Hebrews 6:13

Hebrews 6:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
• New International Version (NIV)When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,
• English Standard Version (ESV)For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
• New King James Version (NKJV)For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

Context of Hebrews 6:13

11And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end, 12so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises. For when God made the promise to Abraham, He swore [an oath] by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, 14saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” 15And so, having patiently waited, he realized the promise [in the miraculous birth of Isaac, as a pledge of what was to come from God].

Hebrews 6:13 word by word

τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ὁ θεός, ἐπεὶ κατ᾽ οὐδενὸς εἶχεν μείζονος ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσεν καθ᾽ ἑαυτοῦRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• whenἐπαγγέλλωepaggellō · to professG1861
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• to AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
• becauseἐπείepei · sinceG1893
• he couldἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• swearὄμνυμιomnuō · to swearG3660
• byκατάkata · according toG2596
• noοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• greaterμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438

Cross-references for Hebrews 6:13

• Hebrews 6:16Indeed men swear [an oath] by one greater than themselves, and with them [in all disputes] the oath serves as confirmation [of what has been said] and is an end of the dispute.
• Genesis 22:15The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time
• Ezekiel 32:13I will also destroy all its cattle from beside its great waters; And the foot of man will not muddy them anymore Nor will the hoofs of the animals muddy them.
• Psalms 105:9The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His sworn oath to Isaac,
• Isaiah 45:23I have sworn [an oath] by Myself, The word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance].
• Jeremiah 22:5But if you will not hear and obey these words, I swear [an oath] by Myself,” says the Lord, “that this house will become a desolation.” ’ ”
• Jeremiah 49:13For I have sworn [an oath] by Myself,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror, a reproach, a ruin, and a curse; and all its cities will become perpetual ruins.”
• Micah 7:20You shall give truth to Jacob And lovingkindness and mercy to Abraham, As You have sworn to our forefathers From the days of old.
• Luke 1:73The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

Commentaries on Hebrews 6:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13When God made promise to Abraham - The promise referred to is that made to Abraham when he had offered his son Isaac on the altar, Genesis 22:16-18; : "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord; for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only son; that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13For when God made promise to Abraham - That he would bless him, and multiply his seed as the stars of heaven; Genesis 22:16-17. The object of introducing this example here is, to encourage those to whom the apostle was writing to persevere in the Christian life, This he does by showing that God had given the highest possible assurance of his purpose to bless his people, by an oath. Reference is made to Abraham in this argument, probably, for two reasons…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-20Verses 11-20 The hope here meant, is a sure looking for good things promised, through those promises, with love, desire, and valuing of them. Hope has its degrees, as faith also. The promise of blessedness God has made to believers, is from God's eternal purpose, settled between the eternal Father, Son, and Spirit. These promises of God may safely be depended upon; for here we have two things which cannot change, the counsel and the oath of God, in which…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-14Abraham was a leading example of faith. He believed God would give him a son and was ready to sacrifice that son to obey God (Hebrews 11:17–19; Genesis 15:1–5; 22:1–14). Because of Abraham's faith, God promised to bless him and increase his descendants.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. For--confirming the reasonableness of resting on "the promises" as infallibly sure, resting as they do on God's oath, by the instance of Abraham. "He now gives consolation, by the oath of God's grace, to those whom, in the second, third, and fourth chapters, he had warned by the oath of God's 'wrath.' The oath of wrath did not primarily extend its force beyond the wilderness; but the oath of grace is in force for ever" [Bengel].Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 6:13

• Abraham
• Covenant
• Faith
• God
• Oath

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• God
• Abraham, Abram
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Afresh
• Anchor
• Counsel
• Covenant
• Crucify
• Enlighten

Commentaries on Hebrews 6

• 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