Hebrews 12:16

Hebrews 12:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
• New International Version (NIV)See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
• English Standard Version (ESV)that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
• New King James Version (NKJV)lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

Context of Hebrews 12:16

14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 18For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

Hebrews 12:16 word by word

μή τις πόρνος ἢ βέβηλος ὡς Ἠσαῦ, ὃς ἀντὶ βρώσεως μιᾶς ἀπέδετο τὰ πρωτοτόκια ἑαυτοῦ.Read the interlinear

• Lest thereμήmē · notG3361
• anyτιςtis · oneG5100
• fornicatorπόρνοςpornos · sexual sinnerG4205
• orἤē · orG2228
• profane personβέβηλοςbebēlos · profaneG952
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• EsauἨσαῦĒsau · EsauG2269
• whoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• forἀντίanti · forG473
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• morsel of meatβρῶσιςbrōsis · eatingG1035
• soldἀποδίδωμιapodidōmi · to payG591
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• birthrightὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• birthrightπρωτοτόκιαprōtotokia · birthrightG4415

Cross-references for Hebrews 12:16

• Hebrews 13:4Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
• Mark 7:21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
• Acts 15:20But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
• 1 Corinthians 5:1It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
• 1 Corinthians 6:15Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
• 1 Corinthians 10:8Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
• 2 Corinthians 12:21And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
• Galatians 5:19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
• Ephesians 5:3But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
• Colossians 3:5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
• Revelation 2:20Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
• Revelation 21:8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
• Revelation 22:15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
• Genesis 25:31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
• Genesis 27:36And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

Commentaries on Hebrews 12:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Lest there be any fornicator - Any licentious person who would turn the Gospel of the grace of God into lasciviousness. Or profane person, as Esau - It is not intimated that Esau was a fornicator; and the disjunctive , or, separates the profane person from the fornicator. And Esau is here termed profane, because he so far disregarded the spiritual advantages connected with his rights of primogeniture, that he alienated the whole for a single mess of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Lest there be any fornicator - The sin here referred to is one of those which would spread corruption in the church, and against which they ought to be especially on their guard. Allusion is made to Esau as an example, who, himself a corrupt and profane man, for a trifle threw away the highest honor which as a son he could have. Many have regarded the word used here as referring to idolatry, or defection from the true religion to a false one - as the word…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-17Verses 12-17 A burden of affliction is apt to make the Christian's hands hang down, and his knees grow feeble, to dispirit him and discourage him; but against this he must strive, that he may better run his spiritual race and course. Faith and patience enable believers to follow peace and holiness, as a man follows his calling constantly, diligently, and with pleasure. Peace with men, of all sects and parties, will be favourable to our pursuit of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16Ancient Jewish writings describe Esau as sexually immoral because he married Hittite women, Judith and Basemath (Genesis 26:34; see Jubilees 25:1; Philo, On the Virtues 208). Esau showed disrespect for his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34), which is why he was considered godless. His choice to trade God's blessings for immediate fulfillment shows a lack of faith.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. fornicator--(He 13:4; 1Co 10:8). or profane--Fornication is nearly akin to gluttony, Esau's sin. He profanely cast away his spiritual privilege for the gratification of his palate. Ge 25:34 graphically portrays him. An example well fitted to strike needful horror into the Hebrews, whosoever of them, like Esau, were only sons of Isaac according to the flesh [Bengel]. for one morsel--The smallness of the inducement only aggravates the guilt of casting…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 12:16

• Birthright
• Esau
• Firstborn
• Gluttony
• Jacob
• Repentance
• Reprobacy
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• Esau
• Acceptably
• Aside
• Birthright
• Bitterness
• Carefully
• Chastening
• Cloud
• Contradiction
• Endure

Commentaries on Hebrews 12

• 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