Hebrews 4:5

THE MESSAGE

When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, "They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest." God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear... And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Again, in that passage he says, They will never enter my rest.

King James Version (1611)
And in this place againe: If they shall enter into my rest.

King James Version
And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

English Standard Version
And again in this passage he said, "They shall not enter my rest."

New American Standard Bible
and again in this passage, "THEY CERTAINLY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."

New Century Version
And again in the Scripture God said, "They will never enter my rest."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."

Legacy Standard Bible
and again in this passage, "They shall not enter My rest."

Berean Standard Bible
And again, as He says in the passage above: "They shall never enter My rest."

Contemporary English Version
We also read that he later said, "You people will never enter my place of rest!"

Complete Jewish Bible
And once more, our present text says, "They will not enter my rest."

Darby Translation
and in this again, If they shall enter into my rest.

Easy-to-Read Version
But in the Scripture above God said, "They will never enter my place of rest."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And in this place againe, If they shall enter into my rest.

George Lamsa Translation
And here again he said, They shall not enter into my rest.

Good News Translation
This same matter is spoken of again: "They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest."

Lexham English Bible
and in this passage again, ‘They will never enter into my rest.'"

Literal Translation
And in this again, "They shall not enter into My rest." MT-Psalm 95:11

Amplified Bible
and again in this, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."

American Standard Version
and in this place again, They shall not enter into my rest.

Bible in Basic English
And in the same place he says again, They will not come into my rest.

Hebrew Names Version
and in this place again, "They will not enter into my rest."

International Standard Version
and again in this place, "They will never enter my rest."Psalm 95:11">[fn]

Etheridge Translation
Yet here again he saith, They shall not enter into my rest.

Murdock Translation
And here again, he said, They shall not enter into my rest.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And in this place againe: yf they shall enter into my rest.

English Revised Version
and in this place again, They shall not enter into my rest.

World English Bible
and in this place again, "They will not enter into my rest."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Seeing then it remaineth that some enter into it,

Weymouth's New Testament
and He has also declared, "They shall not be admitted to My rest."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And in this place eftsoone, Thei schulen not entre in to my reste.

Update Bible Version
and in this [place] again, They shall not enter into my rest.

Webster's Bible Translation
And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest.

New English Translation
but to repeat the text cited earlier: " They will never enter my rest! "

New King James Version
and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest." Psalms 95:11">[fn]

New Living Translation
But in the other passage God said, "They will never enter my place of rest."

New Life Bible
But God said this about those who turned against Him, "They will not go into My rest."

New Revised Standard
And again in this place it says, "They shall not enter my rest."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And in this again - They shall not enter into my rest.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And in this place again: If they shall enter into my rest.

Revised Standard Version
And again in this place he said, "They shall never enter my rest."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And in this place agayne: They shall not come into my rest.

Young's Literal Translation
and in this [place] again, `If they shall enter into My rest -- ;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And in this place agayne: They shal not come in to my rest.

Mace New Testament (1729)
but in this place 'tis said, "they shall not enter into my rest."

Simplified Cowboy Version
But remember he warned, "Those who don't believe won't get any of my rest."

Contextual Overview

¹For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, "They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest." God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear... And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. ⁴When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, "They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest." God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear... And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. ⁵When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, "They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest." God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear... And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. ⁶When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, "They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest." God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear... And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what. Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. ⁷When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, "They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest." God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, "God rested the seventh day, having completed his work," but in this other text he says, "They'll never be able to sit down and rest." So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear... ⁸And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Hebrews 4:3, Hebrews 3:11

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 28:6 - I have Psalms 95:11 - I sware

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."

Numbers 16:15
Moses' temper blazed white-hot. He said to God , "Don't accept their Grain-Offering. I haven't taken so much as a single donkey from them; I haven't hurt a single hair of their heads."

Hebrews 11:4
By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And in this place again,.... In Psalms 95:11 he speaks again of another rest distinct from that on the seventh day; which, and not the latter, is what believers under the Gospel dispensation enter into:

if they shall enter into my rest: that is, unbelievers shall not enter into it; as the unbelieving Israelites did not enter into the typical rest, so neither shall any unbeliever enter into the Gospel rest, the antitype of the former.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And in this place again - Psalms 95:11.

If they shall enter - That is, they shall not enter; see the notes at Hebrews 3:11. The object of quoting this here seems to be two-fold:

1. To show that even in this Psalm God spoke of “his” rest, and said that they should not enter into it; and,

(2)It is connected with Hebrews 4:6, and is designed to show that it was implied that a rest yet remained. “That which deserves to be called “the divine rest” is spoken of in the Scriptures, and as “they” did not enter into it, it follows that it must be in reserve for some others, and that the promise must still remain.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hebrews 4:5. And in this place again — In the ninety-fifth Psalm, already quoted, Psalms 95:3. This was a second rest which the Lord promised to the believing, obedient seed of Abraham; and as it was spoken of in the days of David, when the Jews actually possessed this long promised Canaan, therefore it is evident that that was not the rest which God intended, as the next verse shows.