Hebrews 11:4

Hebrews 11:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
• New International Version (NIV)By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
• English Standard Version (ESV)By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
• New King James Version (NKJV)By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

Context of Hebrews 11:4

2Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith. 5It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Hebrews 11:4 word by word

Πίστει πλείονα θυσίαν Ἅβελ παρὰ Κάϊν προσήνεγκεν τῷ θεῷ, δι᾽ ἧς ἐμαρτυρήθη εἶναι δίκαιος μαρτυροῦντος ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ· καὶ δι᾽ αὐτῆς ἀποθανὼν ἔτι λαλεῖ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• By faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• AbelἌβελAbel · AbelG6
• offeredπροσφέρωprospherō · to bring toG4374
• unto Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• unto Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• aθυσίαthusia · sacrificeG2378
• more excellentπλείων, πλεῖονpleiōn pleion pleon · greaterG4119
• thanπαράpara · from/with/besideG3844
• CainΚάϊνKain · CainG2535
• byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• he obtained witnessμαρτυρέωmartureō · to testifyG3140
• that he wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• righteousδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
• ofἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• giftsδῶρονdōron · giftG1435
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• he being deadἀποθνήσκωapothnēskō · to dieG599
• yetἔτιeti · stillG2089
• speakethλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980

Cross-references for Hebrews 11:4

• Genesis 4:3When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.
• 1 John 3:11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
• Hebrews 9:22In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
• Proverbs 15:8The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.
• Proverbs 21:27The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.
• Jude 1:11What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.
• Leviticus 9:24Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.
• 1 Kings 18:38Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!
• Matthew 23:35As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.
• Luke 11:51from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.
• Hebrews 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
• Genesis 4:10But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!

Commentaries on Hebrews 11:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4By faith Abel offered - a more excellent sacrifice - · More sacrifice; as if he had said: Abel, by faith, made more than one offering; and hence it is said, God testified of his Gifts, . The plain state of the case seems to have been this: Cain and Abel both brought offerings to the altar of God, probably the altar erected for the family worship. As Cain was a husbandman, he brought a mincha, or eucharistic offering, of the fruits of the ground, by which…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4By faith Abel offered - see Genesis 4:4-5. In the account in Genesis of the offering made by Abel, there is no mention of “faith” - as is true also indeed of most of the instances referred to by the apostle. The account in Genesis is, simply, that Abel “brought of the firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof, and that the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering.” Men have speculated much as to the reason why the offering of Abel was accepted, and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-7Verses 4-7 Here follow some illustrious examples of faith from the Old Testament. Abel brought a sacrifice of atonement from the firstlings of the flock, acknowledging himself a sinner who deserved to die, and only hoping for mercy through the great Sacrifice. Cain's proud rage and enmity against the accepted worshipper of God, led to the awful effects the same principles have produced in every age; the cruel persecution, and even murder of believers. By…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Abel: See Genesis 4:3–5. By faith he was commended as righteous: Compare with Hebrews 10:38. he still speaks: The story of his faith challenges us, and his blood testifies to his righteousness and the injustice of his murder (see 12:24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. more excellent sacrifice--because offered in faith. Now faith must have some revelation of God on which it fastens. The revelation in this case was doubtless God's command to sacrifice animals ("the firstlings of the flock") in token of the forfeiture of men's life by sin, and as a type of the promised bruiser of the serpent's head (Ge 3:15), the one coming sacrifice: this command is implied in God's having made coats of skin for Adam and Eve (Ge…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 11:4

• Abel
• Atonement
• Cain
• Decision
• Faith
• Influence
• Justification
• Religion

In the dictionaries

• Abel
• Cain
• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Builder
• Conceive
• Confess
• Cruel
• Faith
• Impossible

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