HEB 5:12 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) Yes, because you all ought to be teachers by now, yet you still need to have someone teaching you the basics of God’s ways and you’ve become like those who need milk instead of solid food.[ref]

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
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 For even though by this time you ought to be teachers, you again have need of someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have become ones having a need of milk, not solid food!

UST You have believed in the Messiah for long enough that you should be teaching others about God. Instead, though, someone still has to teach you simple things about what God says. You are like babies who have to drink milk rather than being like adults who eat food.

BLB For even by the time you ought to be teachers, you have need of one to teach you again what is the beginning of the principles of the oracles of God; and you have become those having need of milk, and not of solid food.

AICNT For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, [and][fn] not solid food!

5:12, and: NA[] BYZ TR ‖ Some manuscripts include. SBLGNT THGNT

OEB For whereas, considering the time that has elapsed, you ought to be teaching others, you still need someone to teach you the alphabet of the divine revelation, and need again to be fed with milk instead of with “solid food.”

WEBBE For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the revelations of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food.

LSV for even owing to be teachers, because of the time, again you have need that one teach you what [are] the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God, and you have become having need of milk, and not of strong food,

FBV By now you should have had enough time to become teachers, but you need someone to teach you the fundamentals, the first principles of God's word. It's like you need to go back to baby milk instead of solid food!

TCNT For though you ought to be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.

T4T You became Christians long ago. So by now you should be teaching spiritual truths to others. But you still need someone to teach you again the truths that God has revealed. I am talking about the truths that we teach people when they first believe in Christ. You need those elementary truths like babies need milk [MET]. You are not ready for advanced teaching, which is like the solid food which mature people need [MET].

LEB For indeed, although you[fn] ought to be teachers _⌊by this time_⌋[fn], you have need of someone to teach you again the beginning elements of the oracles of God, and _⌊you have need of_⌋[fn] milk, not[fn] solid food.

5:12 *Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“ought”) which is understood as concessive

5:12 Literally “because of the time”

5:12 Literally “you are having need of”

5:12 Some manuscripts have “and not”

BBE And though by this time it would be right for you to be teachers, you still have need of someone to give you teaching about the first simple rules of God's revelation; you have become like babies who have need of milk, and not of solid food.

Moff Though by this time you should be teaching other people, you still need someone to teach you once more the rudimentary principles of the divine revelation. You are in need of milk, not of solid food.

Wymth For although, considering the long time you have been believers, you ought now to be teachers of others, you really need some one to teach you over again the very rudiments of the truths of God, and you have come to require milk instead of solid food.

ASV For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.

DRA For whereas for the time you ought to be masters, you have need to be taught again what are the first elements of the words of God: and you are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

YLT for even owing to be teachers, because of the time, again ye have need that one teach you what [are] the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God, and ye have become having need of milk, and not of strong food,

Drby For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have again need that [one] should teach you what [are] the elements of the beginning of the oracles of [fn]God, and are become such as have need of milk, [and] not of solid food.

5.12 Elohim

RV For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.
(For when by reason of the time ye/you_all ought to be teachers, ye/you_all have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. )

SLT For also ye ought to be teachers for the time, again ye have need for some one to teach you the elements of the beginning of the sayings of God; and have become those having need of milk, and not of firm food.

Wbstr For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need of one to teach you again which are the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong food.

KJB-1769 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
(For when for the time ye/you_all ought to be teachers, ye/you_all have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. )

KJB-1611 For when for the time yee ought to bee teachers, yee haue neede that one teach you againe which be the first principles of the Oracles of God, and are become such as haue need of milke, and not of strong meat.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps For when as concernyng the tyme, ye ought to be teachers, yet haue ye nede againe that we teache you the first principles of the begynnyng of the worde of God, and are become such as haue nede of mylke, and not of strong meate.
(For when as concerning the time, ye/you_all ought to be teachers, yet have ye/you_all need again that we teach you the first principles of the beginning of the word of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.)

Gnva For when as concerning ye time ye ought to be teachers, yet haue ye neede againe that we teach you what are the first principles of the worde of God: and are become such as haue neede of milke, and not of strong meate.
(For when as concerning ye/you_all time ye/you_all ought to be teachers, yet have ye/you_all need again that we teach you what are the first principles of the word of God: and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. )

Cvdl For where as concernynge the tyme ye ought to be teachers, yet haue ye nede agayne, yt we teach you the first preceptes of the worde of God: and are become soch as haue nede of mylke, and not stronge meate.
(For where as concerning the time ye/you_all ought to be teachers, yet have ye/you_all need again, it we teach you the first precepts of the word of God: and are become such as have need of milk, and not strong meat.)

TNT For when as concerninge the tyme ye ought to be teachers yet have ye nede agayne that we teache you the fyrst principles of the worde of god: and are become soche as have nede of mylke and not of stronge meate:
(For when as concerninge the time ye/you_all ought to be teachers yet have ye/you_all need again that we teach you the first principles of the word of god: and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat: )

Wycl For whanne ye ouyten to be maistris for tyme, eftsoone ye neden that ye be tauyt, whiche ben the lettris of the bigynnyng of Goddis wordis. And ye ben maad thilke, to whiche is nede of mylk, and not sad mete.
(For when ye/you_all ouyten to be masterys for time, soon_afterward ye/you_all neden that ye/you_all be taught, which been the lettris of the beginning of God’s words. And ye/you_all been made thilke, to which is need of milk, and not sad mete.)

Luth Und die ihr solltet längst Meister sein, bedürfet ihr wiederum, daß man euch die ersten Buchstaben der göttlichen Worte lehre, und daß man euch Milch gebe und nicht starke Speise.
(And the you(pl)/their/her should long_ago master be, requires you(pl)/their/her again/in_turn, that man you the first letters the/of_the divine words teach, and that man you milk give and not strength food.)

ClVg Etenim cum deberetis magistri esse propter tempus, rursum indigetis ut vos doceamini quæ sint elementa exordii sermonum Dei: et facti estis quibus lacte opus sit, non solido cibo.[fn]
(Indeed when/with to_have_totis teachers to_be because time/season, again needsis as you(pl) teachamini which let_them_be elements exordii of_speeches of_God: and made you_are to_whom milk work/need be, not/no solido with_food/feed. )

5.12 Etenim cum deberetis. Interserit increpationem de infirmitate, ut alta de Christo laborent intelligere. Quæ sunt elementa exordii. Exordium sermonum est simplex doctrina. Elementa ejus, materia de qua agit, ut nativitas, passio.

5.12 Indeed when/with to_have_totis. Interserit rebukem from/about weakness, as high from/about to_Christ/Messiah with_hard_worknt to_understand. Which are elements exordii. Exordium of_speeches it_is simplex teaching/instruction. Elements his, materia from/about which acts, as nativitas, passio.

UGNT καὶ γὰρ ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον, πάλιν χρείαν ἔχετε τοῦ διδάσκειν ὑμᾶς, τινα τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος, οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς.
(kai gar ofeilontes einai didaskaloi dia ton ⱪronon, palin ⱪreian eⱪete tou didaskein humas, tina ta stoiⱪeia taʸs arⱪaʸs tōn logiōn tou Theou, kai gegonate ⱪreian eⱪontes galaktos, ou stereas trofaʸs.)

SBL-GNT καὶ γὰρ ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον, πάλιν χρείαν ἔχετε τοῦ διδάσκειν ὑμᾶς ⸀τινὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος, ⸀οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς.
(kai gar ofeilontes einai didaskaloi dia ton ⱪronon, palin ⱪreian eⱪete tou didaskein humas ⸀tina ta stoiⱪeia taʸs arⱪaʸs tōn logiōn tou theou, kai gegonate ⱪreian eⱪontes galaktos, ⸀ou stereas trofaʸs.)

RP-GNT Καὶ γὰρ ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον, πάλιν χρείαν ἔχετε τοῦ διδάσκειν ὑμᾶς, τίνα τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ θεοῦ· καὶ γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος, καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς.
(Kai gar ofeilontes einai didaskaloi dia ton ⱪronon, palin ⱪreian eⱪete tou didaskein humas, tina ta stoiⱪeia taʸs arⱪaʸs tōn logiōn tou theou; kai gegonate ⱪreian eⱪontes galaktos, kai ou stereas trofaʸs.)

TC-GNT Καὶ γὰρ ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον, πάλιν χρείαν ἔχετε τοῦ διδάσκειν ὑμᾶς, [fn]τίνα τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος, [fn]καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς.
(Kai gar ofeilontes einai didaskaloi dia ton ⱪronon, palin ⱪreian eⱪete tou didaskein humas, tina ta stoiⱪeia taʸs arⱪaʸs tōn logiōn tou Theou; kai gegonate ⱪreian eⱪontes galaktos, kai ou stereas trofaʸs. )

5:12 τίνα ¦ τινὰ NA SBL WH

5:12 και ¦ — SBL TH WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, orange:accents differ, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:11–6:12: Grow up in your faith, and do not give up

In Section 5:11–6:12 the author interrupted his teaching about God appointing Christ as the high priest in order to tell his listeners to mature in their faith and to warn them not to stop believing in Christ. After this warning (6:4–12), he will continue to teach them in 6:13–7:28 about the priesthood of Jesus and Melchizedek.

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

Warning about abandoning Christ

Do not be lazy but become mature followers of Christ

Paragraph 5:11–14

In verses 11–14 the author told his listeners that they were like babies who do not understand much about God and his Word. He told them that they ought to be like teachers, not like babies.

5:12

In this verse the author rebuked his listeners for not understanding more about God’s word. He implied that they had known about Christ for a long time, so they should be ready to teach others about him. Instead they still needed someone to teach them the most basic truths that God has revealed to people.

5:12a–b

by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you: This statement implies that the listeners still did not understand basic truths about being a Christian. They had been Christians for a long time, so now they should be able to teach people about the Christian faith. However, they still needed other people to teach them.

Some other ways to translate the statement are:

By now you should have been teachers, but you still need a teacher to repeat to you what you learned before.

At a time when you should be teaching others, you need teachers yourselves (JBP)

Notice that the word reteach refers specifically here to teaching about God’s word and the Christian faith. It does not imply that the listeners should have become professional teachers or teachers of other subjects. In some languages it is necessary to refer specifically to Christian teaching. For example:

Now for a long time you have heard about Jesus Christ. If you had not been sluggish in listening, you would now be teaching other people about him.

5:12a

Although by this time you ought to be teachers,

By now you should already be teachers of these things/truths.
Indeed, you should already be teaching them to others,

Although: The common Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as Although introduces an explanation. It supports what the author said about the readers being “dull of hearing” (5:11). The word Although indicates that what the author is about to say in 5:12a is unexpected. Some other ways to translate the connection between these clauses in English are:

There has been enough time for you to be teachers—yet you still need someone to teach you (GNT)

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you (NLT)

By now you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you (NCV)

Connect the clauses in a natural way in your language.

by this time: The phrase by this time refers to the time when the author was writing to his listeners. The author implied that as he was writing to them, they had already been Christians for some time. He also implied that since they first trusted in Christ, they had been hearing God’s word, so now they should know enough to teach it to others. Other ways to translate the phrase are:

Actually it is time

By now (NET)

by this time…because you began to trust in Jesus long agoEllis Diebler, SSA of Hebrews, chapter 5, page 8, prepublication copy.

you ought to be teachers: The clause you ought to be teachers indicates that the listeners should be teaching other people about God’s word. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

you ought to be teaching others (NLT)

you should be the ones who are teaching your companionsKankanaey back translation on TW.

You ought to be able to preach/teach nowYakan back translation on TW.

you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to the people who were listening to the book of Hebrews.

teachers: The word teachers refers to people who teach others. It is a general word that can refer to anyone who teaches, either formally or informally. It was often used to describe people who taught about God. For example, it is used of John the Baptist (Luke 3:12) and of Jesus (Mark 4:38).

In some languages it is more natural to use a verb. For example:

you^(plur) should be able to explain these truths to others

By now you^(plur) should be teaching other people these truths.

5:12b

you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word.

Instead, you^(plur) need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God’s word.
but you^(plur) need someone to repeat for you even the basic teachings about God’s message.

you need someone to reteach you: The clause you need someone to reteach you implies that someone already taught the listeners about Christ. When they joined the Christian community, they were taught the basic truths that Christians believe. Now they seem to have forgotten these truths, so they need someone to teach them again.

Some other ways to translate 5:12b are:

you still need to have someone else to teach you againWestern Bukidnon Manobo back translation on TW.

you still have to be taught/preached-to againYakan back translation on TW.

the basic principles of God’s word: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as basic principles is more literally “fundamental principles of the beginning.”The phrase is more literally “fundamental-principles of the beginning.” The phrase “of the beginning” adds emphasis here to the basic meaning of στοιχεῖον, which is ‘fundamental principles” (meaning 1c, BDAG, page 946). It refers to the simple truths and principles on which our trust in God is based.

These principles are usually the first truths that people are taught about God, Christ, and salvation when they become Christians. They are God’s word because God is the one who spoke them and revealed them to his people.

Some other ways to translate the basic principles of God’s word are:

the elementary truths of God’s word (NIV)

the first lessons of God’s message (NCV)

the simplest things about what God has said (CEV)

5:12c

You need milk, not solid food!

You^(plur) still seem to need milk, not solid/proper food!
You^(plur) still need simple teaching, like a child who still needs milk and cannot eat other food.
You are like a young child who can understand only simple teaching. You^(plur) are not mature enough to understand more difficult teaching.

You need milk, not solid food: Here the author used a metaphor. He compared basic teaching to milk. The word milk often refers to “breast milk” that babies and young children take directly from their mothers’ breasts. The author compared the teaching about Jesus being our high priest to solid food. It is a teaching for mature Christians.

In some languages this metaphor may not be clear. Some other ways to translate it are:

Use a simile. For example:
You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. (NLT)
You still need basic/simple teaching that is like milk. You are not yet ready for the advanced teaching that is like solid food.
Use a more general comparison. For example:
You are like a young child who can understand only simple teaching. You are not mature enough to understand more difficult teaching.

solid food: The phrase solid food refers to food that must be chewed, like meat or vegetables. Small babies cannot eat that kind of food because they cannot chew it. Remember that the author used solid food as a metaphor to refer to the complex truths that he wanted to teach them.

In some languages a word like solid is not necessary, because food already contrasts with milk. For example:

You again want to be like babies who are nursing, and yet it is necessary that you eat food.Otomi back translation on TW.

It’s as if you have become a baby who still needs to nurse, because he can’t chew food.Kankanaey back translation on TW.