HEB 4:14 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=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) So then, having Yeshua the son of God who came from and returned to the heavens as our high priest, we need to hold firmly to what we say we believe,

Key: khaki:verbs, 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, having a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us firmly hold to our confession.

UST So, a powerful ruling priest works for us, one who ascended through the heavens. He is Jesus, God’s Son. Because of that, we need to persist in believing what we say we believe.

BSB Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.

BLB Therefore having a great high priest having passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, we should hold firmly to our confession.

AICNT Therefore, having a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

OEB We have, then, in Jesus, the Son of God, a great high priest who has passed into the highest heaven; let us, therefore, hold fast to the faith which we have professed.

WEBBE Having then a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let’s hold tightly to our confession.

WMBB Having then a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Yeshua, the Son of God, let’s hold tightly to our confession.

NET Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

LSV Having, then, a great Chief Priest having passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—may we hold fast the profession,

FBV Since we have such a great high priest who has ascended to heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us make sure we hold on to what we say we believe.

TCNT Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

T4T We have a great Supreme Priest who ascended through the heavens when he returned to God’s presence. He is Jesus, ◄God’s Son/the man who is also God►. So let us firmly profess what we believe about him.

LEB ¶ Therefore, because we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

BBE Having then a great high priest, who has made his way through the heavens, even Jesus the Son of God, let us be strong in our faith.

Moff As we have a great high priest, then, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession;

Wymth Inasmuch, then, as we have in Jesus, the Son of God, a great High Priest who has passed into Heaven itself, let us hold firmly to our profession of faith.

ASV Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

DRA Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: let us hold fast our confession.

YLT Having, then, a great chief priest passed through the heavens — Jesus the Son of God — may we hold fast the profession,

Drby Having therefore a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of [fn]God, let us hold fast the confession.

4.14 Elohim

RV Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
(Having then a great high priest, who hath/has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. )

SLT Having therefore a great chief priest, passed to the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, we should hold firmly the assent.

Wbstr Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

KJB-1769 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

KJB-1611 Seeing then that wee haue a great high Priest, that is passed into the heauens, Iesus the Sonne of God, let vs hold fast our profession.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps Seyng then that we haue a great hye priest, which is entred into heauens, Iesus the sonne of God, let vs holde faste the confession.
(Seeing then that we have a great high priest, which is entered into heavens, Yesus/Yeshua the son of God, let us hold fast the confession.)

Gnva Seeing then that wee haue a great hie Priest, which is entred into heauen, euen Iesus the Sonne of God, let vs holde fast our profession.
(Seeing then that we have a great high Priest, which is entered into heaven, even Yesus/Yeshua the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. )

Cvdl Seynge then that we haue a greate hye prest, eue Iesus ye sonne of God, which is entred in to heauen, let vs holde oure profession.
(Seeing then that we have a great high priest, eve/even Yesus/Yeshua ye/you_all son of God, which is entered in to heaven, let us hold our profession.)

TNT Seynge then that we have a great hye prest whych is entred into heven (I meane Iesus the sonne of God) let vs holde oure profession.
(Seeing then that we have a great high priest whych is entered into heaven (I mean Yesus/Yeshua the son of God) let us hold our profession. )

Wycl Therfor we that han a greet bischop, that perside heuenes, Jhesu, the sone of God, holde we the knoulechyng of oure hope.
(Therefore we that have a great bischop, that perside heavens, Yhesu, the son of God, hold we the acknowledging of our hope.)

Luth Dieweil wir denn einen großen Hohenpriester haben, JEsum, den Sohn Gottes, der gen Himmel gefahren ist, so lasset uns halten an dem Bekenntnis.
(Dieweil we/us because/than a large high_priest have, Yesum, the son God’s, the/of_the to/toward heaven driven is, so let us/to_us/ourselves hold/keep at/to to_him Bekenntnis.)

ClVg Habentes ergo pontificem magnum qui penetravit cælos, Jesum Filium Dei, teneamus confessionem.[fn]
(Habentes therefore the_priest magnum who/which penetravit the_skies/heavens, Yesus Son of_God, teneamus confession. )

4.14 Habentes ergo. Hic incipit dicere de pontifice Christo, quomodo sufficiens, et quomodo dignior veteri sacerdote. Quem etiam immutat, et legem, quæ sub illo est, per meliorem legem suam, et quomodo necessarius nobis ad justitiam et salutem.

4.14 Habentes therefore. Here/This begins to_say from/about priest to_Christ/Messiah, how sufficiens, and how dignior old priest. Which also immutat, and the_law, which under that/there it_is, through better the_law his_own, and how necessarius us to justice and health.

UGNT ἔχοντες οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν, διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας.
(eⱪontes oun arⱪierea megan, dielaʸluthota tous ouranous, Yaʸsoun, ton Huion tou Theou, kratōmen taʸs homologias.)

SBL-GNT Ἔχοντες οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας·
(Eⱪontes oun arⱪierea megan dielaʸluthota tous ouranous, Yaʸsoun ton huion tou theou, kratōmen taʸs homologias;)

RP-GNT Ἔχοντες οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν, διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας.
(Eⱪontes oun arⱪierea megan, dielaʸluthota tous ouranous, Yaʸsoun ton huion tou theou, kratōmen taʸs homologias.)

TC-GNT Ἔχοντες οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν, διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας.
(Eⱪontes oun arⱪierea megan, dielaʸluthota tous ouranous, Yaʸsoun ton huion tou Theou, kratōmen taʸs homologias. )

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:14–16: So let’s be faithful to Jesus, our great high priest

This short section (4:14–16) has three main points:

It encourages the readers to continue to believe the truth about Jesus that they publicly accepted.
It repeats that Jesus is our high priest (see 2:17), and it describes what kind of priest he is.
It introduces the next section, which describes Jesus’ work as high priest.

Remember to translate the section before choosing a heading for it. Some other possible headings are:

Jesus Is the Great High Priest (CEV)

Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest (NET)

Christ Is Superior to Other Chief Priests (GW)

4:14

This verse summarizes what the author taught in 4:1–13.

4:14a

Therefore, since we have a great high priest

¶ So then, we know that we^(incl) have a great/mighty high priest,
¶ Now we know that we^(incl) have the most powerful high priest,

Therefore, since we have: The phrase Therefore, since we have is more literally “Having, therefore.”In the Greek text there is no conjunction which is translated as “since,” but the BSB correctly interprets the participial phrase to be giving a basis for the following clause, which encourages readers to hold firmly to their confession of faith. The word “therefore” implies that the author already taught his listeners about their great high priest (4:14a). He taught them that he is Jesus, the Son of God (4:14b). These teachings are the basis for what the author told them to do (4:14c). He told them to hold firmly to their confession of faith, because they know that their great high priest is Jesus the Son of God.

Some ways to translate 4:14a–c are:

So now we understand that we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, and he has gone into heaven. So let us firmly continue to believe our confession of faith.

We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. (CEV)

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in this verse. See the General Comment on 4:14a–c at the end of 4:14c for examples.

we have a great high priest: The phrase we have a great high priest indicates that there is a great high priest who represents us to God.

Some other ways to translate we have a great high priest are:

there is a great high priest for us

the most powerful/important of all chief priests represents us

we: The pronoun we refers to both the author and the people who listened to him. This applies to each we and “us” in the rest of the chapter.

great high priest: The people of Israel had one great high priest, who was the leader of all the other priests. He was greater than all of them, and he was responsible to make atonement for the people’s sins. Here the word great is added to the term high priest to emphasize even more the supreme greatness of Jesus.

You should translate high priest as you did in 2:17 and emphasize his greatness in a natural way in your language. See the examples in the preceding note. For more information on how to translate high priest, see the note on 2:17b.

4:14b

who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God,

and he has gone into heaven itself. He is Jesus, the Son of God.
Jesus the Son of God. He has gone through the sky/heaven to God.

who has passed through the heavens: The clause who has passed through the heavens is a figure of speech. It indicates that Jesus entered heaven and came to God. It implies a comparison between Jesus and each high priest of Israel.

Once a year the person who was the high priest of Israel came into the tabernacle. He passed through the outer room and came into the inner room. After he finished his work in that room, he left. In contrast with those high priests, Jesus came to God himself in heaven,The phrase “passed through the heavens” indicates that Jesus returned to God, and he is there in God’s presence. Some scholars have suggested that this phrase refers to Jesus’ ascension to heaven after his death and resurrection (For a description of his ascension, see Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9.) Jesus passed through the sky, and the disciples watched until the clouds made them unable to see him any longer. and he is still in the presence of God.

Some ways to translate who has passed through the heavens are:

who has gone up into heaven

He went through the sky/heavens and came to God

Jesus the Son of God: The phrase Jesus the Son of God expresses the fact that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. This is the only place in Hebrews where the author puts the name Jesus and the phrase the Son of God together. For more information about how to translate the title the Son of God, see the note on “his Son” in 1:2a.

4:14c

let us hold firmly to what we profess.

Because of this, we^(incl) must continue to be true to our statement of faith in him.
So let us continue to believe strongly the things we^(incl) publicly declared that we believe.

let us hold firmly to what we profess: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as let us hold firmly is a command. It means that we must continue to be firmly committed.It is interesting that the author of Hebrews is the only New Testament author to use the corresponding adjective phoberos, “fearful” in connection with God and his judgment. For other examples, see 10:27, 10:31 and 12:21. (Remember that it is not a request for permission.) The phrase what we profess refers here to a statement of what we believe (about Jesus). It includes a declaration of commitment to him.

Some other ways to translate this command are:

we must hold firm to our profession of faith (NJB)

it is necessary/essential that we continue to be committed to our declaration of faith in Jesus

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

what we profess: The phrase what we profess means “what we say/declare that we believe.” The word profess refers here to making a statement about what followers of Jesus believe. A follower of Jesus makes this statement in public and expresses agreement with those beliefs. It is a way for the person to publicly state his allegiance (devotion) to Jesus. The word profess does not refer here to confessing sins.

Some other ways to translate what we profess are:

what we believe about Jesus

acknowledging Jesus as our Lord

The Greek word translated here as profess occurs six times in the NT. Three of those are in the book of Hebrews (here and in 3:1 and 10:23).

General Comment on 4:14a–c

In 4:14c the author told his listeners to hold firmly to their profession of faith. In some languages it may be more natural to put this exhortation at the beginning of 4:14, and then give the description of Jesus in 4:14a–b. Then that description will connect with the description of the high priest in 4:15. For example:

^14cLet us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. ^14aFor we have a great high priest ^14bwho has gone into the very presence of God—Jesus, the Son of God. ¹⁵Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. (GNT)

^14cSo then, we must hold firmly to what we believe and declare ^14babout Jesus. He is the Son of God, and he has gone into heaven ^14aas our great high priest to represent us. ¹⁵This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses…

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

οὖν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔχοντες Οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν διεληλυθότα τούς οὐρανούς Ἰησοῦν τόν Υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας)

The word Therefore refers back to what the author already said about how Jesus is a high priest (See: [2:17–3:1](../02/17.md)). It may refer especially to [3:1](../03/01.md), where the author stated that Jesus is “the high priest of our confession.” So, Therefore introduces how the author wants his audience to act, given that Jesus is a great high priest. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that resumes a previous topic, or you could use a word or phrase that introduces the result or consequence of a previous statement. Alternate translation: [So then] or [Because of all that]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

ἔχοντες

having

The word having introduces a reason for the exhortation to firmly hold. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this connection explicit. Alternate translation: [since we have] or [because we have]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τοὺς οὐρανούς

Many people in the author’s culture believed that the space that they called “heaven” contained multiple layers or spheres of individual heavens. Paul speaks this way in [2 Corinthians 12:2](../../2co/12/02.md). Here, the author uses this language without clarifying how many heavens there are. The main point is that Jesus passed through these heavens to where God dwells. Often, this place where God dwells is in the highest of the heavens. Since the author does not include details about the heavens, translate heavens with a word or phrase that refers to all of heavenly space, including the idea of multiple heavens if possible. Alternate translation: [the heavenly realm] or [the heavenly spaces]

Note 4 topic: guidelines-sonofgodprinciples

τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ

The phrase Son of God is an important title for Jesus. See how you translated Son in [1:2](../01/02.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας

˱we˲_˓may_be˒_taking_hold ˱of˲_our confession