Hebrews 6:17

Hebrews 6:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
• New International Version (NIV)Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,

Context of Hebrews 6:17

15Abraham waited patiently for a long time. In the end, he received what God had promised to give him. 16When someone makes a strong promise, he uses the authority of a person who is greater than himself. This shows that he will certainly obey his promise. Then nobody can argue about it. God wanted to show very clearly that he would never change his purpose. He wanted his people to know that he would certainly bless them. So when he made this promise, he also used his own name to make it strong. 18Those two things can never change. God cannot tell a lie. As a result, we can be brave and strong. We have trusted God to keep us safe with him. We should also expect to receive the good things that he has promised to give us. 19We can be completely sure about those good things that we hope to receive. That keeps our thoughts strong, because we know that our life is safe with God. It is like an anchor that keeps a ship safe. When we hope like that, we know that we will one day arrive in God's special place in heaven. That is like the special place behind the curtain in the tabernacle.

Hebrews 6:17 word by word

ἐν ᾧ περισσότερον βουλόμενος ὁ θεὸς ἐπιδεῖξαι τοῖς κληρονόμοις τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ ἐμεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whereinἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• Whereinὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• willingβούλομαιboulomai · to planG1014
• more abundantlyπερισσόςperissos · excessiveG4053
• to shewἐπιδείκνυμιepideiknumi · to show/proveG1925
• unto the heirsκληρονόμοςklēronomos · heirG2818
• of promiseἐπαγγελίαepaggelia · promiseG1860
• the immutabilityἀμετάθετοςametathetos · unchangeableG276
• of hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• counselβουλήboulē · planG1012
• confirmedμεσιτεύωmesiteuō · to guaranteeG3315
• by an oathὅρκοςhorkos · oathG3727

Cross-references for Hebrews 6:17

• Psalms 36:8You have plenty of food in your house, to give them all that they need. You give them water from your river, that makes them happy when they drink it.
• Isaiah 55:7Wicked people need to change the way that they live. Evil people must stop thinking their evil thoughts. They must turn back to the Lord our God, because he will be kind to them. Yes, God will completely forgive them, if they turn back to him.
• John 10:10The robber only wants to take away my sheep. He wants to kill them. He comes only to destroy them. But I have come so that they can have true life. And so that they can have everything that they need.
• 1 Peter 1:3We praise God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is very kind to us, so that he has given us new life. This is possible because God raised Jesus Christ to new life after his death. Now, as we live, we are sure that we will receive good things from God.
• Hebrews 6:12Then you will not be slow to learn. Instead, you will copy the example of those people who continue to trust God. They continue to be patient when trouble happens to them. People like that receive what God has promised to his people.
• Hebrews 11:7Noah 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.
• Romans 8:17Because we are God's children, we also know that we will receive good things from him. Those are the things that he has promised to give to his children. Together with Christ, we will receive the things that God has kept for him. That is true if we agree to have troubles like Christ did. Then we will also enjoy life in heaven like Christ does.
• Galatians 3:29And if you belong to Christ, then you are descendants of Abraham. Because of that, you will receive all the good things that God promised to Abraham.
• James 2:5My Christian friends, listen to me. God has chosen to bless people who are poor in this world. He has helped them to trust him. So really they are rich. God will give to them a place in his kingdom. He has promised to do that for all people who love him.
• 1 Peter 3:7You husbands must also respect your wives. Be kind to your wife and help her. Remember that she is not as strong as you are. Because God is very kind, she has received his gift of true life, as you have. So you should respect her. Then God will answer you when you pray to him.
• Hebrews 6:18Those two things can never change. God cannot tell a lie. As a result, we can be brave and strong. We have trusted God to keep us safe with him. We should also expect to receive the good things that he has promised to give us.
• Job 23:13But he is always true to himself. Nobody can change him. Whatever he wants to do, he does.
• Psalms 33:11But whatever the Lord decides to do will always happen. His thoughts will not change from one century to the next.
• Proverbs 19:21You may have lots of ideas about what you want to do. But it is the Lord's plans that are important.
• Isaiah 14:24The Lord Almighty promises this: ‘It will happen exactly as I have decided. Yes, it will really happen like that.
• Isaiah 46:10From the beginning, I say what will happen at the end. Long ago, I spoke about future things that have not yet happened. I say this: “My purpose will not change. I will do everything that I want to do.”

Commentaries on Hebrews 6:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17The heirs of promise - All the believing posterity of Abraham, and the nations of the earth or Gentiles in general. The immutability of his counsel - His unchangeable purpose, to call the Gentiles to salvation by Jesus Christ; to justify every penitent by faith; to accept faith in Christ for justification in place of personal righteousness; and finally to bring every persevering believer, whether Jew or Gentile, to eternal glory.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Wherein God - On account of which; or since an oath had this effect, God was willing to appeal to it in order to assure his people of salvation. Willing more abundantly - In the most abundant manner, or to make the case as sure as possible. It does not mean more abundantly than in the case of Abraham, but that he was willing to give the most ample assurance possible. Coverdale renders it correctly, “very abundantly.” The heirs of promise - The heirs to…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. 17-18God also made a promise with an oath (a solemn promise), see Hebrews 7:20–22. This oath shows that God will never change his mind because it is impossible for God to lie (see Psalm 110:4). We who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us, similiar to people in the Old Testament who accidentally killed someone and sought refuge (Numbers 35:9–34; Deuteronomy 4:41–43). Christ is like a city of refuge, where believers find safety from God's anger…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Wherein--that is, Which being the case among men, God, in accommodation to their manner of confirming covenants, superadded to His sure word His oath: the "TWO immutable things" (He 6:18). willing ... counsel--Greek, "willing ... will"; words akin. Expressing the utmost benignity [Bengel]. more abundantly--than had He not sworn. His word would have been amply enough; but, to make assurance doubly sure, He "interposed with an oath" (so the Greek)…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 6:17

• Condescension of God
• Contracts
• Covenant
• God
• God Continued...
• Oath
• Perseverance
• Righteous
• Salvation

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Afresh
• Anchor
• Counsel
• Covenant
• Crucify
• Enlighten
• Ephesians, Epistle to
• Heir

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