 But that ground which bears thorns and briars is reproved, and is near to cursing: whose end is to be burned.
9 Nevertheless, dear friends, we trust to see better of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we speak this way. 10 For God is not unrighteous, that he should forget your work and labour that proceeds of love – which love you have shown in his name, you who have ministered to the saints, and still minister. 11 Yea and we desire that every one of you show the same diligence to secure your hope right to the end: 12 that you faint not, but follow those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he had no greater thing to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying: Surely I will bless you and multiply you indeed. 15 And so after he had waited a long time, Abraham enjoyed the promise.
16 Men will swear by one who is greater than themselves, and an oath to confirm the thing is among them an end of all strife. 17 So God, wanting very much to show to the heirs of promise the certainty of his counsel, added an oath, 18 so that by two immutable things (in which it was impossible that God should lie) we may have perfect consolation – we who have fled to hold fast the hope that is set before us, 19 which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast. Which hope also enters in, into those things that are within the veil, 20 to where the forerunner has entered in for us – I mean Jesus, who is made a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6
New English Translation
6 Therefore we must progress beyond[a] the elementary[b] instructions about Christ[c] and move on[d] to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works[e] and faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings,[f] laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this is what we intend to do,[g] if God permits. 4 For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, 6 and then have committed apostasy,[h] to renew them again to repentance, since[i] they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again[j] and holding him up to contempt. 7 For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on[k] it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed;[l] its fate is to be burned. 9 But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. 11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish,[m] but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.
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.”[n] 15 And so by persevering, Abraham[o] inherited the promise. 16 For people[p] swear by something greater than themselves,[q] and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute.[r] 17 In the same way[s] God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable,[t] and so he intervened with an oath, 18 so that we who have found refuge in him[u] 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,[v] 20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.[w]
Footnotes
- Hebrews 6:1 tn Grk “Therefore leaving behind.” The implication is not of abandoning this elementary information, but of building on it.
- Hebrews 6:1 tn Or “basic.”
- Hebrews 6:1 tn Grk “the message of the beginning of Christ.”
- Hebrews 6:1 tn Grk “leaving behind…let us move on.”
- Hebrews 6:1 sn It is clear from the context that the phrase “dead works” are works that need to be repented from and thus are sins. The same phrase occurs in Heb 9:14 in which the author of Hebrews states that our consciences need to be purified from them. As Bruce states, they are works “that belong to the way of death and not the way of life” (F. F. Bruce, Hebrews [NICNT], 138).
- Hebrews 6:2 sn See Hebrews 9:10 and Mark 7:4 for other references to the Jewish practice of ritual washings.
- Hebrews 6:3 tn Grk “and we will do this.”
- Hebrews 6:6 tn Or “have fallen away.”
- Hebrews 6:6 tn Or “while”; Grk “crucifying…and holding.” The Greek participles here (“crucifying…and holding”) can be understood as either causal (“since”) or temporal (“while”).
- Hebrews 6:6 tn Grk “recrucifying the son of God for themselves.”
- Hebrews 6:7 tn Grk “comes upon.”
- Hebrews 6:8 tn Grk “near to a curse.”
- Hebrews 6:12 tn Or “dull.”
- 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.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.