God’s Word Translation
Hebrews 3:8
8Don’t be stubborn like those who rebelled and tested me in the desert.
Hebrews 3:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
- New International Version (NIV)do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,
- English Standard Version (ESV)do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Context of Hebrews 3:8
6But Christ is a faithful son in charge of God’s household. We are his household if we continue to have courage and to be proud of the confidence we have. 7As the Holy Spirit says, “If you hear God speak today, don’t be stubborn. Don’t be stubborn like those who rebelled and tested me in the desert. 9That is where your ancestors tested me, 10although they had seen what I had done for 40 years. That is why I was angry with those people. So I said, ‘Their hearts continue to stray, and they have not learned my ways.’
Read all of Hebrews 3Hebrews 3:8 word by word
μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Hardenσκληρύνωsklērunō · to hardenG4645
- notμήmē · notG3361
- yourσύsu · youG4771
- heartsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- heartsκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the provocationπαραπικρασμόςparapikrasmos · rebellionG3894
- inκατάkata · according toG2596
- the dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
- of temptationπειρασμόςpeirasmos · temptation/testing: testingG3986
- the wildernessἔρημοςerēmos · desertedG2048
Cross-references for Hebrews 3:8
- Hebrews 3:12Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you ever develop a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
- Exodus 8:15When Pharaoh saw that the plague was over, he became stubborn and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had predicted.
- 1 Samuel 6:6Why should you be as stubborn as the Egyptians and their Pharaoh were? After he toyed with the Egyptians, didn’t they send the Israelites on their way?
- 2 Kings 17:14But they refused to listen. They became as impossible to deal with as their ancestors who refused to trust the Lord their God.
- 2 Chronicles 30:8Don’t be impossible to deal with like your ancestors. Reach out for the Lord. Come to his holy place that he made holy forever. Serve the Lord your God, and he will turn his burning anger away from you.
- 2 Chronicles 36:13Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had made Zedekiah swear an oath of allegiance to him in God’s name. But Zedekiah became so stubborn and so impossible to deal with that he refused to turn back to the Lord God of Israel.
- Nehemiah 9:16But they—our own ancestors—acted arrogantly. They became stubborn and wouldn’t obey your commands.
- Job 9:4“God is wise in heart and mighty in power. Who could oppose him and win?
- Proverbs 28:14Blessed is the one who is always fearful ⌞of sin⌟, but whoever is hard-hearted falls into disaster.
- Proverbs 29:1A person who will not bend after many warnings will suddenly be broken beyond repair.
- Jeremiah 7:26But you didn’t obey me or pay attention to me. You became impossible to deal with, and you were worse than your ancestors.
- Ezekiel 3:7But the people of Israel will refuse to listen to you because they refuse to listen to me. All the people of Israel are very stubborn and hardheaded.
- Daniel 5:20But when he became so arrogant and conceited that he became overconfident, he was removed from the royal throne. His honor was taken away from him.
- Zechariah 7:11“But people refused to pay attention. They shrugged their shoulders at me and shut their ears so that they couldn’t hear.
- Matthew 13:15These people have become close-minded and hard of hearing. They have shut their eyes so that their eyes never see. Their ears never hear. Their minds never understand. And they never return to me for healing!’
- Acts 19:9But when some people became stubborn, refused to believe, and had nothing good to say in front of the crowd about the way ⌞of Christ⌟, he left them. He took his disciples and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Commentaries on Hebrews 3:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Harden not your hearts - Which ye will infallibly do, if ye will not hear his voice. Provocation - · From , signifying intensity, and , to make bitter; the exasperation, or bitter provocation. "The Israelites provoked God first in the wilderness of Sin, (Pelusium), when they murmured for want of bread, and had the manna given them, Exodus 16:4. From the wilderness of Sin they journeyed to Rephidim, where they provoked God a second time for want of water…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Harden not your hearts - Do not render the heart insensible to the divine voice and admonition. A hard heart is that where the conscience is seared and insensible; where truth makes no impression; where no religious effect is produced by afflictions; where preaching is listened to without interest; and where the mind is unaffected by the appeals of friends. The idea here is, that a refusal to listen to the voice of God is connected with a hardening of the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 Days of temptation are often days of provocation. But to provoke God, when he is letting us see that we entirely depend and live upon him, is a provocation indeed. The hardening of the heart is the spring of all other sins. The sins of others, especially of our relations, should be warnings to us. All sin, especially sin committed by God's professing, privileged people, not only provokes God, but it grieves him. God is loth to destroy any in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8The Israelites rebelled and tested God in places like Massah and Meribah, where water was scarce (Exodus 17:1–7; Numbers 20:2–13). They especially disobeyed at Kadesh by refusing to enter the promised land (Hebrews 3:10; see Numbers 14:1–25; Deuteronomy 1:19–46; Psalm 106).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-117-11. Exhortation from Psa 95:7-11, not through unbelief to lose participation in the spiritual house. Seeing that we are the house of God if we hold fast our confidence ... (He 3:6). Jesus is "faithful," be not ye unfaithful (He 3:2, 12). The sentence beginning with "wherefore," interrupted by the parenthesis confirming the argument from Psa 95:7-11, is completed at He 3:12, "Take heed," &c. Holy Ghost saith--by the inspired Psalmist; so that the words…Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 3:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 3
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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