Hebrews 3:1-17

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

2 was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also "was faithful in all God's house."

3 Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later.

6 Christ, however, was faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope.

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9 where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works

10 for forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, "They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.'

11 As in my anger I swore, "They will not enter my rest.' "

12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.

15 As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

16 Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?

17 But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:1-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS 3

The apostle having discoursed, in the preceding chapters, concerning the dignity of Christ's person, and his wondrous grace in the assumption of human nature, and suffering in the room and stead of his people, exhorts the Hebrews in this to a serious consideration of him, attention to him, and faith in him, and constancy in it; the arguments he uses to engage them to these things are taken from the grace and benefit they themselves were partakers of through him, from the office in which he was, and his faithfulness to his Father in the discharge of it, Heb 3:1,2 which is illustrated in the case of Moses, who was faithful in the house of God, and whom Christ excelled, and therefore was worthy of more honour; partly, because he is the builder of the house; and partly, because he is a Son in it, when Moses was only a servant; which house is Christ's own, and consists of true and steadfast believers in him, Heb 3:2-6, wherefore the exhortation to regard him is renewed, enforced, and expressed in the words of the Holy Ghost, Heb 3:7-11 which are taken out of Ps 95:7-11 and applied to the present case: hence the apostle cautions against unbelief, as being a great evil in itself, and bad in its consequence, causing persons to depart from the living God, Heb 3:12, in order to prevent which he advises to a daily exhortation of each other to their duty, that so they might not be hardened in sin through the deceitfulness of it, Heb 3:13 and the rather it became them to be concerned to hold fast their faith in Christ to the end, since this is the grand evidence of being a partaker of him, Heb 3:14. And then the exhortation in the above passage of Scripture is recited, Heb 3:15 to show, that though not all the persons spoken of, yet some did provoke the Lord by their unbelief, and unbecoming carriage, Heb 3:16 wherefore, by the example of punishment being inflicted on such, of which instances are given in the forefathers of these people, such as their carcasses falling in the wilderness, and their not entering into the land of Canaan, which they could not, because God swore they should not, being grieved and provoked by them, and because of their unbelief, they are dissuaded from the same evils, lest they should be punished in like manner, Heb 3:17-19.

Footnotes

• [a]. Gk [brothers]
• [b]. Other ancient authorities lack [all]
• [c]. Gk [his]
• [d]. Gk [this one]
• [e]. Gk [his]
• [f]. Gk [his]
• [g]. Other ancient authorities add [to the end]
• [h]. Gk [brothers]