Hebrews 11:6

Bible in Basic English

And without faith it is not possible to be well-pleasing to him, for it is necessary for anyone who comes to God to have the belief that God is, and that he is a rewarder of all those who make a serious search for him.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

King James Version (1611)
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for hee that commeth to God, must beleeue that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seeke him.

King James Version
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

English Standard Version
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

New American Standard Bible
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.

New Century Version
Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Legacy Standard Bible
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who draws near to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Berean Standard Bible
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Contemporary English Version
But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.

Complete Jewish Bible
And without trusting , it is impossible to be well pleasing to God , because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a Rewarder to those who seek him out.

Darby Translation
But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]. For he that draws near to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them who seek him out.

Easy-to-Read Version
Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But without faith it is vnpossible to please him: for he that commeth to God, must beleeue that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him.

George Lamsa Translation
Without faith, man cannot please God: for he who comes near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

Good News Translation
No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.

Lexham English Bible
Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him.

Literal Translation
But without faith it is impossible to please God . For it is right that the one drawing near to God should believe that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder to the ones seeking Him out.

Amplified Bible
But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

American Standard Version
and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.

Hebrew Names Version
Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

International Standard Version
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

Etheridge Translation
But without faith it is not possible for man to please Aloha; for he who draweth near unto Aloha must believe that he is, and that of those who seek him he will be the rewarder.

Murdock Translation
But, without faith, a man cannot please God. For he that draweth near to God, must believe his existence, and that he will recompense those who seek him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But without fayth it is vnpossible to please hym: For he that cometh to God, must beleue that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him.

English Revised Version
And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.

World English Bible
Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Weymouth's New Testament
But where there is no faith it is impossible truly to please Him; for the man who draws near to God must believe that there is a God and that He proves Himself a rewarder of those who earnestly try to find Him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And it is impossible to plese God without feith. For it bihoueth that a man comynge to God, bileue that he is, and that he is rewardere to men that seken hym.

Update Bible Version
And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [to him]; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of those that seek after him.

Webster's Bible Translation
But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

New English Translation
Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

New King James Version
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

New Living Translation
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

New Life Bible
A man cannot please God unless he has faith. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is. That one must also know that God gives what is promised to the one who keeps on looking for Him.

New Revised Standard
And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, apart from faith, it is impossible to be well-pleasing; for he that approacheth unto God - must needs have faith, that he is, and that, to them who seek him out, a rewarder he becometh.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is: and is a rewarder to them that seek him.

Revised Standard Version
And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
but with out fayth it is vnpossible to please him. For he that commeth to God must beleve that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seke him.

Young's Literal Translation
and apart from faith it is impossible to please well, for it behoveth him who is coming to God to believe that He is, and to those seeking Him He becometh a rewarder.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But without faith it is vnpossible to please God. For he that commeth vnto God, must beleue that God is, & yt he is a rewarder of them that seke him.

Mace New Testament (1729)
now without faith it is impossible to be acceptable to him: for he that presents himself to God, cannot but believe he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who make their addresses to him.

Simplified Cowboy Version
You can't please the Boss without a heapin' of faith, because in order to knock on his door you must believe that he's there and he surely gives favors to those who know where to look and who to ask.

Contextual Overview

⁴ By faith Abel made a better offering to God than Cain, and he had witness through it of his righteousness, God giving his approval of his offering: and his voice still comes to us through it though he is dead. ⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven so that he did not see death; he was seen no longer, for God took him away: for before he was taken, witness had been given that he was well-pleasing to God: ⁶ And without faith it is not possible to be well-pleasing to him, for it is necessary for anyone who comes to God to have the belief that God is, and that he is a rewarder of all those who make a serious search for him. ⁷ By faith Noah, being moved by the fear of God, made ready an ark for the salvation of his family, because God had given him news of things which were not seen at the time; and through it the world was judged by him, and he got for his heritage the righteousness which is by faith. ⁸ By faith Abraham did as God said when he was ordered to go out into a place which was to be given to him as a heritage, and went out without knowledge of where he was going. ⁹ By faith he was a wanderer in the land of the agreement, as in a strange land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who had a part with him in the same heritage: ¹⁰ For he was looking for the strong town, whose builder and maker is God. ¹¹ And by faith Sarah herself had power to give birth, when she was very old, because she had faith in him who gave his word; ¹² So that from one man, who was near to death, came children in number as the stars in heaven, or as the sand by the seaside, which may not be numbered. ¹³ All these came to their end in faith, not having had the heritage; but having seen it with delight far away, they gave witness that they were wanderers and not of the earth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

without: Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 3:18, Hebrews 3:19, Hebrews 4:2, Hebrews 4:6, Numbers 14:11, Numbers 20:12, Psalms 78:22, Psalms 78:32, Psalms 106:21, Psalms 106:22, Psalms 106:24, Isaiah 7:9, Mark 16:17, John 3:18, John 3:19, John 8:24, Galatians 5:6, Revelation 21:8

he that: Hebrews 7:25, Job 21:14, Psalms 73:28, Isaiah 55:3, Jeremiah 2:31, John 14:6

must: Romans 10:14

a rewarder: Hebrews 11:26, Genesis 15:1, Ruth 2:12, Psalms 58:11, Proverbs 11:18, Matthew 5:12, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:5, Matthew 6:16, Matthew 10:41, Matthew 10:42, Luke 6:35

diligently: 1 Chronicles 28:9, Psalms 105:3, Psalms 105:4, Psalms 119:10, Proverbs 8:17, Song of Solomon 3:1-4, Jeremiah 29:13, Jeremiah 29:14, Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31, 2 Peter 1:5, 2 Peter 1:10, 2 Peter 3:14

Reciprocal: Genesis 5:22 - General Genesis 5:24 - for Deuteronomy 32:20 - children 2 Chronicles 20:20 - Believe in the Lord Psalms 14:2 - seek Psalms 19:11 - keeping Psalms 27:4 - seek Jeremiah 31:16 - for Matthew 7:7 - seek Mark 9:23 - If Luke 6:23 - your Luke 11:9 - seek Acts 26:18 - faith Romans 1:17 - The just Romans 8:8 - please Romans 14:23 - whatsoever Colossians 3:24 - ye shall 1 Thessalonians 4:1 - to please 1 Timothy 1:5 - faith Hebrews 2:2 - recompense Hebrews 6:1 - faith Hebrews 11:5 - that he James 1:6 - let James 2:18 - Thou

Cross-References

Genesis 3:22
And the Lord God said, Now the man has become like one of us, having knowledge of good and evil; and now if he puts out his hand and takes of the fruit of the tree of life, he will go on living for ever.

Genesis 6:5
And the Lord saw that the sin of man was great on the earth, and that all the thoughts of his heart were evil.

Genesis 8:21
And when the sweet smell came up to the Lord, he said in his heart, I will not again put a curse on the earth because of man, for the thoughts of man's heart are evil from his earliest days; never again will I send destruction on all living things as I have done.

Genesis 9:19
These three were the sons of Noah and from them all the earth was peopled.

Genesis 11:1
And all the earth had one language and one tongue.

Genesis 11:4
And they said, Come, let us make a town, and a tower whose top will go up as high as heaven; and let us make a great name for ourselves, so that we may not be wanderers over the face of the earth.

Judges 10:14
Go, send up your cry for help to the gods of your selection; let them be your saviours in the time of your trouble.

1 Kings 18:27
And in the middle of the day, Elijah made sport of them, saying, Give louder cries, for he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or he may have gone away for some purpose, or he may be on a journey, or by chance he is sleeping and has to be made awake.

Ecclesiastes 11:9
Have joy, O young man, while you are young; and let your heart be glad in the days of your strength, and go in the ways of your heart, and in the desire of your eyes; but be certain that for all these things God will be your judge.

Luke 1:51
With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But without faith it is impossible to please him,.... Or do things well pleasing in his sight; or any of the duties of religion, in an acceptable way; as prayer, praise, attendance on the word and ordinances, or any good works whatever; because such are without Christ, and without his Spirit; and have neither right principles, nor right ends: for this is not to be understood of the persons of God's elect, as considered in Christ; in whom they are well pleasing to him before faith; being loved by him with an everlasting love; and chosen in Christ, before the foundation of the world;

:-.

for he that cometh to God; to the throne of, his grace, to pray unto him, to implore his grace and mercy, help and assistance; to the house of God, to worship, and serve him, and in order to enjoy his presence, and have communion with him; which coming ought to be spiritual and with the heart; and supposes spiritual life; and must be through Christ, and by faith: wherefore such a comer to God,

must believe that he is; or exists, as the Arabic version; and he must not barely believe his existence, but that, as it is revealed in the word: he must believe in the three Persons in the Godhead; that the first Person is the Father of Christ; that the second Person is both the Son of God, and Mediator; and that the third Person is the Spirit of them both, and the applier of all grace; for God the Father is to be approached unto, through Christ the Mediator, by the guidance and assistance of the Spirit: and he must believe in the perfections of God; that he is omniscient, and knows his person and wants; is omnipotent, and can do for him, beyond his thoughts and petitions; is all sufficient, and that his grace is sufficient for him; that he is immutable, in his purposes and covenant; that he is true and faithful to his promises; and is the God of grace, love, and mercy: and he must believe in him, not only as the God of nature and providence, but as his covenant God and Father in Christ:

and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him; who are such, as are first sought out by him; and who seek him in Christ, where he is only to be found; and that with their whole hearts, and above all things else: and, of such, God is a rewarder, in a way of grace; with himself, who is their exceeding great reward; and with his Son, and all things with him; with more grace; and, at last, with eternal glory, the reward of the inheritance.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But without faith it is impossible to please him - Without “confidence” in God - in his fidelity, his truth, his wisdom, his promises. And this is as true in other things as in religion. It is impossible for a child to please his father unless he has confidence in him. It is impossible for a wife to please her husband, or a husband a wife, unless they have confidence in each other. If there is distrust and jealousy on either part, there is discord and misery. We cannot be pleased with a professed friend unless he has such confidence in us as to believe our declarations and promises. The same thing is true of God. He cannot be pleased with the man who has no confidence in him; who doubts the truth of his declarations and promises; who does not believe that his ways are right, or that he is qualified for universal empire. The requirement of faith or confidence in God is not arbitrary; it is just what we require of our children, and partners in life, and friends, as the indispensable condition of our being pleased with them.

For he that cometh to God - In any way - as a worshipper. This is alike required in public worship, in the family, and in secret devotion.

Must believe that he is - That God exists. This is the first thing required in worship. Evidently we cannot come to him in an acceptable manner if we doubt his existence. We do not see him, but we must believe that he is; we cannot form in our mind a correct image of God, but this should not prevent a conviction that there is such a Being. But the declaration here implies more than that there should be a general persuasion of the truth that there is a God. It is necessary that we have this belief in lively exercise in the act of drawing near to him, and that we should realize that we are actually in the presence of the all-seeing Jehovah.

And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him - This is equally necessary as the belief that he exists. If we could not believe that God would hear and answer our prayers, there could be no encouragement to call upon him. It is not meant here that the desire of the reward is to be the motive for seeking God - for the apostle makes no affirmation on that point; but that it is impossible to make an acceptable approach to him unless we have this belief.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hebrews 11:6. He that cometh to God — The man who professes that it is his duty to worship God, must, if he act rationally, do it on the conviction that there is such a Being infinite, eternal, unoriginated, and self-existent; the cause of all other being; on whom all being depends; and by whose energy, bounty, and providence, all other beings exist, live, and are supplied with the means of continued existence and life. He must believe, also, that he rewards them that diligently seek him; that he is not indifferent about his own worship; that he requires adoration and religious service from men; and that he blesses, and especially protects and saves, those who in simplicity and uprightness of heart seek and serve him. This requires faith, such a faith as is mentioned above; a faith by which we can please God; and now that we have an abundant revelation, a faith according to that revelation; a faith in God through Christ the great sin-offering, without which a man can no more please him, or be accepted of him, than Cain was. As the knowledge of the being of God is of infinite importance in religion, I shall introduce at the end of this chapter a series of propositions, tending to prove the being of God, 1st, a priori; and 2dly, a posteriori; omitting the proofs that are generally produced on those points, for which my readers may refer to works in general circulation on this subject: and 3dly, I shall lay down some phenomena relative to the heavenly bodies, which it will be difficult to account for without acknowledging the infinite skill, power, and continual energy of God.