Home
Hebrews Chapter 4

Hebrews Chapter 4

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Spirit

World/age

Click to Collapse the Glossary
God’s Rest
  1. Therefore we should fear, lest at some time some of you might seem to have fallen short while the promise to enter into His rest remains.
  2. For we are *hearing the gospel being proclaimed just as they also did, but they didn’t profit in hearing the message, it not being *united with faith in the men who heard.
  3. For we (the men who believed) enter into the rest, just as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath: “They will not enter into My rest”.“fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 95:11, and possibly to Genesis 2:2  although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
  4. For He has spoken this way somewhere about the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 2:2
  5. And again in this passage, “They will not enter into My rest.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 95:11, and possibly to Gen 2:2
  6. Therefore, since it remains for some to enter into it, and the men to whom the good news was formerly proclaimed didn’t enter in because of disobedience,
  7. He again appoints a day “today” (saying it through David after so long a time) just as it has been previously said: “If you hear His voice today, you shouldn’t harden your hearts.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 95:7-8
  8. For if Joshua gave them rest,fnquotation/allusion to Joshua 21:44 He wouldn’t be speaking about another day after that day.
  9. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God.
  10. For the man who entered into His rest, he himself also rested from his works, just as God did from His own.fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 2:2
  11. Therefore, we should be diligently zealous to enter into that rest so someone won’t fall into disobedient unbelief by the same example.fnquotation/allusion to many of the rebellions in the wilderness, most notably the refusal to enter the promised land in Numbers chapter 14, and recapped in Deuteronomy 1:26-46
  12. For the Word of God is living and effective, and He is sharper than every double-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, and also of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart.
  13. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and *laid bare to His eyes,fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 139, especially verses 1-4 and 7-10 to whom we must give an account.
  14. Therefore, having a great high priest who has passed through the heavens (Jesus, the Son of God) we should hold fast to our confession.
  15. For we don’t have a high priest not able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One having been *tempted in all things the same way as we are, yet without sin.
  16. Therefore, we should approach the throne of grace with boldness so we might receive mercy and might find grace for help in our time of need.

 

Next: Hebrews chapter 5

Previous: Hebrews chapter 3

Up: The Book of Hebrews

Up: BOS Bible Index

 

Note: If you think a word, phrase, or passage could be better translated - or is wrong - then Please Say Something. This is an open source Bible that's accountable to all Christians. See this link for details.

Legal Use: Please feel free to quote the BOS Bible, but follow the guidelines on the Legal Use page when doing so. They are easy and mostly common sense.

 

[[references]]