Hebrews 11:39

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,

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Hebrews 11:39 in Other Translations

KJV

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

ESV

39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

NLT

39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.

MSG

39 Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised.

CSB

39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised,

Hebrews 11:39 Meaning and Commentary

Hebrews 11:39

And these all having obtained a good report through faith,
&c.] This may either be limited to the sufferers in the preceding verses, who were martyred, or suffered martyrdom for the faith, as the words may be rendered; and who are called martyrs or witnesses, in ( Hebrews 12:1 ) and so the Ethiopic version renders the clause, "and all these were witnesses concerning the faith": or it may be extended to all the instances of faith throughout the chapter; and so the apostle reasserts what he had said, ( Hebrews 11:2 ) , having proved it by a variety of examples; (See Gill on Hebrews 11:2).

received not the promise;
not that they did not receive the promise of the land of Canaan, for so did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses nor that they did not receive the promise of deliverance and victory, for so did Joshua, the Judges, and others; or that they did not receive the promise of eternal life, for that they all did; but the promise of the Messiah, that is, the Messiah promised: for they had the promise, but not the thing; who is called "the Promise", emphatically, because he is the first and grand promise; and because in him all the promises centre, and are yea, and amen: him the Old Testament saints received not; they, greatly desired to see him in the flesh; they saw him by faith; they believed in him, and rejoiced in the expectation of his coming; but he was not exhibited to them incarnate. Now since these saints so strongly believed, and so cheerfully suffered before Christ came; the apostle's argument is, that much more should the saints now, since Christ is come, and the promises received, go on believing in him, and readily suffering for his sake; see ( Hebrews 12:1-4 ) .

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Hebrews 11:39 In-Context

37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—

38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,

40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.