Hebrews 11
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen — in this the elders of old were attested. By faith we perceive that the ages were made complete by the word of God. And ‘by faith’ stands at the head of eighteen sentences, framing the chapter. Abel offered a better sacrifice and was attested righteous, and though he died he still speaks. Enoch was carried over so as not to see death, attested to have been well pleasing to God — and without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever draws near must believe that he is and that he rewards those who seek him. Noah, instructed about things not yet seen, took care and constructed an ark. Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, and sojourned in the land of promise as in a land not his own, waiting for the city that has the foundations. Sarah herself received power to conceive past the time of her age, and from one man as good as dead there were born descendants as the stars of the sky and as the countless sand. These all died according to faith — not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and welcomed them, confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Had they been remembering the place they left, they would have had time to return; but they reach for a better one, a heavenly one — therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. Abraham offered up Isaac, reckoning that God can raise even from the dead, and received him back in a parable. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph blessed and remembered and gave instructions as they died. Moses was hidden three months as a beautiful child, and grown up refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing to be ill-treated with the people of God rather than have the temporary enjoyment of sin — counting the reviling of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, looking away to the recompense. He endured as seeing him who is unseen. He kept the Passover and the pouring of the blood; they crossed the Red Sea as on dry land; the walls of Jericho fell; Rahab the prostitute received the spies and did not perish. And then the names stop — the time would fail to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel and the prophets. Those left unnamed overcame kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched fire, escaped the sword; and others were beaten like drums, sawn in two, went about in sheepskins — of whom the world was not worthy. These all, attested through faith, did not receive the promise, since God had foreseen something better for us, so that they would not be brought to completion apart from us.
Why this rendering
Heb.11.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἔστιν δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων … The sentence opens with ‘is’ — a statement, not a definition · ὑπόστασις ‘assurance’ returns from 1:3 and 3:14 — there of God’s own being and of human steadfastness, here of things hoped for, one word standing three ways · ἔλεγχος ‘proof’ is once in the New Testament, the noun of ἐλέγχω ‘expose’ at John 3:20 — both nouns stand without the article · οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ‘the elders of old’ (a site-bound rendering beside ‘elder’ at 1 Tim 5:17) · ἐμαρτυρήθησαν, passive, comes four times in this chapter (vv.2 · 4 · 5 · 39) — who bears the witness is not said at vv.2 and 39, and only v.4 names God · αἰῶνας ‘the ages’ returns from 1:2 — whether time or worlds the text does not say · κατηρτίσθαι ‘be made complete’ (as fixed at 1 Cor 1:10) · ⸂τὸ βλεπόμενον⸃ is singular, so it does not match the plural ‘things not seen’ of v.1.
Rendering options · 3
Basis One word standing three ways is this book’s grain — splitting it into ‘substance’ and ‘conviction’ would cut the three apart.
Basis ἐλέγχω ‘expose’ is already fixed at John 3:20 — Korean keeps the root and English does not (recorded).
Basis Those this chapter names are not elders of a congregation but those who went before — ‘the elders’ alone would read as an office.
Lost in translation
ὑπόστασις (1:3 · 3:14 · 11:1) — one word standing three ways. ‘Assurance’ joins the three.
ἔλεγχος (v.1) — the noun of ἐλέγχω at John 3:20. ‘Conviction’ does not carry the root.
Both nouns stand without the article (v.1) — English must choose ‘the’ or nothing.
ἐμαρτυρήθησαν, passive, four times (vv.2 · 4 · 5 · 39) — vv.2 and 39 do not name who bears witness. Both leave it unfilled.
τοὺς αἰῶνας (v.3) — the word of 1:2, time or worlds unsaid. ‘The ages’ adds nothing.
⸂τὸ βλεπόμενον⸃ singular (v.3) — not matching the plural of v.1. Both follow the text’s number.
Why this rendering
Heb.11.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πίστει πλείονα θυσίαν Ἅβελ παρὰ Κάϊν προσήνεγκεν τῷ θεῷ … Πίστει, the dative, stands at the head of eighteen sentences (vv.4-31) — the frame of this chapter · παρά marks comparison, ‘than Cain’, not ‘alongside Cain’ · whose the δι’ ἧς / δι’ αὐτῆς of v.4 is, the sacrifice or the faith, the text does not say — both are feminine · ⸀λαλεῖ, present, ‘he still speaks’ · μετατίθημι comes twice in v.5 and μετάθεσις once (with 7:12 and 12:27, three in Hebrews) — the carrying over comes three times in one verse · εὐαρεστέω ‘be well pleasing’ stands only three times, all in Hebrews (11:5 · 11:6 · 13:16) · μισθαποδότης ‘rewarder’ is once in the New Testament, sharing a root with μισθαποδοσία at 2:2 and 10:35 · χρηματίζω ‘be instructed’ (as fixed at Matt 2:12) · εὐλαβέομαι ‘take care’ is once in the New Testament, sharing a root with εὐλάβεια at 5:7 · κιβωτός ‘ark’ (as fixed at Matt 24:38, a site-bound rendering beside ‘ark’ of the covenant at 9:4) · κατασκευάζω ‘construct’ (as fixed at 3:3-4).
Rendering options · 3
Basis One repeated dative frames the chapter — varying it would dissolve the frame.
Basis Sacrifice and faith are both feminine and the text does not choose — ‘by that faith’ would settle what it left open.
Basis The same root comes three times in one verse and ties to ‘a change’ at 7:12 — ‘took him’ would cut the thread.
Lost in translation
πίστει eighteen times (vv.4-31) — one dative frames the chapter. ‘By faith’ keeps all eighteen alike.
δι’ ἧς · δι’ αὐτῆς (v.4) — sacrifice or faith, unsaid. Both leave it open.
μετατίθημι · μετάθεσις (v.5) — one root three times in one verse. ‘Carry over / carried over’ keeps it.
μισθαποδότης (v.6) — one root with ‘recompense’ at 2:2 and 10:35. ‘Rewarder’ does not carry it.
εὐλαβέομαι (v.7) — one root with ‘godly fear’ at 5:7. ‘Take care’ does not carry the link.
κιβωτός (v.7) — one word with the ‘ark’ of the covenant at 9:4. The two places take different words.
Why this rendering
Heb.11.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
⸀Πίστει καλούμενος Ἀβραὰμ ὑπήκουσεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς ⸀τόπον … παροικέω ‘sojourn’ (one root with πάροικος at Luke 24:18) and κατοικέω ‘dwell’ stand facing each other in one verse (v.9) — the first is staying a while, the second settling, and he did both · τεχνίτης ‘craftsman’ (as fixed at Acts 19:24) stands beside δημιουργός, which is once in the New Testament — two names for one city · ἐκδέχομαι ‘wait for’ (as fixed at Acts 17:16) returns from 10:13 · ⸂αὐτῇ Σάρρᾳ⸃ is dative, ‘Sarah herself also’, yet the sentence takes a masculine participle — the base text leaves it so and this edition does too · καταβολή ‘conceiving’ is the word for the ‘founding’ of the world at Eph 1:4, here of receiving seed · ἡλικία ‘age’ (a site-bound rendering beside ‘stature’ at Luke 2:52) · νενεκρωμένου, perfect passive, ‘as good as dead’, is the word of Rom 4:19 · ἀναρίθμητος ‘which cannot be numbered’ is once in the New Testament · χεῖλος ‘lip’ (as fixed at Matt 15:8) is used of the seashore.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text sets two verbs in one sentence — rendering both ‘lived’ would erase the contrast.
Basis Two words for one city is the point, and the second stands once in the New Testament — one word would merge them.
Basis The text uses for the shore the word for human lips — ‘shore’ alone would lose it.
Lost in translation
παροικέω / κατοικέω (v.9) — sojourning and dwelling in one verse. Both keep them apart.
δημιουργός (v.10) — once in the New Testament. ‘Maker’ cannot show how rare it is.
⸂αὐτῇ Σάρρᾳ⸃ (v.11) — dative, yet the participle is masculine. Both leave the text as it stands.
καταβολή (v.11) — one word with the ‘founding’ of the world at Eph 1:4. The two places take different words.
χεῖλος (v.12) — the ‘lips’ of Matt 15:8 used of the shore. Both stand alike.
νενεκρωμένου (v.12) — the word of Rom 4:19. ‘As good as dead’ joins the two.
Why this rendering
Heb.11.16 Observation
Syntactic observation
Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, μὴ ⸀λαβόντες τὰς ἐπαγγελίας … Here alone it is κατὰ πίστιν and not the dative πίστει — the frame repeated eighteen times breaks once · ἀσπάζομαι ‘welcome’ is used of the promises — it is the word for greeting people · ξένος ‘stranger’ (as fixed at Eph 2:19) stands beside παρεπίδημος ‘pilgrim’, which comes with 1 Pet 1:1 and 2:11, where it stands next to πάροικος ‘sojourner’ · πόρρωθεν ‘from afar’ (as fixed at Luke 17:12) · ἐμφανίζω ‘make clear’ is here of people disclosing themselves · πατρίς ‘homeland’ (a site-bound rendering beside ‘hometown’ at Matt 13:54) · ἐκβαίνω ‘go out’ is once in the New Testament, paired with ἀνακάμπτω ‘return’ (as fixed at Luke 10:6) · ὀρέγομαι ‘reach for’ (as fixed at 1 Tim 3:1) is here of a heavenly thing — at 1 Tim 6:10 it is the hand reaching for money · ἐπικαλέω, passive, ‘to be called’ — the passive of ‘call upon’ at Rom 10:13 · God’s not being ashamed returns from 2:11.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text changes the construction once — levelling it to ‘by faith’ would erase the break.
Basis ἀσπάζομαι is the word for greeting people, used here of promises — ‘accepted’ would lose the grain.
Basis πάροικος ‘sojourner’ is already fixed, so three words must stand apart — two ‘sojourners’ would collapse at 1 Pet 2:11.
Lost in translation
κατὰ πίστιν (v.13) — the eighteen datives break once. Both keep the construction apart.
ἀσπασάμενοι (v.13) — a word for greeting people used of promises. ‘Welcomed’ keeps the grain.
ξένος · παρεπίδημος · πάροικος — three words that must not crowd each other. All three stay apart.
ἐκβαίνω / ἀνακάμπτω (v.15) — going out and returning as a pair. Both keep the pair.
ὀρέγονται (v.16) — the hand reaching for money at 1 Tim 6:10. ‘Reach for’ joins the two.
ἐπαισχύνεται (v.16) — the verb of 2:11 returning. Both stand alike.
Why this rendering
Heb.11.22 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πίστει προσενήνοχεν Ἀβραὰμ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ πειραζόμενος, καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ προσέφερεν ὁ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀναδεξάμενος … προσενήνοχεν, perfect, and προσέφερεν, imperfect, stand side by side in one sentence — the first as a thing done, the second as a thing being done. The base text keeps both times and so does this edition · μονογενής ‘unique’ (as fixed at John 3:16) — Ishmael was living, so the word is disputed here, yet the text uses it as it stands · ἀναδέχομαι ‘receive’ (as fixed at Acts 28:7, two places in the New Testament) · ἐν παραβολῇ ‘in a parable’ (as fixed at Matt 13:3; at 9:9 the tent was a parable) — a parable of what is not said · κομίζω ‘receive back’ (as fixed at Matt 25:27) · ⸀καί in v.20, ‘concerning things to come as well’ — a mark that Isaac’s blessing was not only of the present · προσκυνέω ‘worship’ (as fixed at John 4:23), here done leaning on the end of a staff · ἔξοδος ‘departure’ (as fixed at Luke 9:31) — not turned into ‘death’ · τελευτάω ‘come to his end’ · ὀστέον ‘bones’ (as fixed at John 19:36).
Rendering options · 3
Basis Two times side by side in one sentence is the text’s grain — levelling them would lose done against doing.
Basis The text uses this word though Ishmael was living — ‘beloved’ would put in a word the text does not have.
Basis The text does not say — ‘figuratively’ or ‘from the dead’ would fill it in.
Lost in translation
προσενήνοχεν / προσέφερεν (v.17) — perfect and imperfect in one sentence. Both times stand apart.
μονογενῆ (v.17) — the word of John 3:16. Both stand alike.
ἐν παραβολῇ (v.19) — a parable of what is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
⸀καί (v.20) — ‘as well’ marks that it was not only of the present. Both render it.
ἔξοδος (v.22) — the ‘departure’ of Luke 9:31. Both stand alike.
προσεκύνησεν (v.21) — worship done leaning on a staff. Both keep the posture as it stands.
Why this rendering
Heb.11.31 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πίστει Μωϋσῆς γεννηθεὶς ἐκρύβη τρίμηνον ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ … Eight words in this passage stand once in the New Testament — τρίμηνον ‘three months’, διάταγμα ‘decree’, συγκακουχέομαι ‘be ill-treated along with’, καρτερέω ‘endure’, πρόσχυσις ‘pouring’, ὀλοθρεύω ‘destroy’, κατάσκοπος ‘spy’, συναπόλλυμαι ‘perish along with’ · τῶν πατέρων is ‘the fathers’, though it was the parents who hid the child — rendered ‘parents’ and recorded · ἀστεῖος ‘beautiful’ (as fixed at Acts 7:20, two places in the New Testament) · at v.26 ‘the reviling of Christ’ is weighed against the treasures of Egypt — ὀνειδισμός returns from 10:33 and 13:13, μισθαποδοσία from 2:2 and 10:35 · ἀόρατος ‘unseen’ (as fixed at Col 1:15) and ὁράω ‘see’ stand against each other in one clause · πάσχα ‘Passover’ (as fixed at Luke 22:1), with no ‘lamb’ supplied · θιγγάνω ‘touch’ (as fixed at Col 2:21) · πεῖρα comes in the same phrase at v.29 and v.36 — there of making the attempt, here of undergoing.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The word is ‘fathers’, but father and mother hid the child; the masculine plural covers both, so ‘parents’ stands and the difference is recorded.
Basis vv.29 and 36 share one phrase, one of attempting and one of undergoing — one rendering lets the overlap show.
Basis Whether the reviling Christ bore or the reviling borne for Christ, the text does not say — either way of filling it would choose for it.
Lost in translation
τῶν πατέρων (v.23) — the text says ‘fathers’, but it was the parents who hid him. ‘Parents’ changes the word.
πεῖραν λαβόντες (vv.29 · 36) — one phrase in two places. ‘Experience’ joins them.
τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ (v.26) — the genitive reads two ways. Both leave it open.
ἀόρατος / ὁρῶν (v.27) — seeing him who is unseen, in one clause. Both keep the contrast.
πρόσχυσις (v.28) — once in the New Testament, from χέω ‘pour’. ‘Pouring’ keeps it apart from ‘sprinkle’ at 9:13.
Ἐρυθρὰν Θάλασσαν (v.29) — the base text writes it capitalized at Acts 7:36 and lowercase here. ‘Red Sea’ keeps ‘red’ in the open.
Why this rendering
Heb.11.40 Observation
Syntactic observation
Καὶ τί ἔτι λέγω; ἐπιλείψει ⸂με γὰρ⸃ διηγούμενον ὁ χρόνος περὶ Γεδεών, Βαράκ … Here the names stop — through v.32 they are named, and from v.33 no name is given · Nine aorists follow one another (vv.33-34) — overcame, worked, obtained, stopped, quenched, escaped, were empowered, became, made give way · v.35 turns on ‘and others’ — those who received and those who did not are the same faith · τυμπανίζω ‘be beaten like a drum’ is once in the New Testament, a verb from the noun for a drum · ἐμπαιγμός, πρίζω, μηλωτή, αἴγειος, δέρμα, ἐπιλείπω and καταγωνίζομαι all stand once in the New Testament · ⸀μαχαίρης comes once at v.34 and once at v.37 — the sword escaped and the sword that killed are one word · ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος (v.38) breaks into the sentence — set off with dashes · ἐρημία ‘desert’ (as fixed at Matt 15:33) · προβλέπομαι ‘foresee’ is once in the New Testament, and it is middle · τελειωθῶσιν, passive, closes this book’s τελειόω thread (2:10 · 5:9 · 7:19 · 9:9 · 10:1 · 10:14) — they are not brought to completion apart from us.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text names no one from v.33 — bringing names in from commentary would do what the writer did not.
Basis The word comes from the noun for a drum — ‘were tortured’ would lose the picture.
Basis ‘Of whom the world was not worthy’ splits a run of participles — without dashes the two halves cannot find each other.
Lost in translation
Nine aorists in vv.33-34 — running on in one breath. Both set out all nine.
τυμπανίζω (v.35) — from the noun for a drum. ‘Beaten like drums’ keeps the picture.
μαχαίρης (vv.34 · 37) — the sword escaped and the sword that killed are one word. Both stand alike.
ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος (v.38) — a clause breaking the sentence. The dashes show the break.
προβλεψαμένου (v.40) — middle, and once in the New Testament. ‘Foreseen’ does not carry the middle.
τελειωθῶσιν (v.40) — this book’s τελειόω thread closes here. One verb joins the seven places.