12Watch out, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that leads to falling away from the living God. [3:13] But encourage one another each day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. [3:14] For we have become partakers of Christ, if indeed we hold the beginning of our assurance firm to the end — [3:15] while it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." [3:16] For who, having heard, rebelled? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt through Moses? [3:17] And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? [3:18] And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, except to those who were disobedient? [3:19] And we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
HEB 3:12-19
The Peril of Unbelief
In the world it was spoken into
The first-century audience of Hebrews, likely a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers, would have understood this passage against the backdrop of Second-Temple Jewish thought and Greco-Roman moral discourse. The warning against 'an evil heart of unbelief' would resonate deeply with Jewish listeners familiar with Israel's history of rebellion in the wilderness, as recounted in Exodus and Numbers. This rebellion was not merely intellectual doubt but a moral failure to trust Yahweh despite His provision. The call to 'encourage one another daily' reflects the communal ethos of early Christian gatherings, where mutual exhortation was vital in a hostile, pluralistic society. The deceitfulness of sin would evoke Stoic and Jewish warnings about sin's seductive power to harden the heart. The emphasis on holding firm to the 'assurance' of faith aligns with Jewish covenantal theology, where faithfulness to God's promises was paramount. The reference to 'today' echoes Psalm 95, a liturgical text, underscoring the urgency of responding to God's voice in the present moment.
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How other translations render this
HEB 3:12
- KJV
- Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
- BSB
- See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
- Koinōnos
- Watch out, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that leads to falling away from the living God.
HEB 3:13
- KJV
- But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
- BSB
- But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sinʼs deceitfulness.
- Koinōnos
- But encourage one another each day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
HEB 3:14
- KJV
- For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
- BSB
- We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.
- Koinōnos
- For we have become partakers of Christ, if indeed we hold the beginning of our assurance firm to the end —
HEB 3:15
- KJV
- While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
- BSB
- As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.”
- Koinōnos
- while it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
HEB 3:16
- KJV
- For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
- BSB
- For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?
- Koinōnos
- For who, having heard, rebelled? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt through Moses?
HEB 3:17
- KJV
- But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
- BSB
- And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
- Koinōnos
- And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
HEB 3:18
- KJV
- And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
- BSB
- And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
- Koinōnos
- And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, except to those who were disobedient?
HEB 3:19
- KJV
- So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
- BSB
- So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter.
- Koinōnos
- And we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
HEB 3:12
- of unbelief:The word translated 'unbelief' here refers to a deliberate refusal to trust or obey, often implying a stubborn resistance to God's will, rather than simply a lack of intellectual assent.
HEB 3:13
- by [the] deceitfulness:The term used here for 'deceitfulness' suggests a cunning trickery or seduction that leads one astray, often with an element of enticement or allure, not just simple deception.
HEB 3:14
- assurance:The word translated 'assurance' carried a sense of firm foundation or confident expectation, like a solid base upon which something stands, rather than just a feeling of certainty.
HEB 3:15
- rebellion.:The word translated 'rebellion' specifically evokes the idea of provoking or embittering God through disobedience, recalling the Israelites' actions in the wilderness that angered Him.