UTN uW Translation Notes:

Hebrews 6 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

5. The Son as high priest (5:1–10:18) * Exhortation: Make sure to persevere! (5:11–6:12) * Exhortation: God’s promise is certain (6:13–20)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

The promise to Abraham (6:13–15)

In 6:13–14, the author speaks about God’s promise to Abraham. He quotes directly from Genesis 22:17, but he also has in mind other times when God made similar promises to Abraham: Genesis 12:1–3; 15:1–21; 17:1–8. The author’s point is that God “swore by himself,” which means that he himself guaranteed what he promised. Abraham waited for God to fulfill that promise, and God eventually did so when he gave Abraham a son and then numerous descendants. If your readers would need some of this information to understand the passage, you could include it in a footnote.

“Swearing” and the “oath”

In 6:13–18, the author refers to “swearing” and using an “oath.” In this context, “swearing” by someone refers to the action of guaranteeing a promise, while the “oath” refers to the guaranteeing words themselves. When someone makes an “oath,” they “swear by” a person or thing that is more powerful than they are. What they are saying is that the powerful person or thing will punish them if they are lying. If your readers would misunderstand “swearing” and “oath,” you could use language that comes from how people guarantee what they say in your culture. (See: oath)

The heavenly sanctuary

In 6:19–20, the author first refers to the heavenly sanctuary. He will discuss this sanctuary more in the following chapters. At this point, he simply refers to how our “hope” figuratively “enters” where Jesus himself “entered”: the area “inside” the “curtain.” In the author’s culture, a sanctuary would have a solid wall or a cloth “curtain” that marked off the most sacred part of the sanctuary from the rest of the structure. This part of the sanctuary is most sacred because it is where God is most strongly present. Use words that would clearly refer to the most sacred part of a sanctuary. Since the author describes the heavenly sanctuary in words that come from how the tabernacle is described in the Old Testament, you should preserve as much of the details as possible (such as a “curtain” instead of a wall). (See: curtain and tabernacle)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

The farming metaphor in 6:7–8

In these verses, the author uses land that people use to grow food as an analogy for how people respond to God’s gifts and his message about salvation. In 6:7, the author describes farmland that grows helpful crops when rain falls on it. This good farmland is like people who hear the good news, believe it, and then obey God. In 6:8, the author describes farmland that grows plants that are not useful and that can hurt people. A farmer will set these plants on fire to destroy them. This bad farmland is like people who hear the good news and receive gifts from God but fail to firmly believe the good news and obey God. God will punish them, much like the farmer burns the bad plants. If your readers would misunderstand this analogy, you could make the comparison more explicit in the text.

Hope as an anchor

In 6:19, the author states that “hope” has the qualities of an “anchor.” An anchor is a heavy piece of metal attached to the end of a rope. The other end of the rope is tied to a boat, and the anchor is dropped over the edge so that its weight keeps the boat from moving around or drifting away. The author’s point is that hope functions like an anchor for believers: it keeps them focused on Jesus and what God has promised, and they do not “drift away” from what they believe (See: the warning in 2:1). If your readers would not know what an “anchor” is, you could compare hope to some other thing in your culture that holds things in place.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

The “foundational” teachings in 6:1–2

In these verses, the author lists six things that are “foundational” or “elementary” teachings. These are not the only “foundational” teachings, but the author uses them as examples. The structure of the list can be understood in at least three different ways:(1)* the foundation * of repentance from dead works and * of faith in God,* teaching * about baptisms and * laying on of hands and * resurrection of the dead and * eternal judgment.(2)* the foundation * of repentance from dead works and * of faith in God, * of teaching * about baptisms and * laying on of hands and * resurrection of the dead and * eternal judgment.(3)* the foundation * of repentance from dead works and * of faith in God, * of teaching about baptisms and * of laying on of hands and * of resurrection of the dead and * of eternal judgment.See the note at the beginning of 6:2 for translation suggestions for each of these options.

Are those who “fall away” in 6:4–6 truly believers?

In 6:4–5, the author gives a list of things that a person can experience but then still “fall away” (6:6). Scholars debate whether this list describes people who truly believe in Jesus and then stop believing or if it describes people who come close to believing in Jesus but then do not truly believe. Since the author focuses on how these people have experienced good things from God but then still reject Jesus, he does not clearly express whether these people are truly believers are not. If possible, focus your translation on what the people experience rather than on whether they have truly believed.