HEB 3:9 Interlinear View

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 3:7–11

This paragraph contains a long quotation. You should use the format which you usually use for such quotations. This quotation from Psalm 95:7b–11 refers to the years when the people of Israel were traveling through the desert to the land of Canaan. God did many miracles for them, but they often complained against him.

In 3:8a–9a the quotation from Psalm 95 probably refers to a specific time when the people of Israel complained.There are two main views about which “rebellion” and “day of testing” the author referred to here:(a) He referred to the time that the Israelites rebelled against God at Kadesh Barnea. They refused to enter the land of Canaan that God promised to give them (Numbers 14:22).(b) He referred to the time that the Israelites rebelled against God at the place that was later named Meribah and Massah. They complained that they had no water, and they made God angry by their attitude and by what they said (Exodus 17:1–7).Option (a) is probably more likely in this context. It may refer to Exodus 17:1–7, when they did not find water to drink where they camped. However, it is more likely that it refers to Numbers 14, where they refused to enter the land that the Lord wanted to give them. That interpretation fits well with the theme of “rest” in Hebrews 4.

In 3:9b–11 the author referred to what the people of Israel did during the whole forty year period when they wandered through the desert. In 3:7–8a he indicates that followers of Jesus must not stubbornly reject what God tells them to do, as the people of Israel did in the desert.

3:9a–b

where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works: This verse tells about the Israelites’ time in “the wilderness” (mentioned in 3:8). In many languages it may be more natural to begin a new sentence at this verse. For example:

^9aThere your ancestors tested and tried my patience, ^9beven though they saw my miracles for forty years. (NLT)

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of 3:9a and 3:9b. See the General Comment on 3:9a–b at the end of 3:9b for an example.

3:9a

where your fathers tested and tried Me,

There your^(plur) ancestors tested me and tried my patience,
That was the place where your forefathers challenged me to see/know what I would do.
They continually rejected what God said until they caused God to be angry,

where your fathers tested and tried Me: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as where your fathers tested and tried Me is more literally “where your fathers tested me with a trial.”The word dokimasia only occurs here in the NT. It is an emphatic way to tell what the Israelite ancestors did.

Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

when your ancestors challenged me and put me to the test (NJB)

when they tested God’s patience in the wilderness (NLT)

Translate the phrase in a natural way in your language.

fathers: The word fathers refers to the ancestors of the Hebrews to whom the author wrote. It refers specifically to the ancestors who were alive in the time of Moses. It includes both male and female ancestors.

3:9b

and for forty years saw My works.

and during forty years they saw the great things that I did.
Yet/However, they already were seeing the amazing things that I did during their forty years in the wilderness.
though for forty years they witnessed the many miracles he did for them.

and for forty years saw My works: This clause implies that the way the people of Israel acted toward God was surprising and wrong.The Greek conjunction that begins the clause is kai. BDAG (page 495) lists its sense here as “emphasizing a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy.” In this context the text implies that the Israelites should have reacted to the Lord’s mighty works with obedience, not by rebelling against him. Allen (page 258, Kindle edition) says, “The kai (“and”) can introduce an added thought…or, more likely, a concession: ‘although they saw.’” When they saw what God did, they should have obeyed him. They should not have put him to another test.

Some other ways to translate the clause are:

though for forty years they saw what I did (REB)

yet they saw with their own eyes what I did for them for forty yearsUma back translation on TW.

for forty years: The phrase forty years refers to the forty years when God caused the people of Israel to wander in the desert. They refused to trust him and enter the land of Canaan after they heard the report of the spies. To read more about this, see Numbers 13–14.

My works: The phrase My works refers to the supernatural acts that God did for the Israelites during their forty years in the wilderness. For example, he gave them manna and quails to eat (Exodus 16), and water out of the rock to drink (Exodus 17).He also guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of cloud by night (Exodus 13:21–22). These acts may also include how he punished them when they disobeyed him.

Some other ways to translate My works are:

what I did

the mighty/supernatural acts that I did

General Comment on 3:9a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of 3:9a and 3:9b. For example:

^9bAlthough your ancestors witnessed God’s miracles for them during those forty years, ^9athey repeatedly tested him.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-kinship

οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν

the fathers ˱of˲_you_all

The phrase your fathers refers to the Israelites who were alive before Jesus lived on earth. The audience of the original quotation were Israelites who descended from these people. Use a word or phrase that refers to ancestors. Alternate translation: [your forefathers]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν

the fathers ˱of˲_you_all

Although the word fathers is masculine, it refers to any ancestors, both male and female. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word that applies to both men and women or you could refer to both genders. Alternate translation: [your fathers and mothers]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

ἐπείρασαν & ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ

tested_‹me› & by trial

The words tested and examination refer to basically the same thing. The word tested refers to the act of “testing,” while examination refers to the “test” itself. The author of the quotation uses both words to emphasize how the fathers “examined” God. If the repetition would be confusing, and if using both words is not emphatic in your language, you could express the idea with one word or phrase. Alternate translation: [examined me]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

καὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗ ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ καί εἶδον τά ἔργα μού)

The clause they saw my works could refer to: (1) how the fathers tested God even though they saw the amazing works that God did to rescue them and bring them through the wilderness. Alternate translation: [even though they saw my powerful deeds] (2) how God acted to punish the fathers for how they tested him. Alternate translation: [and they saw how I punished them]

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 3:9