New King James Version
Hebrews 3:8
8Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,
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 Living Translation (NLT)don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.
Context of Hebrews 3:8
6but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. 7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 10Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known 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 3:12Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
- Exodus 8:15But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.
- 1 Samuel 6:6Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?
- 2 Kings 17:14Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.
- 2 Chronicles 30:8Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.
- 2 Chronicles 36:13And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel.
- Nehemiah 9:16“But they and our fathers acted proudly, Hardened their necks, And did not heed Your commandments.
- Job 9:4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
- Proverbs 28:14Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
- Proverbs 29:1He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
- Jeremiah 7:26Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.
- Ezekiel 3:7But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.
- Daniel 5:20But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.
- Zechariah 7:11“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
- Matthew 13:15For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’
- Acts 19:9But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries