Hebrews 6:13

Hebrews 6:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
• New International Version (NIV)When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,
• English Standard Version (ESV)For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
• New King James Version (NKJV)For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

Context of Hebrews 6:13

11But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, 12so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises. Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 14saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.” 15And so by persevering, Abraham inherited the promise.

Hebrews 6:13 word by word

τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ὁ θεός, ἐπεὶ κατ᾽ οὐδενὸς εἶχεν μείζονος ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσεν καθ᾽ ἑαυτοῦRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• whenἐπαγγέλλωepaggellō · to professG1861
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• to AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
• becauseἐπείepei · sinceG1893
• he couldἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• swearὄμνυμιomnuō · to swearG3660
• byκατάkata · according toG2596
• noοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• greaterμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438

Cross-references for Hebrews 6:13

• Hebrews 6:16For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute.
• Genesis 22:15The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven
• Ezekiel 32:13I will destroy all its cattle beside the plentiful waters; and no human foot will disturb the waters again, nor will the hooves of cattle disturb them.
• Psalms 105:9the promise he made to Abraham, the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
• Isaiah 45:23I solemnly make this oath – what I say is true and reliable: ‘Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm;
• Jeremiah 22:5But, if you do not obey these commands, I solemnly swear that this palace will become a pile of rubble. I, the Lord, affirm it!”
• Jeremiah 49:13For I solemnly swear,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a pile of ruins. It will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example to be used in curses. All the towns around it will lie in ruins forever.”
• Micah 7:20You will be loyal to Jacob and extend your loyal love to Abraham, which you promised on oath to our ancestors in ancient times.
• Luke 1:73the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. This oath grants

Commentaries on Hebrews 6:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13When God made promise to Abraham - The promise referred to is that made to Abraham when he had offered his son Isaac on the altar, Genesis 22:16-18; : "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord; for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only son; that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13For when God made promise to Abraham - That he would bless him, and multiply his seed as the stars of heaven; Genesis 22:16-17. The object of introducing this example here is, to encourage those to whom the apostle was writing to persevere in the Christian life, This he does by showing that God had given the highest possible assurance of his purpose to bless his people, by an oath. Reference is made to Abraham in this argument, probably, for two reasons…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. 13-14Abraham was a leading example of faith. He believed God would give him a son and was ready to sacrifice that son to obey God (Hebrews 11:17–19; Genesis 15:1–5; 22:1–14). Because of Abraham's faith, God promised to bless him and increase his descendants.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. For--confirming the reasonableness of resting on "the promises" as infallibly sure, resting as they do on God's oath, by the instance of Abraham. "He now gives consolation, by the oath of God's grace, to those whom, in the second, third, and fourth chapters, he had warned by the oath of God's 'wrath.' The oath of wrath did not primarily extend its force beyond the wilderness; but the oath of grace is in force for ever" [Bengel].Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 6:13

• Abraham
• Covenant
• Faith
• God
• Oath

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• God
• Abraham, Abram
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Afresh
• Anchor
• Counsel
• Covenant
• Crucify
• Enlighten

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