New King James Version
Hebrews 11:8
8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
- New International Version (NIV)By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
- English Standard Version (ESV)By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
- New Living Translation (NLT)It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
Context of Hebrews 11:8
6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 7By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Read all of Hebrews 11Hebrews 11:8 word by word
Πίστει καλούμενος Ἀβραὰμ ὑπήκουσεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τόπον ὃν ἤμελλεν λαμβάνειν εἰς κληρονομίαν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν μὴ ἐπιστάμενος ποῦ ἔρχεται.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- By faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
- AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
- when he was calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
- to go outἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- a placeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- a placeτόποςtopos · placeG5117
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- he should afterμέλλωmellō · to ensueG3195
- receiveλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
- an inheritanceκληρονομίαklēronomia · inheritanceG2817
- obeyedὑπακούωhupakouō · to obeyG5219
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- notμήmē · notG3361
- knowingἐπίσταμαιepistamai · to know/understandG1987
- whitherποῦpou · where?G4226
- he wentἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
Cross-references for Hebrews 11:8
- Genesis 11:31And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
- Genesis 12:1Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
- Joshua 24:3Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.
- Nehemiah 9:7“You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram, And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, And gave him the name Abraham;
- Isaiah 41:2“Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, And made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, As driven stubble to his bow?
- Isaiah 51:2Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.”
- Acts 7:2And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
- Genesis 12:7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
- Genesis 13:15for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
- Genesis 15:7Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
- Genesis 17:8Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
- Genesis 26:3Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
- Deuteronomy 9:5It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- Psalms 105:9The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac,
- Ezekiel 36:24For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
- Hebrews 11:33who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Commentaries on Hebrews 11:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Abraham, when he was called - See on Genesis 12:1-4; (note). Not knowing whither he went - Therefore his obedience was the fullest proof of his faith in God, and his faith was an implicit faith; he obeyed, and went out from his own country, having no prospect of any good or success but what his implicit faith led him to expect from God, as the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In all the preceding cases, and in all that follow, the apostle keeps…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8By faith Abraham - There is no difficulty in determining that Abraham was influenced by faith in God. The case is even stronger than that of Noah, for it is expressly declared, Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Compare notes, Romans 4:1-5. In the illustrations of the power of faith in this chapter, the apostle appeals to two instances in which it was exhibited by Abraham, “the father of the faithful.”…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-19Verses 8-19 We are often called to leave worldly connexions, interests, and comforts. If heirs of Abraham's faith, we shall obey and go forth, though not knowing what may befall us; and we shall be found in the way of duty, looking for the performance of God's promises. The trial of Abraham's faith was, that he simply and fully obeyed the call of God. Sarah received the promise as the promise of God; being convinced of that, she truly judged that he both…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Abraham … obeyed: See Genesis 12:1–2. He acted without knowing his destination, trusting in what he could not yet see.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. From the antediluvian saints he passes to the patriarchs of Israel, to whom "the promises" belonged. called--by God (Ge 12:1). The oldest manuscripts and Vulgate read, "He that was called Abraham," his name being changed from Abram to Abraham, on the occasion of God's making with him and his seed a covenant sealed by circumcision, many years after his call out of Ur. "By faith, he who was (afterwards) called Abraham (father of nations, Ge 17:5, in…Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 11:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 11
- 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries