HEB 3:17 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. τίσιν
2. tis
3. with whom all
4. -
5. 51010
6. R····DMP
7. ˱with˲ whom_all
8. ˱with˲ whom_all
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141856
1. Δέ
2. de
3. And
4. and
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. S
10. Y64
11. 141857
1. καί
2. kai
3. -
4. -
5. 25320
6. D·······
7. also
8. also
9. -
10. -
11. 141858
1. προσώχθισεν
2. prosoχthizō
3. he was angry
4. angry
5. 43600
6. VIAA3··S
7. ˱he˲ was_angry
8. ˱he˲ was_angry
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141859
1. τεσσεράκοντα
2. tesserakonta
3. for forty
4. forty
5. 50620
6. E····ANP
7. ˱for˲ forty
8. ˱for˲ forty
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141860
1. ἔτη
2. etos
3. years
4. years
5. 20940
6. N····ANP
7. years
8. years
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141861
1. Οὐχί
2. ouχi
3. Not was it
4. -
5. 37800
6. T·······
7. not ‹was_it›
8. not ‹was_it›
9. S
10. Y64
11. 141862
1. τοῖς
2. ho
3. with the ones
4. -
5. 35880
6. R····DMP
7. ˱with˲ the ‹ones›
8. ˱with˲ the ‹ones›
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141863
1. ἀπειθήσασιν
2. apeitheō
3. -
4. -
5. 5440
6. VPAA·DMP
7. ˓having˒ disbelieved
8. ˓having˒ disbelieved
9. -
10. -
11. 141864
1. ἁμαρτήσασιν
2. hamartaō
3. having sinned
4. -
5. 2640
6. VPAA·DMP
7. ˓having˒ sinned
8. ˓having˒ sinned
9. -
10. Y64; R141738; F141866
11. 141865
1. ὧν
2. hos
3. of whose
4. -
5. 37390
6. R····GMP
7. ˱of˲ whose
8. ˱of˲ whose
9. -
10. Y64; R141865
11. 141866
1. τά
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NNP
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141867
1. κῶλα
2. kōlon
3. corpses
4. -
5. 29660
6. N····NNP
7. corpses
8. corpses
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141868
1. ἔπεσεν
2. piptō
3. fell
4. -
5. 40980
6. VIAA3··S
7. fell
8. fell
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141869
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141870
1. τῇ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141871
1. ἐρήμῳ
2. erēmos
3. wilderness
4. wilderness
5. 20480
6. S····DFS
7. wilderness
8. desert
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141872

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:7–19: Warning: Do not reject God’s offer of rest

In the earlier sections of Hebrews the author showed that Jesus was greater than both the angels and Moses. In 2:1–4 he gave a first warning not to refuse the message which Jesus brought. Here in 3:7–19 he gave a second warning not to refuse Jesus’ message, especially the “rest” that God offers through Jesus. The author quoted from Psalm 95, which says that God wanted to give the people of Israel a land where they could have rest from their enemies. When they were slaves in Egypt, he sent Moses to lead them to that land, but they rebelled against God in the wilderness. Then God did not allow them to enter the land of rest.

It is often difficult to decide how to translate “rest” in this section and in chapter 4. Psalm 95 and Hebrews do refer to the time when Moses was alive and God promised to give the people of Israel land. However, King David was already in that land when he wrote the psalm, so the “rest” could not refer to the land. It refers to a different type of “rest.” That rest is a way of trusting God and depending on him for everything. We especially trust him to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. Because of the rest that God gives, we can have peace even when we suffer.

Be careful not to imply that the rest that God promises his people today is a certain place or land. Some scholars believe that the rest refers to heaven. It is true that we will have perfect rest in heaven, but Hebrews indicates that the rest that God provides for us begins on earth when we trust in Jesus.

Some other headings for this section are:

Rest for God’s People

Warning Against Unbelief (NIV)

We Must Continue to Follow/Obey God

Scholars differ about where to end this warning section. Some scholars end the warning at 3:19. Others make the warning section continue to 4:13. In these notes, 3:19 is the end of this second warning section, and the following section is 4:1–13.

Paragraph 3:16–19

In 3:16–18, the author asked his readers three rhetorical questions about the quotation from Psalm 95:8–11 (in 3:8–11). In these questions the people of Israel who rebelled against the Lord are an example for the readers of Hebrews. In 3:19 he stated his conclusion: the Lord did not allow the Israelites to enter the land where he planned to give them rest because they did not trust him.

In these verses the author answered his own rhetorical questions with other rhetorical questions. In some languages it is more natural to translate the answers as statements.

3:17

And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?: In this verse there are another two rhetorical questions about the people who were “in the rebellion” (3:15). As in 3:16, the second question answers the first question. The meaning is that the people who angered God were those who sinned. They were the ones who died in the wilderness because they sinned against God.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

Use a rhetorical question and a statement for an answer. For example:
¹⁷And with whom was God angry for forty years? He was angry with those who sinned, who died in the desert. (NCV)
With whom was God angry for forty years? With the people who sinned, who fell down dead in the desert. (GNT)
Use two statements. For example:
And you know that these are the people God became angry with because they committed sin during forty years. Therefore all of these people died there in the desert.Otomi back translation on TW.

Translate the rhetorical questions in a natural way in your language. See Numbers 14:29, 14:32 for an account of this event.

3:17a

And with whom was God angry for forty years?

Who were the people with whom God was angry for forty years?
God was angry with those people for forty years

And: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as And introduces a question that has a similar meaning as the one in 3:16. Most English versions have And here or do not use a conjunction. Do what is natural in your language.

with whom was God angry for forty years: This rhetorical question implies that the people angered God many times during the forty years when he was leading them through the wilderness. It does not imply that he held onto his anger over one particular sin for forty years. Translate in a way that will imply the right meaning. For example:

who was he angry with during those forty years?

who was it who angered God repeatedly during forty years?

3:17b

Was it not with those who sinned,

It was the people who sinned,
because they sinned against him,

3:17c

whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

and then they died and their bodies/corpses fell and lay there in the desert.
so they fell dead in the desert.

3:17b–c

Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness: This part of the verse answers the rhetorical question in 3:17a. It indicates that the people who sinned were the ones who made God angry. Because God was angry with them, he let them die in the wilderness. Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

And you know that these are the people God became angry with because they sinned, and they died there in the desert.

They were the same descendants of Israel who sinned against God and because of this, He punished them and they died there in the land where no people live.Western Bukidnon Manobo back translation on TW.

whose bodies fell: The phrase whose bodies fell is figurative. It indicates that the people died. Some other ways to translate it are:

Use a different figurative expression that has the same meaning in your language. For example:
fell down dead in the desert (GNT)
Translate the meaning directly. For example:
died in the desert (GW)

Translate the phrase in a natural way in your language.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τίσιν & προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη? οὐχὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν, ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ?

˱with˲_whom_all & ˱he˲_was_angry ˱for˲_forty years (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίσιν Δέ προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη Οὐχί τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν ὧν τά κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ)

The author does not ask these questions because he is looking for information. Rather, he asks them to involve the audience in what he is arguing. The second question gives the answer to the first question: “It was those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea by using a form that identifies those with whom he was very angry with those who sinned. Alternate translation: [you know who they are with whom he was very angry for 40 years. It was those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness.] or [with whom was he very angry for 40 years? It was with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness.]

προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη

˱he˲_was_angry ˱for˲_forty years

The author uses the phrases was he very angry and for 40 years to refer back to the words that the quotation used. See how you translated “I was very angry” and “for 40 years” in [3:10](../03/10.md). Alternate translation: [was he displeased for those 40 years]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ

˱of˲_whose (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίσιν Δέ προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη Οὐχί τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν ὧν τά κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ)

The author uses these words because he found them in [Numbers 14:29](../../num/14/29.md), where God tells Moses what is going to happen to those who sinned. The phrase corpses fell refers to people dying. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea with a word or phrase that refers to people dying. Alternate translation: [who fell down dead in the wilderness] or [who were buried in the wilderness]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear HEB 3:17

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)