Hebrews 6:4

Hebrews 6:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
• New International Version (NIV)It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
• English Standard Version (ESV)For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
• New King James Version (NKJV)For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,

Context of Hebrews 6:4

2We have already learned about how to become clean. We know that leaders put their hands on other Christians to pray for God's help. We know that God will raise dead people to live again. And we know that God will judge every person one day at the end of time. 3Yes, we must choose to go on from those early lessons! God is ready to help us to do that. That is important, because we must not turn away from Christ, after we have first believed in him. Some people have come into God's light. They have understood God's message. They have started to enjoy the true life that God has given them. They have received the Holy Spirit, like other believers. 5They have understood that God's message is good for them. They have seen powerful things that belong to the future time. 6But after all that, they have turned against God. Then it is impossible for anyone to help them to turn away from their sins again. It is like they are killing the Son of God on the cross again for themselves. They show other people that they do not think Christ is important.

Hebrews 6:4 word by word

ἀδύνατον γὰρ τοὺς ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας, γευσαμένους τε τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου καὶ μετόχους γενηθέντας πνεύματος ἁγίουRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• impossibleἀδύνατοςadunatos · unableG102
• for those who wereφωτίζωphōtizō · to illuminateG5461
• onceἅπαξhapax · onceG530
• andτεte · and/bothG5037
• have tastedγεύωgeuomai · to tasteG1089
• of theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• of theδωρεάdōrea · free giftG1431
• heavenlyἐπουράνιοςepouranios · heavenlyG2032
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• were madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• partakersμέτοχοςmetochos · partakerG3353
• of theπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• Holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40

Cross-references for Hebrews 6:4

• Hebrews 10:26Now that we have learned what is true, we must continue to believe in Jesus. If we know God's true message, but we still choose to do wrong things, God will not forgive us. There is no other sacrifice that will take away our sins.
• Hebrews 12:15Remember that God is very kind. Nobody should refuse to let God help them. Make sure that nobody among you causes trouble so that people turn against God. A person who is angry against God is like poison. He spoils many other people's lives so that God does not accept them.
• Matthew 5:13Jesus said, ‘You are like salt for all people to taste and use. Salt is good. But if it is not salty any more, you cannot make it salty again. People can no longer use it for anything. They just throw it away and they walk on it.
• Matthew 12:31God is able to forgive all the wrong things that people do, and the bad things that they say against other people. But God will never forgive people who say bad things against the Holy Spirit.
• Luke 11:24Jesus then said, ‘When a bad spirit goes out of a person, it travels through dry places. It looks for a new place to live. But maybe it does not find anywhere. So it says to itself, “I will return to the place where I lived before.”
• John 15:6If anyone does not remain in me, that person is like a dead branch. The gardener will throw that branch away and it will die. People throw all those dead branches into the fire so that they burn.
• 2 Timothy 2:25When people speak against God's true message, teach them carefully. Help them to understand what is right. Maybe God will change how they think so that they believe the true message.
• 2 Timothy 4:14Alexander, the man who makes things from metal, caused a lot of trouble for me. The Lord will punish him because of the wrong things that he did.
• 2 Peter 2:20People like that learned about our Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us. As a result, they had stopped doing the bad things that belong to this world. They had become free from the power of those things. But now they have started to do those bad things again. Those things have power over them and they cannot stop doing them. So now, these false teachers are worse than they were at the beginning, before they believed in the Lord Jesus.
• 1 John 5:16If you see that another Christian is doing something bad, this is what you should do. If it is a sin that does not cause death, pray that God will help him. Then God will help that person to live for ever with him. That is for a sin which does not cause death. But there is a sin that causes death. If another Christian does that, I am not saying that you should pray for God to help that person.
• Hebrews 10:32Remember what happened to you in those early days. When you first understood the message about Christ, you had many troubles. But you continued to be strong.
• Numbers 24:3As a result, Balaam said, ‘This is God's message that he has given to Balaam, the son of Beor. It is the words of a man who understands what God is saying.
• Matthew 7:21Some people say to me, “Master, Master!” But not all of them will come into the kingdom of heaven. Only the people who obey God, my Father in heaven, will come in. They do what he wants them to do.
• Luke 10:19Listen! I have given power to you. You will even stand on dangerous snakes and insects and you will have authority over all the power of the Devil. Nothing will hurt you.
• John 3:27John replied, ‘A man can receive only what God gives to him, nothing else.
• John 4:10Jesus answered the woman, ‘You do not know what God could give to you. I asked you to give a drink to me. But you do not know who I am. If you did know, you would have asked me to give a drink to you. Then I would have given to you water that gives life.’

Commentaries on Hebrews 6:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened - Before I proceed to explain the different terms in these verses, it is necessary to give my opinion of their design and meaning: I do not consider them as having any reference to any person professing Christianity. They do not belong, nor are they applicable, to backsliders of any kind. They belong to apostates from Christianity; to such as reject the whole Christian system, and its author, the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4For it is impossible - It is needless to say that the passage here Hebrews 6:4-6, has given occasion to much controversy, and that the opinions of commentators and of the Christian world are yet greatly divided in regard to its meaning. On the one hand, it is held that the passage is not intended to describe those who are true Christians, but only those who have been awakened and enlightened, and who then fall back; and on the other it is maintained that…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4In Greek, the word translated impossible starts the sentence for emphasis. It means this absolutely cannot happen (see also Hebrews 6:18; 10:4; 11:6). They were once enlightened when they "first learned about Christ" (see 10:32 and corresponding study note). The good things of heaven might refer to the manna given from heaven (Exodus 16:4, 15; Psalm 78:24) as a symbol of spiritual blessings.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. We must "go on toward perfection"; for if we fall away, after having received enlightenment, it will be impossible to renew us again to repentance. for those--"in the case of those." once enlightened--once for all illuminated by the word of God taught in connection with "baptism" (to which, in He 6:2, as once for all done," once enlightened" here answers); compare Ep 5:26. This passage probably originated the application of the term "illumination" to…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 6:4

• Apostasy
• Backsliders
• Holy Spirit
• Reprobacy
• Unpardonable Sin

In the dictionaries

• Holy Ghost
• Afresh
• Anchor
• Backslide
• Counsel
• Crucify
• Enlighten
• Immutable
• Nigh
• Persuade

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