Hebrews 6:16

Hebrews 6:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
• New International Version (NIV)People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.

Context of Hebrews 6:16

14saying, “indeed I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply you.” 15And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For people swear an oath by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath serving as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to the heirs of the promise the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, confirmed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us.

Hebrews 6:16 word by word

ἄνθρωποι γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσιν, καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ ὅρκος·Read the interlinear

• For peopleἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• swearὄμνυμιomnuō · to swearG3660
• oneμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• an oathὅρκοςhorkos · oathG3727
• as confirmationβεβαίωσιςbebaiōsis · confirmationG951
• is an endπέραςperas · endG4009
• of everyπᾶςpas · allG3956
• disputeἀντιλογίαantilogia · disputeG485

Cross-references for Hebrews 6:16

• Hebrews 6:13For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear an oath by no one greater, He swore by Himself,
• Genesis 14:22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
• Genesis 21:23so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my descendants, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have resided.”
• Matthew 23:20Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.
• Genesis 21:30He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness for me, that I dug this well.”
• Genesis 31:53The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
• Exodus 22:11an oath before the Lord shall be taken by the two of them that he has not laid a hand on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not be compelled to make restitution.
• Joshua 9:15And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
• 2 Samuel 21:2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel had made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).
• Ezekiel 17:16As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘In the country of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, in Babylon he shall certainly die.

Commentaries on Hebrews 6:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Men verily swear by the greater - One who has greater authority; who can take cognizance of the obligation, and punish the breach of it. An oath for confirmation - "This observation teaches us," says Dr. Macknight, "that both promissory oaths concerning things lawful and in our power, and oaths for the confirmation of things doubtful, when required by proper authority, and taken religiously, are allowable under the Gospel."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16For men verily swear by the greater - That is, they appeal to God. They never swear by one who is inferior to themselves. The object of the apostle in this declaration is to show that as far as this could be done it had been by God. He could not indeed swear by one greater than himself, but he could make his promise as certain as an oath taken by people was when they solemnly appealed to him. He could appeal to his own existence and veracity, which was at…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. 16In human relationships, when people take an oath, it is considered binding. If oaths assure truth among humans, an oath from God should inspire even more confidence (Hebrews 6:17–19). someone greater than themselves: Compare with 6:13.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. for confirmation--not to be joined, as English Version, to "an oath"; but to "an end" [Alford]. I prefer, "The oath is to them, in respect to confirmation (of one's solemn promise or covenant; as here, God's), an end of all contradiction (so the Greek is translated, He 12:3), or "gainsaying." This passage shows: (1) an oath is sanctioned even in the Christian dispensation as lawful; (2) that the limits to its use are, that it only be employed where it…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 6:16

• Contracts
• God
• Oath
• Righteous

In the dictionaries

• Afresh
• Anchor
• Counsel
• Covenant
• Crucify
• Enlighten
• Immutable
• Nigh
• Oath
• 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