Tyndale Open Study NotesHebrews 13

This set of practical guidelines is like other ethical lists in the New Testament. It explains how to love others in the faith community, providing a strong ethical foundation for life.

Continue in brotherly love: This advice to keep on loving each other like family is for everyone in the Christian community (see study notes on Hebrews 2:11; 3:1).

• Hospitality is an important principle in Jewish and Christian ethics (1 Peter 4:9; see also Matthew 10:11; Acts 16:15; Titus 3:13; Philemon 1:22; 3 John 1:5–8). In the first century, travelers usually did not stay at inns.

• some people have entertained angels without knowing it: See Genesis 18:2–15; Judges 13:2–23.

Remember those in prison: Prisoners often relied on family and friends for basic needs. Christians were encouraged to offer comfort, food, prayer, and other essentials to those jailed for their faith (Hebrews 13:18–19; Matthew 25:36; Colossians 4:18; 2 Timothy 1:16).

• To honor marriage means to protect it and see it as very important.

• Sexually immoral refers to any inappropriate sexual behavior.

• Adultery breaks the marriage promise by having sexual relations outside the marriage.

Keep your lives free from the love of money: See 1 Timothy 6:6–10. Instead, believers should be content with what God has given them. Some in the community might have faced financial difficulties (see Hebrews 10:32–34). God's promises remain true: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you” (see Deuteronomy 31:6, 8).

This quote from Psalm 118:6 shows a response of faith: The Lord is my helper, so we do not need to fear what others might do.

This middle part of chapter 13 is framed by mentions of the community's leaders (13:7, 17–19). Rabbis often used a technique called inclusio, where similar words or phrases mark the start and end of a section, like a subheading in a modern book. This part suggests there were several challenges in the church that the book of Hebrews originally addressed.

Remember your leaders: The word leaders referred to military, political, and religious figures. These leaders, likely founders of this community, taught the word of God to them, which is a basic duty of those who lead (see 1 Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 1:9). Their lives and faith were examples to follow.

• Even though the community faced new challenges, Jesus Christ remains the same, and his good news does not change.

• yesterday: Jesus was the Father's agent in creation (Hebrews 1:2, 10).

• today: Jesus sits at the Father's right hand (1:13; 7:26–28; 10:12). He will rule the universe forever (1:8, 10–12).

Since Jesus does not change (Hebrews 13:8), believers should avoid being drawn to strange, new ideas. The false teachings mentioned involved rules about food. In some parts of Judaism, certain ritual meals were thought to provide God's grace to participants. Some in the community might have been tempted to leave the Christian community to join Jewish fellowship meals. These Jewish meals sometimes encouraged participants to focus on the Jerusalem altar. The author reminds listeners that we have an altar that those under the old covenant cannot access—Christ’s sacrifice (7:27–28; 8:13; 9:11–14; 10:11–14).

The author explains the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:1–28), where animals were burned outside the camp (Leviticus 16:27). Similarly, Jesus suffered and died outside Jerusalem's city gates. He was the ultimate Day of Atonement sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11–14, 24–28; 10:1–4).

let us go to Him outside the camp: We should stand with Jesus, identify with him, and reject the false safety and comfort of siding with the world against him. By standing with Christ, we share in the disgrace he experienced (Hebrews 6:5–6; 12:1–3).

Like Abraham's family (Hebrews 11:9–16), we do not see this world as our permanent home. We are waiting for our future home, the heavenly city of Jerusalem (12:22).

Because of Jesus and his decisive and sacrificial work for us, Christians still have sacrifices to offer to God. These sacrifices are praise and obedience. Christ ended the old covenant sacrifices when he gave himself as the final sacrifice (Hebrews 7:27–28; 8:13; 9:11–14; 10:11–14). Now these spiritual sacrifices are the ones that please God.

sacrifice of praise: This likely refers to a peace offering (Leviticus 7:11–14). The person bringing the offering needed to be ritually clean first. We can continually offer thanks to God because Jesus has made us clean forever. By giving thanks to Jesus all the time, we show our loyalty to his name.

Doing good and helping those in need are basic Christian sacrifices (Hebrews 6:10; 10:24, 34; 13:1–3). These actions define life in the Christian community.

• The relationship between the church's spiritual leaders and its members might have been tense. The author encourages members to listen to and trust their leaders.

• The Greek word for obey can also mean follow, place confidence in, or be persuaded by.

• Christian leaders care for people's souls (Acts 20:28–31; 1 Peter 5:1–4), which is a serious responsibility. It makes them accountable to God (James 3:1).

• The word grief could also mean groaning. It refers to emotional burden and stress. Leaders who are stressed and burdened by a difficult church are less able to help and lead the church effectively.

• Pray for us: The author requests prayers for himself using the "authorial plural" (a literary device where the author uses "we" instead of "I") (see also 5:11; 6:9).

• we have a clear conscience: Compare with 2 Corinthians 1:11–12; 4:2.

• Benedictions, or closing blessings, were an important part of letters, speeches, and sermons. The author of Hebrews includes many of the book’s main themes in his benediction.

• The image of our Lord Jesus as the great Shepherd of the sheep (see Psalm 23) shows God's care and protection for his people (see also John 10:11–18; 1 Peter 2:25) and connects it to an eternal covenant.

This short encouragement likely shows that Hebrews was a sermon (compare with the same term in Acts 13:14–15, translated as "encouragement").

This Timothy might have traveled with Paul (see "Timothy" Profile). If that's the case, the New Testament does not mention his imprisonment. He clearly knows both the author and the recipients of this letter.

• The book ends with a formal greeting and a blessing.

• Those from Italy: The author is likely writing back to Rome from another place in the Mediterranean world. Some scholars, however, think the author may have been writing from Rome itself.