HEB 6:10 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.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, 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 God is not unjust, to forget your work and the love that you have demonstrated toward his name, having served the saints and continuing to serve them.

UST Indeed, since God always acts justly, he will not overlook how you act and how you love others. You have proved that you do these things to honor God, particularly when you have helped and continue to help God’s people.

BLB For God is not unjust to forget your work and the love that you have shown toward His name, having ministered to the saints, and still ministering.

AICNT For God is not unjust to forget your work and the [[labor of]][fn] love which you have shown toward his name, having served the saints and continuing to serve.

6:10, labor of: Later manuscripts add. BYZ TR

OEB For God is not unjust; he will not forget the work that you did, and the love that you showed for his name, in sending help to your fellow Christians – as you are still doing.

WEBBE For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labour of love which you showed towards his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.

WMBB For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labour of love which you showed towards his name, in that you served the holy ones, and still do serve them.

NET For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints.

LSV for God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labor of love that you showed to His Name, having ministered to the holy ones and ministering;

FBV God wouldn't be so unjust as to forget what you've done and the love you've shown for him by the care you've shown for fellow-believers—something you're still doing.

TCNT For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the [fn]labor of love that you have shown toward his name by serving the saints, as you still do.

6:10 labor of 86.6% ¦ — CT 8.6%

T4T Since God always acts justly [LIT], he will not overlook all you have done for him. He will also not overlook [MTY] your showing that you love him by the way you helped your fellow believers and by the way you still help them. Instead, God will reward you for doing good deeds.

LEB For God is not unjust, so as to forget your work and the love which you demonstrated for his name by[fn] having served the saints, and continuing to serve them.

6:10 *Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“having served”) which is understood as means

BBE For God is true, and will not put away from him the memory of your work and of your love for his name, in the help which you gave and still give to the saints.

Moff God is not unfair; he will not forget what you have done, or the love you have shown for his sake in ministering, as you still do, to the saints.

Wymth For God is not unjust so that He is unmindful of your labour and of the love which you have manifested towards Himself in having rendered services to His people and in still rendering them.

ASV for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister.

DRA For God is not unjust, that he should forget your work, and the love which you have shewn in his name, you who have ministered, and do minister to the saints.

YLT for God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labour of the love, that ye shewed to His name, having ministered to the saints and ministering;

Drby For [fn]God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work, and the love which ye have shewn to his name, having ministered to the saints, and [still] ministering.

6.10 Elohim

RV for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye shewed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister.
(for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye/you_all showed toward his name, in that ye/you_all ministered unto the saints, and still do minister. )

SLT For God is not unjust to forget your work and fatigue of love, which ye showed to his name, having served to the holy ones, and serving.

Wbstr For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shown towards his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

KJB-1769 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
(For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye/you_all have showed toward his name, in that ye/you_all have ministered to the saints, and do minister. )

KJB-1611 For God is not vnrighteous, to forget your worke and labour of loue, which yee haue shewed toward his Name, in that yee haue ministred to the Saints, and doe minister.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps For God is not vnryghteous, to forget your worke & labour of loue, whiche ye haue shewed towarde his name, hauyng ministred to the saintes, and do minister.
(For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love, which ye/you_all have showed toward his name, having ministered to the saints, and do minister.)

Gnva For God is not vnrighteous, that hee should forget your worke, and labour of loue, which ye shewed toward his Name, in that ye haue ministred vnto the Saints, and yet minister.
(For God is not unrighteous, that he should forget your work, and labour of love, which ye/you_all showed toward his Name, in that ye/you_all have ministered unto the Saints, and yet minister. )

Cvdl For God is not vnrighteous, that he shulde forget youre worke and laboure of loue, which ye shewed in his name, whan ye mynistred vnto the sayntes, and yet mynister.
(For God is not unrighteous, that he should forget your(pl) work and labour of love, which ye/you_all showed in his name, when ye/you_all ministered unto the saints, and yet minister.)

TNT For god is not vnrighteous that he shuld forget youre worke and laboure that procedeth of love which love shewed in his name which have ministred vnto the saynctes and yet minister
(For god is not unrighteous that he should forget your(pl) work and labour that procedeth of love which love showed in his name which have ministered unto the saynctes and yet minister )

Wycl For God is not vniust, that he foryete youre werk and loue, whiche ye han schewid in his name; for ye han mynystrid to seyntis, `and mynistren.
(For God is not unjust, that he forget your(pl) work and love, which ye/you_all have showed in his name; for ye/you_all have mynystrid to saints, and mynistren.)

Luth Denn GOtt ist nicht ungerecht, daß er vergesse eures Werks und Arbeit der Liebe, die ihr beweiset habt an seinem Namen, da ihr den Heiligen dientet und noch dienet.
(Because God is not ungerecht, that he forget yours(pl) works and work/job the/of_the love(n), the you(pl)/their/her proves have at/to his name(s), there you(pl)/their/her the saints/holy_ones dientet and still serves.)

ClVg Non enim injustus Deus, ut obliviscatur operis vestri, et dilectionis, quam ostendistis in nomine ipsius, qui ministrastis sanctis, et ministratis.[fn]
(Not/No because injust God, as obliviscatur work yours, and of_love, how showstis in/into/on by_name of_his/her_own, who/which ministrastis to_the_saints, and servesis. )

6.10 Operis. Magna illis testificatus est. Tria autem bona commendat in eis, scilicet quod omnia sua fecerunt communia sanctis. Ecce opus, et hoc ex dilectione, quæ informat actiones; ecce alacritas, et hoc ad gloriam Dei; ecce pura et recta intentio.

6.10 Operis. Magna to_them testificatus it_is. Tria however good(s) recommends in/into/on to_them, namely that everything his_own they_did common to_the_saints. Behold opus, and this from with_love, which informat actions; behold alacritas, and this to glory of_God; behold pura and straight intention.

UGNT οὐ γὰρ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν, καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης ἧς ἐνεδείξασθε εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ διακονοῦντες.
(ou gar adikos ho Theos, epilathesthai tou ergou humōn, kai taʸs agapaʸs haʸs enedeixasthe eis to onoma autou, diakonaʸsantes tois hagiois kai diakonountes.)

SBL-GNT οὐ γὰρ ἄδικος ὁ θεὸς ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν ⸀καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης ἧς ἐνεδείξασθε εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ διακονοῦντες.
(ou gar adikos ho theos epilathesthai tou ergou humōn ⸀kai taʸs agapaʸs haʸs enedeixasthe eis to onoma autou, diakonaʸsantes tois hagiois kai diakonountes.)

RP-GNT οὐ γὰρ ἄδικος ὁ θεὸς ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν, καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης ἧς ἐνεδείξασθε εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ διακονοῦντες.
(ou gar adikos ho theos epilathesthai tou ergou humōn, kai tou kopou taʸs agapaʸs haʸs enedeixasthe eis to onoma autou, diakonaʸsantes tois hagiois kai diakonountes.)

TC-GNT οὐ γὰρ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν, καὶ [fn]τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης ἧς [fn]ἐνεδείξασθε εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ διακονοῦντες.
(ou gar adikos ho Theos epilathesthai tou ergou humōn, kai tou kopou taʸs agapaʸs haʸs enedeixasthe eis to onoma autou, diakonaʸsantes tois hagiois kai diakonountes. )

6:10 του κοπου 86.6% ¦ — CT 8.6%

6:10 ενεδειξασθε ¦ ενδειξασθε HF SCR

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, 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 6:9–12

This paragraph is an obvious contrast to 6:7–8. In 6:7–8 the author sternly warned his readers that they must not give up their faith in Christ. Here in 6:9–12 he assured them that he believed better things about them. He encouraged them not to become lazy but to keep trusting Christ so that they will obtain all that Christ promised.

6:10

In Greek this verse is one long sentence. In many languages it is more natural to use two or more sentences. See the General Comment on 6:10a–b at the end of 6:10b for more information.

For: Here the word For introduces a reason for the author’s statement in 6:9. It tells why he is confident that his listeners have God’s salvation. God is not unjust, so he will not forget what they have done for him. Some versions leave the connection implied. Indicate the connection between 6:9 and 6:10 in a natural way in your language.

6:10a

For God is not unjust.

God is not unfair,
God is always just/righteous,

God is not unjust: The phrase not unjust is an emphatic way to say “God is just.” The author used two negatives not and “unjust” to emphasize the meaning. He also emphasized it by putting the word not first in the Greek sentence. In some languages, it may be more natural to emphasize the statement in a different way. For example:

God is always fair. (CEV)

God really is completely righteous.

God always treats people fairly.

not unjust: In many languages it is necessary to translate the phrase not unjust as “fair, righteous” and then to emphasize the meaning. See the examples in the preceding note.

6:10b

He will not forget your work

and he will always remember all you^(plur) do
so he will never forget the good things that you^(plur) have done.

He will not forget your work: The word He refers to God. The phrase will not forget tells a result of 6:10a, God is just (he is not unjust). Because he is just, he will not disregard the work that they did for him. In Greek the negative will not forget emphasizes that God will notice it. It implies that he will reward them for the work that they have done.

Some other ways to translate this statement are:

He will not forget how hard you have worked for him (NLT)

He will remember how you helped his people (CEV)

Notice that the phrase not forget is similar to the phrase “not unjust” in 6:10a, because it uses a negative phrase to emphasize a positive statement.

your work: The phrase your work refers here to everything that the Hebrews did for the Lord and the ways that they served him by serving God’s people (as he says in 6:10c). It does not refer to work for which they were paid. In some languages it is more natural to translate the phrase your work more specifically. For example:

the good that you have doneKankanaey back translation on TW.

the work of God that you are doingOtomi back translation on TW.

your: The pronoun your is plural and refers to the people who heard or read what the author said.

General Comment on 6:10a–b

In the Greek text, 6:10a and 6:10b are part of one clause. For example:

For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work… (RSV)

Many English versions translate 6:10a and 6:10b as two sentences. For example:

God is not unfair. He will not forget your work… (GNT)

Translate the connection in a way that is natural in your language.

6:10c–d

and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so: Here the author tells the second thing about his listeners that God will not forget. God will not forget that they showed their love for him by serving their fellow Christians and continuing to serve them. He will remember that they love him and that they proved their love by helping his people.

Some other ways to translate 6:10c–d are:

and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do (NLT)

and your love for him that you have continued to show…in your helping your companions who believeKankanaey back translation on TW.

6:10c

and the love you have shown for His name

and how you^(plur) show that you^(plur) love him
You^(plur) have shown that you^(plur) love him

the love you have shown for His name: In this context the word love refers to the love that the listeners showed for God by helping his people. They did practical things to help other Christians who needed it, and their actions showed that they loved God.

In some languages it is more natural to translate love as a verb instead of a noun. For example:

and the ways you have shown that you love him

how you continue to show that you love him

See love, sense A, in KBT.

for His name: The phrase for His name means “for God.”

6:10d

as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

by serving your^(plur) fellow-believers. And you^(plur) are continuing to serve them.
by taking care of the needs of his people, both in the past and now.

as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so: The phrase as you have ministered to the saints means “by helping his people.” This is the way the listeners showed that they love God. In some languages it is natural to begin a new sentence here and repeat part of 6:10a–b. For example:

It is clear that you love God, for much is your helping your one-faith relatives, both in past times and at the present time.Uma back translation on TW.

as you have ministered: Here the Greek word that the BSB translates as as you have ministered means “to help by providing what someone needs.”Compare διακονέω BDAG, page 229, meaning 3 “to meet an immediate need, help.” Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

as you have helped (NIV)

by caring for (NLT)

the saints: The phrase the saints is literally “the holy ones.” It refers to people who are dedicated to God. In this context it refers specifically to people who follow Christ. The phrase is often used in this way in the epistles to refer to Christians. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

his holy people (GW)

his people (NIV)

other believers (NLT)

For more information, see holy, sense 3(a), in KBT.

and continue to do so: In Greek this phrase is more literally “and serving.” It completes the meaning of the preceding phrase. It indicates that the listeners continued to help their fellow believers as they did in the past. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

and you continue to help them (GW)

And he will remember that you are still serving them. (NCV)

General Comment on 6:10a–d

There are different ways to divide this verse into sentences and to connect the clauses. For example:

God is fair. He won’t forget what you’ve done or the love you’ve shown for him. You helped his holy people, and you continue to help them. (GW)

God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians. (GNT)

Connect the clauses in a natural way in your language.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἄδικος ὁ Θεός ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν καί τῆς ἀγάπης ἧς ἐνεδείξασθε εἰς τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καί διακονοῦντες)

The word For introduces more explanation about why the author is “convinced of things that are better” concerning his audience ([6:9](../06/09.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces an explanation. Alternate translation: [I am convinced of this, because]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes

οὐ & ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπιλαθέσθαι

The phrase not unjust is a negative understatement that emphasizes how “just” God is. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning positively. If you do, you may need to negate forget. Alternate translation: [God is very just to remember] or [God is just to remember]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τῆς ἀγάπης

˱of˲_the love

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of love, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the way that you love]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ

toward (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἄδικος ὁ Θεός ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν καί τῆς ἀγάπης ἧς ἐνεδείξασθε εἰς τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καί διακονοῦντες)

The word name refers to a person’s reputation or honor. In other words, “serving the saints” is something that is “toward God’s name,” which means that it brings him honor. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [with regard to his honor] or [that glorifies God]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ διακονοῦντες

˓having˒_served ˱unto˲_the holy_‹ones› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἄδικος ὁ Θεός ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν καί τῆς ἀγάπης ἧς ἐνεδείξασθε εἰς τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ διακονήσαντες τοῖς ἁγίοις καί διακονοῦντες)

The ones who serve are the audience. The author’s point is that they served the saints in the past, and they are still serving the saints in the present. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make these ideas more explicit. Alternate translation: [since you have served the saints in the past and even now]

Parallel HEB 6:10