Hébreux 13:16

16 Et n'oubliez pas la bienfaisance et la libéralité; car Dieu prend plaisir à de tels sacrifices.

Hébreux 13:16 Meaning and Commentary

Hebrews 13:16

But to do good and to communicate forget not
Which is to be understood, not of doing good works in general, but of acts of beneficence, or communicating to "the poor", as the Syriac version renders it: the apostle proceeds to take notice of another sort of sacrifice, which continues under the Gospel dispensation; and that is, alms; which should be attended to: alms should be given, or beneficence be exercised to all men in need, even to our enemies, as well as to our friends and relations; and especially to poor saints, and ministers of the Gospel: and this believers should not "forget"; which shows that it is a duty of importance; and that men are too apt to neglect it, and should be stirred up unto it:

for with such sacrifices God is well pleased;
not that they are meritorious of the favour of God and of eternal life; for what a man gives in a way of charity is but what God has given him, and cannot be profitable to God, though it is to a fellow creature; nor is there any proportion between what is given, and grace and glory which the saints receive; yet doing good in this way, when it is done in faith, springs from love, and is directed to the glory of God, is well pleasing to him; yea, these sacrifices are preferred by him to legal ones, ( Hosea 6:6 ) and the Jews also say, that

``greater is he who does alms than (if he offered) all sacrifices ^F3.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 T. Bab. Succa, fol. 49. 2.

Hébreux 13:16 In-Context

14 Car nous n'avons point ici-bas de cité permanente, mais nous cherchons celle qui est à venir.

15 Offrons donc sans cesse à Dieu par Jésus un sacrifice de louange, c'est-à-dire, le fruit de lèvres qui confessent son nom.

16 Et n'oubliez pas la bienfaisance et la libéralité; car Dieu prend plaisir à de tels sacrifices.

17 Obéissez à vos conducteurs et soyez-leur soumis, car ils veillent sur vos âmes, comme devant en rendre compte, afin qu'ils le fassent avec joie et non en gémissant; car cela vous serait préjudiciable.

18 Priez pour nous, car nous sommes persuadés d'avoir une bonne conscience, désirant de nous bien conduire en toutes choses.