Hebrews 4:7

7 God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear . . .

Hebrews 4:7 Meaning and Commentary

Hebrews 4:7

Again he limiteth a certain day
Since the seventh day of the creation was a day of rest which God entered into, and not man; and since the land of Canaan was a typical rest, which the unbelieving Israelites did not enter into, because of unbelief; and yet there must be persons, and there must be a time for them to enter into the true rest which God has left a promise of; therefore he has limited, fixed, and appointed a certain day, the Gospel dispensation, for believers to enter into it:

saying in David;
or by David, who was the penman of the 95th psalm, as may be learned from hence; and this is agreeably to, and confirms a rule which the Jews give, that those psalms which are without a title were written by David F7; the Spirit of God spake in him and by him, and plainly pointed out another day of rest from the above mentioned:

today, after so long a time;
as two thousand five hundred years from the first seventh day to the time of Moses, and five hundred years from the times of Moses and Joshua, to his:

as it is said;
the Alexandrian copy reads, "as it is before said", or, "above said", as the Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions; that is, in ( Psalms 95:7 Psalms 95:8 ) before cited, ( Hebrews 3:7 Hebrews 3:8 )

today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts;
(See Gill on Hebrews 3:7), (See Gill on Hebrews 3:8).


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Aben Ezra & Kimchi Praefat. in Tillim.

Hebrews 4:7 In-Context

5 but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest."
6 So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient.
7 God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear . . .
8 And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today."
9 The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.