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

6Unless we trust God, it is impossible for us to make God happy. Anyone who comes to God must believe that God is there. They must also believe that God helps everyone who wants to know him. 7Noah believed God too. God told Noah about bad things that would happen. Nobody could see what would happen, but Noah believed God's message. He was careful to do exactly what God told him. He built a large ship to save his family. As a result of his faith, Noah showed that everyone else in the world was wrong. Noah himself became one of those people that God accepted as right with him. They are right with God because they trust him. Abraham also believed God. When God told him to leave his home, he obeyed God. He left his home to go to another country, but he did not know where he was going. It was the place that God had promised to give to Abraham. 9Because of his faith, Abraham went to live like a stranger in that foreign country. God had promised to give that country to him, but Abraham lived there in tents. Isaac and Jacob also lived there in tents like strangers. God had also promised them that the land would belong to them one day. 10We see that Abraham was waiting to live in God's special place. That is the city that God himself has built. God has made it very strong so that it will be there for ever.

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 his son Abram and his grandson Lot. (Lot was Haran's son.) Terah also took Abram's wife Sarai. They all left Ur, the land of the Chaldeans. They began to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they stayed there.
• Genesis 12:1The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country and the people of your father's family. Go to the land that I will show you.
• Joshua 24:3But I took Abraham, your ancestor, away from that land beyond the Euphrates river. I brought him here and I led him through all the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants. I gave him a son, Isaac.
• Nehemiah 9:7You are the Lord God who chose Abram. You brought him out of Ur, in Babylonia. You changed his name to be Abraham.
• Isaiah 41:2Tell me, who has woken up that king in the east? Who has chosen that king to serve him? He has given that king power over many nations, so that the kings of those nations must obey him. He uses that king's weapons to destroy other nations. He blows them away like dust or straw.
• Isaiah 51:2You all started from your ancestor Abraham, and his wife Sarah. When I first spoke to Abraham, he had no children. But I blessed him, so that he had many descendants.’
• Acts 7:2Stephen said, ‘Men of Israel, my friends and leaders. Listen to what I say. Our great God appeared to our ancestor, Abraham, when he was still living in Mesopotamia. This happened before he went to Haran.
• Genesis 12:7The Lord appeared to Abram there. He said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ So Abram built an altar in that place to worship the Lord. He did that because the Lord had appeared to him.
• Genesis 13:15I will give you all the land that you can see. I will give it to you and your descendants. It will belong to them for ever.
• Genesis 15:7The Lord also said to Abram, ‘I am the Lord. I brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to bring you to this land. I am giving it to you. It will belong to you.’
• Genesis 17:8You are now living here in Canaan as a foreign person. But I will give all of this land to you and to your descendants. It will belong to them for ever. I will be their God.’
• Genesis 26:3Stay in this land, and I will be with you. I will bless you. I will give these lands to you and your descendants. I made a strong promise to your father Abraham. I will make that promise become true.
• Deuteronomy 9:5It is not because you are doing right things. It is not because you are good, honest people. That is not the reason that you will take their land for yourselves. Instead, it is because these nations are wicked people. That is why the Lord your God will chase them away as you move in there. He will do what he promised to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
• Psalms 105:9That is the promise that he made to Abraham, and that he also made to Isaac.
• Ezekiel 36:24I will take you out from the nations and all the foreign countries where you have been living. I will bring you back to your own land.
• Hebrews 11:33As a result of their faith, they did great things. Some of them won wars against other countries. Others ruled in a way that is right and fair. They received the good things that God had promised. Some of them caused lions to shut their mouths.

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