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

11Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: 14“I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” 15Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.

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 6:16Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.
• Genesis 22:15Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven.
• Ezekiel 32:13I will destroy all your flocks and herds that graze beside the streams. Never again will people or animals muddy those waters with their feet.
• Psalms 105:9This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac.
• Isaiah 45:23I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to me.”
• Jeremiah 22:5But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name, says the Lord, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.’”
• Jeremiah 49:13For I have sworn by my own name,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and a heap of ruins; it will be mocked and cursed. All its towns and villages will be desolate forever.”
• Micah 7:20You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.
• Luke 1:73the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.

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