Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, New Living Translation For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: English Standard Version For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, Berean Standard Bible When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, Berean Literal Bible For God, having made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, swore by Himself, King James Bible For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, New King James Version For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, New American Standard Bible For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear an oath by no one greater, He swore by Himself, NASB 1995 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, NASB 1977 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, Legacy Standard Bible For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, Amplified Bible For when God made the promise to Abraham, He swore [an oath] by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, Christian Standard Bible For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: Holman Christian Standard Bible For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself: American Standard Version For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself, Aramaic Bible in Plain English For when God made a promise to Abraham, because there was no greater than he by whom to swear, he swore by himself, Contemporary English Version No one is greater than God. So he made a promise in his own name when he said to Abraham, Douay-Rheims Bible For God making promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom he might swear, swore by himself, English Revised Version For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself, GOD'S WORD® Translation God made a promise to Abraham. Since he had no one greater on whom to base his oath, he based it on himself. Good News Translation When God made his promise to Abraham, he made a vow to do what he had promised. Since there was no one greater than himself, he used his own name when he made his vow. International Standard Version For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore an oath by himself, since he had no one greater to swear by. Literal Standard Version For God, having made promise to Abraham, seeing He was not able to swear by [any] greater, swore by Himself, Majority Standard Bible When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, New American Bible When God made the promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, “he swore by himself,” NET Bible Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, New Revised Standard Version When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, New Heart English Bible For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself, Webster's Bible Translation For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, Weymouth New Testament For when God gave the promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, World English Bible For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, Young's Literal Translation For to Abraham God, having made promise, seeing He was able to swear by no greater, did swear by Himself, Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context God's Unchangeable Promise12Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. 13When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, 14saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.”… Cross References Genesis 22:16 saying, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, Exodus 32:13 Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.'" Deuteronomy 1:8 See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them." Isaiah 45:23 By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance. Jeremiah 22:5 But if you do not obey these words, then I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that this house will become a pile of rubble.'" Jeremiah 44:26 Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will any man of Judah living in the land of Egypt invoke My name or say, 'As surely as the Lord GOD lives.' Luke 1:73 the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us Treasury of Scripture For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, he sware. Hebrews 6:16-18 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife… Genesis 22:15-18 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, … Ezekiel 32:13 I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them. Jump to Previous Able Abraham Greater Oath Promise Promised Sware Swear SworeJump to Next Able Abraham Greater Oath Promise Promised Sware Swear SworeHebrews 6 1. He exhorts not to fall back from the faith;11. but to be steadfast, 12. diligent, and patient to wait upon God; 13. because God is most sure in his promise. (13) The connection seems to be this: "You, like them, have promises--promises to which God has given all possible certainty; you, like them, can attain the fulfilment only through faith and patient waiting." For when God made promise.--It is better to follow the words literally, For when to Abraham God had made promise. Abraham is chosen for special mention as the most illustrious example of those who "inherit the promises" (comp. John 8:58); also because (1) the assurance given to him was confirmed by oath; and (2) in it lay included the promise of the Christ. The promises made to Abraham were essentially one, with various parts progressively fulfilled. It seems likely that, though the next verse is quoted from Genesis 22:17, the writer also has in mind ("had promised") Genesis 12:3, and especially Genesis 15. Verses 13-15. - For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Abraham - the ancestor of the Hebrews, the first recipient of the promises, the father of the faithful - is now appropriately adduced as an example. He (Genesis 22:16), as is the case with you (Psalm 110.), was assured of his inheritance by the Divine oath; and so he obtained it, but only through "faith and patience." You have the like assurance, but attended with the like conditions. And then this Divine oath, the significance of which is set forth in vers. 16-18, is made a link of connection between the hortatory section (Hebrews 5:11-6:20) and the coming argument about Melchizedek. This is one instance of the artistic way in which, throughout the Epistle, the interposed hortatory passages are so turned as to connect the divided sections of the argument. But what is said about Abraham (vers. 13, 14, 15) has been variously understood. It is connected with ver. 12 thus: "Be ye followers of them who inherit the promises through faith and patience: for God, in his promise to Abraham, swore by himself in confirmation of it; and so (καὶ ὀὔτω) through patience he obtained the promise. Be it here observed that μακροθυμήσας in ver. 15 ("having patiently endured," A.V.) corresponds with διὰ μακροθυμίας in ver. 12, and expresses essentially the same idea. The aorist participle μακροθυμήσας does not in itself imply that the patience was previous to the obtaining; it expresses only that by patiently enduring he obtained. Observe also that καὶ οὔτω (cf. Acts 7:8; Acts 27:44; Acts 28:14) denotes the consequence from what has been previously stated; i.e. that μακροθυμήσας ἐπέτυχε followed from the Divine oath ensuring the fulfillment of the promise. Both his eventually obtaining and his patience in awaiting fulfillment were in consequence of the assuring oath. But then how and when did Abraham himself obtain the promise? Not even the temporal fulfillment in the multiplication of his seed and the inheritance of the Promised Land, much less the spiritual fulfillment in Christ, was during his own life. Both he could but see "afar off." In respect to the latter it is expressly said (Hebrews 11:13, 39) that the patriarchs did not receive the promises - μὴ λαβόντες τὰς ἐπογγελίας: οὐκ ἐκομίσαντο τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. What, then, is meant by μακροθυμήσας ἐπέτυχε? Bleek understands the time of the oath (Genesis 22.), when the promise was irrevocably assured, to have been the time of obtaining. But more than this is suggested by the phrase, ἐπέτυχε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας (cf. Hebrews 11:33), as well as by καὶ οὔτω, viz. the actual attainment of the blessing assured to him by oath. There are two other ways of explaining:(1) to identify Abraham with his seed, in whom, though not in his own person, he may be conceived to have obtained, - of which view it may be significant that πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου of the LXX. (Genesis 22:17) is changed in the Epistle to πληθννῶ σε: (2) to regard Abraham, still alive in the unseen world, as himself enjoying the fulfillment of the ancient promise. So Delitzsch, who, dwelling on the thought that nothing less than the blessing of Abraham extended to the whole world (cf. κληρονόμος τοῦ κόσμου, Romans 4:13) can be regarded as complete fulfill-merit, says, "God's oath-sealed word of promise is now fulfilled in Christ, and Abraham, while living on in the unseen world, is conscious of and enjoys that fulfillment, and so may be said to have "obtained the promise." This view derives some support from Hebrews 11:13-16, where the longings of the pilgrim patriarchs is so beautifully represented as reaching to a heavenly fulfillment. On the other hand, the aorist ἐπέτυχε is against it, and hence view (1) may be accepted as a sufficient explanation of the expression (see below, or Hebrews 11:39). With regard to the general drift, it is obvious how μακροθυμία, as well as πίστις, in respect to the promise first made to him "in Charran," is strikingly displayed in Abraham's recorded life. Greek [When]γὰρ (gar) Conjunction Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason. God Θεός (Theos) Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very. made His promise ἐπαγγειλάμενος (epangeilamenos) Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular Strong's 1861: From epi and the base of aggelos; to announce upon, i.e. to engage to do something, to assert something respecting oneself. to Abraham, Ἀβραὰμ (Abraam) Noun - Dative Masculine Singular Strong's 11: Abraham, progenitor of the Hebrew race. Of Hebrew origin; Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch. since ἐπεὶ (epei) Conjunction Strong's 1893: Of time: when, after; of cause: since, because; otherwise: else. From epi and ei; thereupon, i.e. Since. He had εἶχεν (eichen) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold. no one οὐδενὸς (oudenos) Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular Strong's 3762: No one, none, nothing. greater μείζονος (meizonos) Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular - Comparative Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense. to swear ὀμόσαι (omosai) Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active Strong's 3660: A prolonged form of a primary, but obsolete omo, for which another prolonged form omoo is used in certain tenses; to swear, i.e. Take oath. by, κατ’ (kat’) Preposition Strong's 2596: A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined). He swore ὤμοσεν (ōmosen) Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 3660: A prolonged form of a primary, but obsolete omo, for which another prolonged form omoo is used in certain tenses; to swear, i.e. Take oath. by καθ’ (kath’) Preposition Strong's 2596: A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined). Himself, ἑαυτοῦ (heautou) Reflexive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself. Links Hebrews 6:13 NIVHebrews 6:13 NLT Hebrews 6:13 ESV Hebrews 6:13 NASB Hebrews 6:13 KJV Hebrews 6:13 BibleApps.com Hebrews 6:13 Biblia Paralela Hebrews 6:13 Chinese Bible Hebrews 6:13 French Bible Hebrews 6:13 Catholic Bible NT Letters: Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise (Heb. He. Hb) |
    |