Iḇ`rim (Hebrews) 11
11
1And belief is the substance of what is expected, the proof of what is not seen.
2For by this the elders obtained witness.
3By belief, we understand that the ages were prepared by the word of Elohim, so that what is seen was not made of what is visible.
4By belief, Heḇel offered to Elohim a greater slaughter offering than Qayin, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, Elohim witnessing of his gifts. And through it, having died, he still speaks.
5By belief, Ḥanoḵ was translated so as not to see death, “and was not found because Elohim had translated him.”# Gen. 5:24 For before his translation he obtained witness, that he pleased Elohim.
6But without belief it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to Elohim has to believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.
7By belief, Noaḥ, having been warned of what was yet unseen, having feared, prepared an ark to save his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to belief.
8By belief, Aḇraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he was about to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9By belief, he sojourned in the land of promise as a stranger, dwelling in tents with Yitsḥaq and Ya‛aqoḇ, the heirs with him of the same promise,
10for he was looking for the city having foundations, whose builder and maker is Elohim.
11By belief also, Sarah herself was enabled to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the normal age, because she deemed Him trustworthy who had promised.
12And so from one, and him as good as dead, were born as numerous as the stars of the heaven, as countless as the sand which is by the seashore.# Gen. 15:5; Gen. 22:17
13In belief all these died, not having received the promises,#See Heb. 11:39 but seeing them from a distance, welcomed and embraced them, and confessed that they were aliens and strangers on the earth.
14For those who speak this way make it clear that they seek a fatherland.
15And yet, if they had indeed kept remembering that place from which they had come out, they would have had the chance to return.
16But now they long for a better place, that is, a heavenly. Therefore Elohim is not ashamed to be called their Elohim, for He has prepared a city for them.
17By belief, Aḇraham, when he was tried, offered up Yitsḥaq, and he who had received the promises offered up his only brought-forth son,
18of whom it was said, “In Yitsḥaq your seed shall be called,”# Gen. 21:12
19reckoning that Elohim was able to raise, even from the dead, from which he received him back, as a type.
20By belief, Yitsḥaq blessed Ya‛aqoḇ and Ěsaw concerning that which was to come.
21By belief, Ya‛aqoḇ, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Yosĕph, and did reverence on the top of his staff.
22By belief, Yosĕph, when he was dying, made mention of the outgoing of the children of Yisra’ĕl, and gave orders concerning his bones.
23By belief, Mosheh, having been born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a comely child,#See Exo. 2:2 and were not afraid of the sovereign’s command.
24By belief, Mosheh, having become great, refused to be called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh,
25choosing rather to be afflicted with the people of Elohim than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time,
26deeming the reproach of Messiah greater riches than the treasures in Mitsrayim, for he was looking to the reward.
27By belief, he left Mitsrayim, not fearing the wrath of the sovereign, for he was steadfast, as seeing Him who is invisible.
28By belief, he performed the Pĕsaḥ and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the first-born should touch them.
29By belief, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, and when the Mitsrites tried it, they were drowned.
30By belief, the walls of Yeriḥo fell, having been surrounded for seven days.
31By belief, Raḥaḇ the whore did not perish with those who did not believe, having received the spies with peace.
32And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to relate of Gid‛on and Baraq and Shimshon and Yiphtaḥ, also of Dawiḏ and Shemu’ĕl and the prophets,
33who through belief, overcame reigns, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight.
35Women received back their dead by resurrection. And others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain a better resurrection.
36And others had trial of mockings and floggings and more, of chains and imprisonment.
37They were stoned, they were tried, they were sawn in two, they were slain with the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being in need, afflicted, mistreated,
38of whom the world was not worthy – wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes of the earth.
39And having obtained witness through the belief, all these did not receive the promise,#See Heb. 11:13
40Elohim having provided what is better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
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Iḇ`rim (Hebrews) 11: TS2009
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Hebrews 11
11
Faith of the Ancients. 1Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence#Faith is the realization…evidence: the author is not attempting a precise definition. There is dispute about the meaning of the Greek words hypostasis and elenchos, here translated realization and evidence, respectively. Hypostasis usually means “substance,” “being” (as translated in Heb 1:3), or “reality” (as translated in Heb 3:14); here it connotes something more subjective, and so realization has been chosen rather than “assurance” (RSV). Elenchos, usually “proof,” is used here in an objective sense and so translated evidence rather than the transferred sense of “(inner) conviction” (RSV). of things not seen.#1:3; 3:14; Rom 8:24; 2 Cor 4:18. 2Because of it the ancients were well attested. 3#Gn 1:3; Ps 33:6; Wis 9:1; Jn 1:3. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God,#By faith…God: this verse does not speak of the faith of the Old Testament men and women but is in the first person plural. Hence it seems out of place in the sequence of thought. so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. 4#The “Praise of the Ancestors” in Sir 44:1–50:21 gives a similar list of heroes. The Cain and Abel narrative in Gn 4:1–16 does not mention Abel’s faith. It says, however, that God “looked with favor on Abel and his offering” (Gn 4:4); in view of Heb 11:6 the author probably understood God’s favor to have been activated by Abel’s faith. Though dead, he still speaks: possibly because his blood “cries out to me from the soil” (Gn 4:10), but more probably a way of saying that the repeated story of Abel provides ongoing witness to faith. By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s. Through this he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks.#12:24; Gn 4:4, 10. 5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and “he was found no more because God had taken him.” Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God.#Gn 5:24; Sir 44:16. 6#One must believe not only that God exists but that he is concerned about human conduct; the Old Testament defines folly as the denial of this truth; cf. Ps 52:2. But without faith it is impossible to please him,#Wis 4:10. for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.#Gn 6:8–22; Sir 44:17–18; Mt 24:37–39; Lk 17:26–27; 1 Pt 3:20; 2 Pt 2:5.
8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.#Gn 12:1–4; 15:7–21; Sir 44:19–22; Acts 7:2–8; Rom 4:16–22. 9By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;#Gn 12:8; 13:12; 23:4; 26:3; 35:27. 10for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.#12:22; 13:14; Rev 21:10–22. 11By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age—and Sarah herself was sterile—for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.#Gn 17:19; 21:2; Rom 4:19–21 / 1 Cor 10:13. 12So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.#Gn 15:5; 22:17; 32:13; Ex 32:13; Dt 10:22; Dn 3:36 LXX.
13All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,#Gn 23:4; Ps 39:13. 14for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. 15If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.#13:14; Ex 3:6.
17By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,#Gn 22:1–10; Sir 44:20; 1 Mc 2:52; Jas 2:21. 18of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”#Gn 21:12 LXX; Rom 9:7. 19#As a symbol: Isaac’s “return from death” is seen as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection. Others understand the words en parabolē to mean “in figure,” i.e., the word dead is used figuratively of Isaac, since he did not really die. But in the one other place that parabolē occurs in Hebrews, it means symbol (Heb 9:9). He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,#Rom 4:16–22. and he received Isaac back as a symbol. 20By faith regarding things still to come Isaac#Each of these three patriarchs, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, had faith in the future fulfillment of God’s promise and renewed this faith when near death. blessed Jacob and Esau.#Gn 27:27–40. 21By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and “bowed in worship, leaning on the top of his staff.”#Gn 27:38–40; 47:31 LXX; 48:15–16. 22By faith Joseph, near the end of his life, spoke of the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.#Gn 50:24–25.
23#Ex 2:2; Acts 7:20. By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24#The reason given for Moses’ departure from Egypt differs from the account in Ex 2:11–15. The author also gives a christological interpretation of his decision to share the trials of his people. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;#Ex 2:10–15; Acts 7:23–29. 25he chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. 26He considered the reproach of the Anointed greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the recompense. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s fury, for he persevered as if seeing the one who is invisible.#Ex 2:15; Acts 7:29. 28By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.#Ex 12:21–23; Wis 18:25; 1 Cor 10:10. 29By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted it they were drowned.#Ex 14:22–28. 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell after being encircled for seven days.#Jos 6:12–21. 31By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with the disobedient, for she had received the spies in peace.#Jos 2:1–21; 6:22–25; Jas 2:25.
32What more shall I say? I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,#Jgs 4:6–22; 6:11–8:32; 11:1–12:7. 33who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions,#Dn 6:23. 34put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders.#Dn 3:22–25, 49–50. 35Women received back their dead through resurrection. Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection.#1 Kgs 17:17–24; 2 Kgs 4:18–37; 2 Mc 6:18–7:42. 36Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment.#2 Chr 36:16; Jer 20:2; 37:15. 37They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword’s point; they went about in skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented.#2 Chr 24:21. 38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth.#1 Mc 2:28–30.
39Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. 40God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect.#So that without us they should not be made perfect: the heroes of the Old Testament obtained their recompense only after the saving work of Christ had been accomplished. Thus they already enjoy what Christians who are still struggling do not yet possess in its fullness.
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