HEB 4:1 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) That’s why we might be afraid: because although we had a promise to enter his rest, some of you might fail to achieve it,

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Therefore, let us be afraid lest while there remains a promise to enter into his rest, any of you might seem to have failed to attain it.

UST So, we can tell that God still promises that his people will participate in how he rests. Because of that, we need to make sure that every one of you really receives what God has promised.

BSB Therefore, [ while ] the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short [of it].

BLB Therefore, of the promise to enter into His rest left remaining, we should fear, lest ever any of you should seem to have fallen short.

AICNT Therefore, let us fear, lest anyone of you should seem to have fallen short of the promise of entering into His rest, having been left behind.

OEB We must, therefore, be very careful, though there is a promise still standing that we will enter upon God’s rest, that none of you even appear to have missed it.

WEBBE Let’s fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

LSV We may fear, then, lest a promise being left of entering into His rest, anyone of you may seem to have come short,

FBV Therefore let's take care to make sure that even though God has given us his promise of entering his rest, none of you miss out!

TCNT Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, let us proceed with fear so that none of you may be found to have fallen short of it.

T4T The Israelites did not enter the place where they would rest. But God has still promised us that we can enter the place of resting in heaven eternally. So we must beware of the possibility that God may consider that some of you have failed to enter the place of resting eternally as the Israelites did not enter the place where they would rest.

LEB Therefore let us fear, while there[fn] remains a promise of entering into his rest, that none of you appear to fall short of it.

4:1 *Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“remains”) which is understood as temporal

BBE Let us then, though we still have God's word that we may come into his rest, go in fear that some of you may be unable to do so.

Moff Well then, as the promise of entrance into his Rest is still left to us, let us be afraid of anyone being judged to have missed it.

Wymth Therefore let us be on our guard lest perhaps, while He still leaves us a promise of being admitted to His rest, some one of you should be found to have fallen short of it.

ASV Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.

DRA Let us fear therefore lest the promise being left of entering into his rest, any of you should be thought to be wanting.

YLT We may fear, then, lest a promise being left of entering into His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short,

Drby Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you might seem to have failed [of it].

RV Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.
(Let us fear therefore, lest happily, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. )

SLT Let us therefore fear, lest a solemn promise being left to come into his rest, any of you should seem to have failed.

Wbstr Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

KJB-1769 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

KJB-1611 ¶ Let vs therefore feare, lest a promise being left vs, of entring into his rest, any of you should seeme to come short of it.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps Let vs feare therfore, lest at any tyme, by forsakyng the promise of entryng into his reste, any of you shoulde be defrauded.
(Let us fear therefore, lest at any time, by forsaking the promise of entering into his rest, any of you should be defrauded.)

Gnva Let vs feare therefore, least at any time by forsaking the promise of entring into his rest, any of you should seeme to be depriued.
(Let us fear therefore, least at any time by forsaking the promise of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to be deprived. )

Cvdl Let vs feare therfore, lest eny of vs forsakynge the promes of entrynge in to his rest, shulde seme to come behinde:
(Let us fear therefore, lest any of us forsaking the promes of entering in to his rest, should seem to come behind:)

TNT Let vs feare therfore lest eny of vs forsakynge the promes of entrynge into his rest shulde seme to come behinde.
(Let us fear therefore lest any of us forsaking the promes of entering into his rest should seem to come behind. )

Wycl Therfor drede we, lest perauenture while the biheest of entryng in to his reste is left, that ony of vs be gessid to be awei.
(Therefore dread we, lest peradventure/perhaps while the behest/promise of entering in to his rest is left, that any of us be gessid to be away.)

Luth So lasset uns nun fürchten, daß wir die Verheißung, einzukommen zu seiner Ruhe, nicht versäumen, und unser keiner dahintenbleibe.
(So let us/to_us/ourselves now fear(v), that we/us the promise(n), einzukommen to/for his rest/silence, not versäumen, and our none/no_one gonetenbleibe.)

ClVg Timeamus ergo ne forte relicta pollicitatione introëundi in requiem ejus, existimetur aliquis ex vobis deesse.
(Timeamus therefore not perhaps abandoned pollicitatione introëundi in/into/on rest/repose his, existimetur someone from to_you(pl) deesse. )

UGNT φοβηθῶμεν οὖν, μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ, δοκῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι.
(fobaʸthōmen oun, maʸpote kataleipomenaʸs epangelias eiselthein eis taʸn katapausin autou, dokaʸ tis ex humōn husteraʸkenai.)

SBL-GNT Φοβηθῶμεν οὖν μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ δοκῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι·
(Fobaʸthōmen oun maʸpote kataleipomenaʸs epangelias eiselthein eis taʸn katapausin autou dokaʸ tis ex humōn husteraʸkenai;)

RP-GNT Φοβηθῶμεν οὖν μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ, δοκῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι.
(Fobaʸthōmen oun maʸpote kataleipomenaʸs epangelias eiselthein eis taʸn katapausin autou, dokaʸ tis ex humōn husteraʸkenai.)

TC-GNT Φοβηθῶμεν οὖν μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ, δοκῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι.
(Fobaʸthōmen oun maʸpote kataleipomenaʸs epangelias eiselthein eis taʸn katapausin autou, dokaʸ tis ex humōn husteraʸkenai. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–13: We must have faith in God and enter his rest

The word “rest” is used in 4:1, and it is the important topic that connects chapter 4 to chapter 3.It is the link between chapters 3 and 4, just as 2:1 was the link between chapter 1 and chapter 2, and 3:1 was a link between chapter 2 and chapter 3. The author used the word “rest” in a figurative way to refer to depending on God. God wants his people to rest from their own work, as God rested from his work on the seventh day after he created the world. In chapter 3, God promised the people of Israel a place to rest. In chapter 4, the author used a special time of rest as a symbol. This time was one day each week, which the people called the Sabbath Day (seventh day). Both the place and the time of rest are symbols of the rest that God’s people have when they depend on him for everything.

Two sentences in this section are especially important in stating this theme:

4:9	There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (BSB)
4:11	Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, (BSB)

The theme of this section is clear: God has planned a good life of rest for believers when they depend on him. We must be careful to believe and obey him so that we do not miss the life of rest that he promised. Some words that are connected to this theme in chapters 3 and 4 are “faith,” “believe,” “unbelief,” and “disobedience.”

Some other examples of headings for this section are:

God’s people can still experience God’s rest

We should trust God and receive his promise of rest

Paragraph 4:1–5

At the end of chapter 3, the author indicated that the people of Israel whom God led out of Egypt refused to enter his rest (3:19). Chapter 4 begins by saying that God still offers that rest to people who believe him (4:1a). Connect chapter 4 with chapter 3 in a natural way in your language. Notice the examples in the note on “Therefore” in 4:1a.

4:1a

Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands,

¶ So while God still offers his promise about entering/receiving his rest,
¶ Now what God promised about giving his people rest can still be fulfilled for us^(incl). Therefore,

Therefore: The word Therefore introduces the warning in the next part of the verse (4:1b). In some languages it is necessary to put the introductory word or phrase at the beginning of 4:1b to make the connections clearer. For example:

But God’s promise that he has prepared a resting place for his people can still be fulfilled to us. ^1bTherefore…

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, ^1bso… (NLT)

while the promise of entering His rest still stands: The phrase the promise…still stands is a figure of speech. It indicates that God still promises to give rest to his people who believe and obey him. When the people of Israel refused his rest, he did not take away his promise to give rest to the people who were willing to receive it.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

And now, God still offers his promise that we may enter his rest

God’s promise to give his people rest can still be fulfilled to us

Languages have many ways to indicate that a promise made in the past is still valid, and it can still be fulfilled. Use a natural way in your language to translate that meaning.

the promise: A promise tells a person’s intention to do something. It indicates that the person must do what he has said. Here the promise refers to what God said about his rest. He promised to welcome people into his rest if they believe. A promise is different from an oath, so you should use different ways to translate these two words.

entering His rest: The phrase entering His rest is used as a figure of speech here. It means to begin to rest as God promised. This promise does not refer here to the land where God promised to give the people rest from their enemies. The rest that God now offers his people is a life of depending on him for everything we need.

In some languages it is not natural to speak of entering rest. Some other ways to translate the meaning are:

receive that rest (GNT)

can be included in being able to rest under his careTagbanwa back translation on TW.

His rest: The word rest is the theme of this section. It should be translated in the same way throughout the section. The phrase His rest symbolizes dependence on God, especially for salvation and also for everything that he has promised his people.

A minority of scholars believe that His rest may refer to heaven. It is not recommended that you follow this interpretation or make it explicit in your translation.

still stands: The Greek word that the BSB translates as still stands refers here to a promise that is still valid.See καταλείπω, meaning 4, BDAG, page 521. The word refers here to a promise that is still in force. People can still benefit from the promise. In this context, it indicates that God still makes his promise of rest available to people who will receive it. Some other ways to translate the meaning are:

is still good/valid

continues to be offered

4:1b

let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it.

let us be careful that none of us^(incl) will fail to obtain/receive it.
we^(incl) must not neglect to receive it. If we do, someone among you^(plur) may miss the opportunity.

let us be careful: The Greek command which the BSB translates as let us be careful is more literally “we should fear.”It is interesting that the author of Hebrews is the only New Testament author to use the corresponding adjective phoberos, “fearful, terrible” in connection with God and his judgment. For other examples, see 10:27, 10:31 and 12:21. It means that we should be afraid that we might not enter God’s rest. The word “fear” implies that failure to enter God’s rest is terrible. That is why we must be careful to enter his rest.

Some other ways to translate this command are:

we must be very careful

we ought to tremble with fear (NLT)

Beware! (NJB)

Translate this command in a way that is natural in your language.

that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it: There are different ways to interpret the phrase that the BSB translates as be deemed to have fallen short of it:

It means “fail to receive it.” For example:
might fail to experience it (NLT)
will fail to enter (NCV) (NLT, NCV, NRSV, KJV, NASB, ESV, JBP, NET)
It means “will be judged/considered (by God) to have failed to receive it.” For example:
will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest (GNT)
be judged to have failed to receive it (RSV) (BSB, NIV, GNT, RSV, REB)
It means “thinks that they will not attain it.” For example:
think you won’t enter his place of rest (GW) (GW, NJBThe NJB has “think you have come too late.” This wording seems to give a slightly different sense from either of the two main interpretations. It may be following interpretation (2) in “seems to have failed,” but it is at least more specific in saying that coming “too late” is the possible reason for failure.)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Interpretations (1) and (2) are similar, but interpretation (1) is more general.It is possible that interpretation (2) implies that God is the one who will judge someone to have failed. However, no English version supplies “God,” and a phrase like “to be found to have failed” is not a clear reference to him. It is also followed by more English versions and many commentaries. Interpretation (2) fits the context of serious warning,Ellis Diebler (SSA of Hebrews, prepublication copy, page 16) points out that this interpretation “fits the theme of the whole book much better: Hebrews is not an encouragement but a series of strong warnings.” Miller (page 100) also takes this view, saying that it “fits well with the analogy being drawn from the experience of the children of Israel in the wilderness generation. Their repeated rebellion stirred God to anger and brought on an oath excluding them from the promised rest of God. They continued to exist until they died along the way, but there was no more possibility of entering. They were judged to have failed to enter. They were considered as having been already excluded.” but no English version makes it explicit.

none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it: This clause indicates that the author wanted every one of his hearers to receive the rest that God offers. He implied that it is a serious matter if anyone fails to believe God and then is not able to enjoy the rest that God promised.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

that some of you might fail to experience it (NLT)

that perhaps someone will not be included in that rest

you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to all the people who hear or read what the author said to them in Hebrews.

to have fallen short of it: The phrase to have fallen short of it means “to fail to gain or experience something because of one’s own fault.”ὑστερέω meaning 1, BDAG, page 1043, has “to miss out on something through one’s own fault, to miss, fail to reach.” The word it refers to God’s rest. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

to have failed to receive that promised rest (GNT)

who is not able to enter/attain it

General Comment on 4:1a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to use more than one sentence to translate this verse. For example:

Beware! God still promises that we may enter his rest. So each of you must make sure to gain/receive it.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

οὖν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: φοβηθῶμεν Οὖν μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ δοκῇ τὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι)

The word Therefore introduces an exhortation that is based on everything that the author has said about the Israelite ancestors in [3:7–19](../03/07.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces an exhortation that is based on what has been said. Alternate translation: [Because what I have just said is true]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ

˓to˒_come_in into (Some words not found in SR-GNT: φοβηθῶμεν Οὖν μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ δοκῇ τὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι)

Here and throughout this chapter, the word rest could refer to: (1) the state of “resting.” Alternate translation: [to participate in the way that God rests] or [to rest with him] (2) the place where people rest, particularly the land that God promised to give to his people. Alternate translation: [to enter into God’s resting place] or [to enter into the land of rest]

δοκῇ & ὑστερηκέναι

˓may_be˒_supposing & ˓to_have˒_falling_short

Here, the phrase seem to have failed could indicate that: (1) a person is showing the outward signs of having failed. Alternate translation: [look like you have failed to attain it] (2) someone might think that he or she has failed. Alternate translation: [might think that you have failed to attain it] (3) God considers them to have failed. Alternate translation: [might be judged to have failed to attain it]

Parallel HEB 4:1

Section 4:1–13: We must have faith in God and enter his rest

Paragraph 4:1–5

4:1a

4:1b

General Comment on 4:1a–b