Hebrews 3:8

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 King James Version (NKJV)Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,

Context of Hebrews 3:8

6But Messiah, as Son, is over God’s house—and we are His house, if we hold firm to our boldness and what we are proud to hope. 7Therefore, just as the Ruach ha-Kodesh says, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness. 9There your fathers put Me to the test, though they saw My works for forty years. 10Therefore I was provoked by this generation, and I said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’

Hebrews 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 3:12Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil heart of unbelief that falls away from the living God.
• Exodus 8:15So the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them—just as Adonai had said.
• 1 Samuel 6:6Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He afflicted them, didn’t they send them away so they left?
• 2 Kings 17:14Yet they would not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not trust in Adonai their God.
• 2 Chronicles 30:8Do not stiffen your neck as your fathers did, but reconcile to Adonai, and come to His Temple, which He has consecrated forever, and worship Adonai your God that His burning anger may turn away from you.
• 2 Chronicles 36:13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him take an oath by God. He also stiffened his neck and hardened his heart so as not to turn to Adonai, the God of Israel.
• Nehemiah 9:16“But they, our ancestors, became arrogant. They stiffened their neck and did not obey Your mitzvot.
• Job 9:4He is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and come out whole?
• Proverbs 28:14Blessed is one who is always cautious, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into trouble.
• Proverbs 29:1One who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed— without remedy.
• Jeremiah 7:26they did not listen to Me or pay attention. Rather, they stiffened their neck, doing more evil than their fathers.
• Ezekiel 3:7But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel has a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.
• Daniel 5:20But when his heart became haughty and his spirit hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.
• Zechariah 7:11“But they refused to pay attention. They stubbornly turned their backs and stopped their ears from hearing.
• Matthew 13:15For the heart of this people has become dull, their ears can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts. Then they would turn back, and I would heal them.’
• Acts 19:9But when they were hardening and refusing to believe, speaking evil of the Way before the whole group, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples with him, debating daily in the hall 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

• Call
• Decision
• Heart
• Impenitence
• Obduracy (Hardness)
• Procrastination
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Self-Will
• Symbols and Similitudes
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Apostle
• Day
• Holy Ghost
• Massah
• Moses
• Unbelief
• Congregation
• Faint
• Faithful; Faithfulness
• Harden

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