American Standard Version
Hebrews 5:12
12For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.
Hebrews 5:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
- New International Version (NIV)In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
- English Standard Version (ESV)For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
- New King James Version (NKJV)For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
Context of Hebrews 5:12
10named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. 11Of whom we have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing. For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. 13For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. 14But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.
Read all of Hebrews 5Hebrews 5:12 word by word
καὶ γὰρ ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον, πάλιν χρείαν ἔχετε τοῦ διδάσκειν ὑμᾶς τινὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς.Read the interlinear
- timeχρόνοςchronos · timeG5550
- oughtὀφείλωopheilō opheileō · to oweG3784
- beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- teachersδιδάσκαλοςdidaskalos · teacherG1320
- needχρείαchreia · needG5532
- againπάλινpalin · againG3825
- oneτιςtis · oneG5100
- teachδιδάσκωdidaskō · to teachG1321
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- becomeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- milkγάλαgala · milkG1051
- solidστερεόςstereos · strongG4731
- foodτροφήtrophē · foodG5160
Cross-references for Hebrews 5:12
- Matthew 17:17And Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you? bring him hither to me.
- Mark 9:19And he answereth them and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you? bring him unto me.
- Ezra 7:10For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.
- Psalms 34:11Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.
- 1 Corinthians 14:19howbeit in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
- Colossians 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.
- Isaiah 28:9Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?
- Philippians 3:1Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe.
- Hebrews 6:1Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
- 2 Samuel 16:23And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
- Acts 7:38This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:
- Romans 3:2Much every way: first of all, that they were intrusted with the oracles of God.
- 1 Peter 4:11if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
- Hebrews 5:13For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.
- Isaiah 55:1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
- 1 Corinthians 3:1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.
Commentaries on Hebrews 5:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12For when for the time - They had heard the Gospel for many years, and had professed to be Christians for a long time; on these accounts they might reasonably have been expected to be well instructed in Divine things, so as to be able to instruct others. Which be the first principles - · Certain first principles or elements. The word is not the nominative plural, as our translators have supposed, but the accusative case, governed by · and therefore the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12For when for the time - Considering the time which has elapsed since you were converted. You have been Christians long enough to he expected to understand such doctrines. This verse proves that those to whom he wrote were not recent converts. Ye ought to be teachers - You ought to be able to instruct others. He does not mean to say, evidently, that they ought all to become public teachers, or preachers of the gospel, but that they ought to be able to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-14Verses 11-14 Dull hearers make the preaching of the gospel difficult, and even those who have some faith may be dull hearers, and slow to believe. Much is looked for from those to whom much is given. To be unskilful, denotes want of experience in the things of the gospel. Christian experience is a spiritual sense, taste, or relish of the goodness, sweetness, and excellence of the truths of the gospel. And no tongue can express the satisfaction which the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Their lack of spiritual energy was surprising because they had been believers for so long. They should have been spiritual leaders teaching others from their knowledge and Christian experience. the basic principles: The simplest parts of the Christian faith (see Hebrews 6:1–3). The imagery of milk and solid food was used to separate basic from advanced education, and immature from mature students.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. for the time--considering the long time that you have been Christians. Therefore this Epistle was not one of those written early. which be the first principles--Greek, "the rudiments of the beginning of." A Pauline phrase (see on Ga 4:3; Ga 4:9). Ye need not only to be taught the first elements, but also "which they be." They are therefore enumerated He 6:1, 2 [Bengel]. Alford translates, "That someone teach you the rudiments"; but the position of the…Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 5:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 5
- 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
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries