Hebrews 11:8

Hebrews 11:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
• New International Version (NIV)By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
• English Standard Version (ESV)By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
• New King James Version (NKJV)By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Context of Hebrews 11:8

6But 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. 7By faith [with confidence in God and His word] Noah, being warned by God about events not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his family. By this [act of obedience] he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called [by God], obeyed by going to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land, as in a strange land, living in tents [as nomads] with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise. 10For he was [waiting expectantly and confidently] looking forward to the city which has foundations, [an eternal, heavenly city] whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:8 word by word

Πίστει καλούμενος Ἀβραὰμ ὑπήκουσεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τόπον ὃν ἤμελλεν λαμβάνειν εἰς κληρονομίαν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν μὴ ἐπιστάμενος ποῦ ἔρχεται.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• By faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
• when he was calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• to go outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• a placeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• a placeτόποςtopos · placeG5117
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• he should afterμέλλωmellō · to ensueG3195
• receiveλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• an inheritanceκληρονομίαklēronomia · inheritanceG2817
• obeyedὑπακούωhupakouō · to obeyG5219
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• notμήmē · notG3361
• knowingἐπίσταμαιepistamai · to know/understandG1987
• whitherποῦpou · where?G4226
• he wentἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064

Cross-references for Hebrews 11:8

• Genesis 11:31Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together to go from Ur of the Chaldeans into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran [about five hundred and fifty miles northwest of Ur], they settled there.
• Genesis 12:1Now [in Haran] the Lord had said to Abram, “Go away from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
• Joshua 24:3Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the [Euphrates] River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants, and I gave him Isaac.
• Nehemiah 9:7You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham.
• Isaiah 41:2Who has stirred up and put into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great] Whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? The Lord turns nations over to him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, Like wind-driven chaff with his bow.
• Isaiah 51:2Look to Abraham your father And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; For I called him when he was but one, Then I blessed him and made him many.”
• Acts 7:2And he answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory [the Shekinah, the radiance of God] appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
• Genesis 12:7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” So Abram built an altar there to [honor] the Lord who had appeared to him.
• Genesis 13:15for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever.
• Genesis 15:7And He said to him, “I am the [same] Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as an inheritance.”
• Genesis 17:8I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger [moving from place to place], all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession [of property]; and I will be their God.”
• Genesis 26:3Live temporarily [as a resident] in this land and I will be with you and will bless and favor you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will establish and carry out the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
• Deuteronomy 9:5It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out before you, and to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• Psalms 105:9The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His sworn oath to Isaac,
• Ezekiel 36:24For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.
• Hebrews 11:33who by faith [that is, with an enduring trust in God and His promises] subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions,

Commentaries on Hebrews 11:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Abraham, when he was called - See on Genesis 12:1-4; (note). Not knowing whither he went - Therefore his obedience was the fullest proof of his faith in God, and his faith was an implicit faith; he obeyed, and went out from his own country, having no prospect of any good or success but what his implicit faith led him to expect from God, as the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In all the preceding cases, and in all that follow, the apostle keeps…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8By faith Abraham - There is no difficulty in determining that Abraham was influenced by faith in God. The case is even stronger than that of Noah, for it is expressly declared, Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Compare notes, Romans 4:1-5. In the illustrations of the power of faith in this chapter, the apostle appeals to two instances in which it was exhibited by Abraham, “the father of the faithful.”…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-19Verses 8-19 We are often called to leave worldly connexions, interests, and comforts. If heirs of Abraham's faith, we shall obey and go forth, though not knowing what may befall us; and we shall be found in the way of duty, looking for the performance of God's promises. The trial of Abraham's faith was, that he simply and fully obeyed the call of God. Sarah received the promise as the promise of God; being convinced of that, she truly judged that he both…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Abraham … obeyed: See Genesis 12:1–2. He acted without knowing his destination, trusting in what he could not yet see.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. From the antediluvian saints he passes to the patriarchs of Israel, to whom "the promises" belonged. called--by God (Ge 12:1). The oldest manuscripts and Vulgate read, "He that was called Abraham," his name being changed from Abram to Abraham, on the occasion of God's making with him and his seed a covenant sealed by circumcision, many years after his call out of Ur. "By faith, he who was (afterwards) called Abraham (father of nations, Ge 17:5, in…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 11:8

• Abraham
• Call
• Decision
• Faith
• Obedience

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• Abraham, Abram
• Builder
• Conceive
• Confess
• Cruel
• Faith
• Impossible
• Proper
• Rewarder

Commentaries on Hebrews 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings