Hebrews 11:38

Hebrews 11:38 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
• New International Version (NIV)the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
• English Standard Version (ESV)of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

Context of Hebrews 11:38

36Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

Hebrews 11:38 word by word

ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος· ἐπὶ ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρεσιν καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Of whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• the worldὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• notοὐou · noG3756
• worthyἄξιοςaxios · worthyG514
• they wanderedπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• desertsἐρημίαerēmia · desertG2047
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• mountainsὄροςoros · mountainG3735
• densσπήλαιονspēlaion · caveG4693
• cavesὀπήopē · holeG3692
• of the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093

Cross-references for Hebrews 11:38

• 1 Kings 14:12Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam’s wife, “Go on home, and when you enter the city, the child will die.
• 2 Kings 23:25Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.
• Isaiah 57:1Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
• 1 Samuel 22:1So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.
• 1 Samuel 23:15One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him.
• 1 Samuel 24:1After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi.
• 1 Samuel 26:1Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon.”
• 1 Kings 17:3“Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River.
• 1 Kings 18:4Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.)
• 1 Kings 19:9There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
• Psalms 142:1I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy.

Commentaries on Hebrews 11:38

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Of whom the world was not worthy - Yet they were obliged to wander by day in deserts and mountains, driven from the society of men, and often obliged to hide by night in dens and caves of the earth, to conceal themselves from the brutal rage of men. Perhaps he refers here principally to the case of Elijah, and the hundred prophets hidden in caves by Obadiah, and fed with bread and water. See 1 Kings 18:4. David was often obliged thus to hide himself from…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38Of whom the world was not worthy - The world was so wicked that it had no claim that such holy men should live in it. These poor, despised, and persecuted people, living as outcasts and wanderers, were of a character far elevated above the world. This is a most beautiful expression. It is at once a statement of their eminent holiness, and of the wickedness of the rest of mankind. They wandered in deserts … - On the Scripture meaning of the word “desert”…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 32-38Verses 32-38 After all our searches into the Scriptures, there is more to be learned from them. We should be pleased to think, how great the number of believers was under the Old Testament, and how strong their faith, though the objects of it were not then so fully made known as now. And we should lament that now, in gospel times, when the rule of faith is more clear and perfect, the number of believers should be so small, and their faith so weak. It is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 38The world was not worthy of them: They placed their hope in God more than in the pleasures and comforts of life.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3838. Of whom the world was not worthy--So far from their being unworthy of living in the world, as their exile in deserts, &c., might seem to imply, "the world was not worthy of them." The world, in shutting them out, shut out from itself a source of blessing; such as Joseph proved to Potiphar (Ge 39:5), and Jacob to Laban (Ge 30:27). In condemning them, the world condemned itself. caves--literally, "chinks." Palestine, from its hilly character, abounds in…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 11:38

• Cave
• Dens
• Faith
• Persecution

In the dictionaries

• Builder
• Conceive
• Confess
• Cruel
• Den
• Faith
• Impossible
• Proper
• Rewarder
• Trial

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