HEB 3:18 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. to whom all
4. -
5. 51010
6. R····DMP
7. ˱to˲ whom_all
8. ˱to˲ whom_all
9. -
10. Y64; F141877
11. 141873
1. Δέ
2. de
3. And
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. S
10. Y64
11. 141874
1. ὤμοσεν
2. omnuō
3. he swore
4. -
5. 36600
6. VIAA3··S
7. ˱he˲ swore
8. ˱he˲ swore
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141875
1. μή
2. mē
3. not
4. -
5. 33610
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141876
1. εἰσελεύσεσθαι
2. eiserχomai
3. going to be coming in
4. -
5. 15250
6. VNFM····
7. ˓going_to_be˒ coming_in
8. ˓going_to_be˒ coming_in
9. -
10. Y64; R141873
11. 141877
1. εἰς
2. eis
3. into
4. -
5. 15190
6. P·······
7. into
8. into
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141878
1. τήν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141879
1. κατάπαυσιν
2. katapausis
3. rest
4. rest
5. 26630
6. N····AFS
7. rest
8. rest
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141880
1. αὐτοῦ
2. autos
3. of him
4. his
5. 8460
6. R···3GMS
7. ˱of˲ him
8. ˱of˲ him
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141881
1. εἰ
2. ei
3. except
4. -
5. 14870
6. C·······
7. except
8. except
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141882
1. μή
2. mē
3. not/lest
4. -
5. 33610
6. D·······
7. ¬not/lest
8. ¬not/lest
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141883
1. τοῖς
2. ho
3. to the ones
4. -
5. 35880
6. R····DMP
7. ˱to˲ the ‹ones›
8. ˱to˲ the ‹ones›
9. -
10. Y64
11. 141884
1. ἀπιστήσασιν
2. apisteō
3. -
4. -
5. 5690
6. VPAA·DMP
7. ˓having˒ disbelieved
8. ˓having˒ disbelieved
9. -
10. -
11. 141885
1. ἀπειθήσασιν
2. apeitheō
3. having disbelieved
4. disbelieved
5. 5440
6. VPAA·DMP
7. ˓having˒ disbelieved
8. ˓having˒ disbelieved
9. -
10. Y64; R141738; F141891; F141892; F141916; F141924; F141926; F141950; F141988; F142003
11. 141886

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.

3:18c

Was it not to those who disobeyed?

It is obvious that he said it to the people who disobeyed him.
You^(plur) know that he said it to the people who refused to obey him.

3:18

And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?: This verse is one rhetorical question, which has another rhetorical question within it. It means that God swore to the people who disobeyed him that they would not enter his rest.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

Use one or two rhetorical questions. For example:
To whom did God swear that they would not enter his rest? Wasn’t it to those who disobeyed him?
Use one rhetorical question and a statement for an answer. For example:
¹⁸And to whom was God speaking when he vowed that they would never enter his place of rest? He was speaking to those who disobeyed him. (NCV)
When God made his solemn promise, “They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest”—of whom was he speaking? Of those who rebelled. (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 question in a natural way in your language.

3:18a

And to whom did He swear that

And who were the ones to whom God said with an oath:
You^(plur) know those people about whom God made a solemn promise

3:18b

they would never enter His rest?

“You^(plur) will never enter my resting place”?
that they would never come to live in the place/land that he prepared for them to rest.

3:18a–b

And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest?: This question indicates that God swore to certain people that they would never enter his rest. This event was mentioned in 3:11: “So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.” (BSB)

In some languages it may be more natural to translate what God swore in direct speech. For example:

To whom did he swear, saying, “Now you will never enter the land that I wanted you to have as a place to rest with me?”

swear: The word swear means to take an oath or make a binding promise. In Hebrew culture, such a promise must not be broken. Here God’s promise implied that he would certainly do what he said. What he said would certainly happen.

You may be able to use the same phrase that you used in 3:11.

that they would never enter His rest: The phrase His rest refers here to the life of dependence on God that God wanted his people to live. He wanted them to depend on him and trust him for everything.

See the note on 3:11a–b. It is important to use the word rest here because the author is going to write more about rest in chapter 4.

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 3:18

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