HEB 6:12 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=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

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 so that you might not become dull, but imitators of the ones by faith and patience inheriting the promises.

UST That way, you will not be lazy. Instead, you will do what other believers have done: they have received what God promised them, because they trusted in him and waited patiently.

BLB so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those inheriting the promises through faith and patience.

AICNT so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

OEB Then you will not show yourselves slow to learn, but you will copy those who, through faith and patience, are now entering upon the enjoyment of God’s promises.

WEBBE that you won’t be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherited the promises.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

LSV that you may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.

FBV Don't be spiritually lazy, but follow the example of those who through trusting in God and patience inherit what God has promised.

TCNT so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and patience.

T4T I do not want you to be lazy. Instead, I want you to imitate those who, because they patiently continued to trust in God, are receiving what he promised them.

LEB in order that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and patience.

BBE So that you may not be slow in heart, but may take as your example those to whom God has given their heritage, because of their faith and their long waiting.

Moff so that instead of being slack you may imitate those who inherit the promises by their stedfast faith.

Wymth so that you may not become half-hearted, but be imitators of those who through faith and patient endurance are now heirs to the promises.

ASV that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

DRA That you become not slothful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience shall inherit the promises.

YLT that ye may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.

Drby that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience have been inheritors of the promises.

RV that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
(that ye/you_all be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. )

SLT That ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them inheriting the promises by faith and longsuffering.

Wbstr That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

KJB-1769 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
(That ye/you_all be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. )

KJB-1611 That yee be not slothfull, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherite the promises.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps That ye faynt not, but be folowers of them which through fayth and pacience inherite the promises.
(That ye/you_all faint not, but be folowers of them which through faith and patience inherit the promises.)

Gnva That ye be not slouthfull, but followers of them, which through faith and patience, inherite the promises.
(That ye/you_all be not slothful, but followers of them, which through faith and patience, inherit the promises. )

Cvdl that ye faynte not, but folowe them which thorow faith and paciece inheret the promyses.
(that ye/you_all faint not, but follow them which through faith and paciece inherit the promises.)

TNT that ye faynt not but folowe them which thorow fayth and pacience inheret the promyses.
(that ye/you_all faint not but follow them which through faith and patience inherit the promises. )

Wycl that ye be not maad slowe, but also sueris of hem, whiche bi feith and pacience schulen enherite the biheestis.
(that ye/you_all be not made slowe, but also sueris of hem, which by faith and patience should inherit the behests/promises.)

Luth daß ihr nicht träge werdet, sondern Nachfolger derer, die durch den Glauben und Geduld ererben die Verheißungen.
(that you(pl)/their/her not träge become, rather Afterfolger those/of_those, the through the faith and Geduld inheritancen the promise(n)en.)

ClVg ut non segnes efficiamini, verum imitatores eorum, qui fide, et patientia hæreditabunt promissiones.
(as not/no segnes efficiamini, true imitatores their, who/which with_faith, and patience/endurance they_will_inherit promises. )

UGNT ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, μιμηταὶ δὲ τῶν διὰ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας, κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας.
(hina maʸ nōthroi genaʸsthe, mimaʸtai de tōn dia pisteōs kai makrothumias, klaʸronomountōn tas epangelias.)

SBL-GNT ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, μιμηταὶ δὲ τῶν διὰ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας.
(hina maʸ nōthroi genaʸsthe, mimaʸtai de tōn dia pisteōs kai makrothumias klaʸronomountōn tas epangelias.)

RP-GNT ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, μιμηταὶ δὲ τῶν διὰ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας.
(hina maʸ nōthroi genaʸsthe, mimaʸtai de tōn dia pisteōs kai makrothumias klaʸronomountōn tas epangelias.)

TC-GNT ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, μιμηταὶ δὲ τῶν διὰ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας.
(hina maʸ nōthroi genaʸsthe, mimaʸtai de tōn dia pisteōs kai makrothumias klaʸronomountōn tas epangelias. )

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

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Endurance

As Jesus was approaching his suffering and death, he informed his followers that they, too, would experience immense hardship (see Matt 24:9). In that context, he underlines the role of endurance: “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:13). Sure enough, many of the writings of the New Testament were directed toward believers who were experiencing suffering for their faith in Christ (see, e.g., 2 Thes 1:4; 1 Pet 4:12-19). These believers needed encouragement in order to persevere in the face of hardship while maintaining their commitment to Christ and their witness to others (see 2 Tim 4:5; 1 Pet 4:1). Through endurance, believers experience growth in their character and develop spiritual maturity (Rom 5:3-4; Jas 1:2-4).

The book of Hebrews was written to a group of believers who had experienced a number of difficulties in the past including harassment, loss of property, and imprisonment (Heb 10:32-34). At the time of writing, they were experiencing similar circumstances. Thus they needed to “hold firmly” to what they believed “without wavering” (4:14; 10:23) and to endure while anticipating the fulfillment of God’s promises (6:12; 10:36). Like runners in a race, they needed to stay on the path of obedience (12:1). And like true children of a loving father, they were to receive the Lord’s discipline in order to grow in holiness (12:5-13).

All believers can look to the great examples of endurance in Scripture, including Job and the prophets (Heb 11:35-40; Jas 5:10-11). Christ, our ultimate model of endurance, “endured the cross,” knowing the “joy awaiting him” (12:1-3). Our endurance is fueled by that same hope for the future.

Passages for Further Study

Rom 5:3-4; 1 Cor 4:12; 2 Thes 1:4; Heb 6:12; 12:1-10; Jas 1:2-4; 5:11; 1 Pet 2:20

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.

6:12a

Then you will not be sluggish,

Be^(plur) careful not to become dull/lazy,
We^(excl) urge you^(plur) not to be lazy.

Then you will not be sluggish: This clause tells the result of the listeners being diligent to care for other believers. When they do that, they will not become lazy so that they stop listening to God and serving him. Instead, they will be eager to learn more about him and to serve his people.

Some other ways to translate this result are:

Then you will not become spiritually dull (NLT)

Because if you do that, you will not become lazyKankanaey back translation on TW.

you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to all the people who listened to what the author said in Hebrews.

sluggish: The Greek word that the author used here was also used in the first verse of this section (5:11). There the BSB translated it as “dull.” In Hebrews this word refers to being lazy, dull, and sluggish, especially about faith in Christ. In this context it implies that the people may become lazy. Then they may not try hard to understand what God said and obey him.

Translate this word in the same way (or a similar way) as you did in 5:11.

6:12b

but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

but imitate people who trust in God and are patient. Then they receive all that he has promised.
Instead, we want you to be like those people who inherit God’s promises because they patiently believe him.

but will imitate those: The word but introduces a contrast with 6:12a. In 6:12a the author told the Hebrews not to be sluggish. Here in 6:12b he tells them what they should do instead. They should imitate faithful believers by following their example.

Some other ways to introduce this contrast are:

Instead, you will follow the example of those… (NLT)

but to be like those… (GNT)

In some languages the contrast connection is implied by the context and a conjunction is not needed. For example:

Be like those who… (NCV)

What you should copy is the people who…Tagbanwa back translation on TW.

who…inherit what has been promised: This phrase describes the people whom the Hebrews should imitate. They should imitate the people who inherit what has been promised. The word inherit is used in a figurative way here to mean “receive.”

Some other ways to translate the phrase who…inherit what has been promised are:

those who receive what was promised

people who obtain what God promised

inherit what has been promised: The word inherit refers here to people receiving what God promised them. It implies that God made the promises for all the people who will faithfully believe what he said. The promises were not only for the first people to whom God spoke them. The phrase does not imply that someone died and other people inherited the promises from him.

Some other ways to translate inherit what has been promised are:

receive what God has promised (GNT)

are given what God promised

obtain what he has promised to themUma back translation on TW.

This phrase is similar to the phrase “inherit salvation” in 1:14. You can probably translate the word inherit in a similar way here.

what has been promised: The phrase what has been promised refers to the good things that God promised to do for his people and to what he promised to give them. God made the promises because of his grace and goodness, not because his people did something to deserve them.

The word “promise” was also used in 4:1, and you should translate a plural form of the word here. Remember that a promise tells a person’s intention to do something. The person is obligated to do what he has said or he will be disgraced. A promise is different from an oath, so you should use different ways to translate these two words.

through faith and patience: The phrase through faith and patience tells how the people obtained what God promised. They patiently believed what God said, and as a result, God did fulfill his promises to them. Notice that the words faith and patience are used here to describe one action. The people patiently had faith in God. Because of their patient faith, they received what he promised.

Some other ways to translate the phrase “those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” are:

people who believe God and who patiently wait until they obtain what he has promised to themUma back translation on TW.

those who receive what God has promised because of their persevering faith and patienceKankanaey back translation on TW.

the ones who are patient and continue to trust in God and so they receive what he promised them

faith and patience: The words faith and patience are closely related here. Together the two words describe the people’s attitude toward God. They patiently had faith in him. They continued to faithfully believe in him until he did what he promised.

In some languages it is more natural to translate the two words as one action and the manner in which the action is done. For example:

people who patiently believe in God, for because of this, they will receive…Western Bukidnon Manobo back translation on TW.

faith: The word faith refers to trusting God and believing that what he says is true. It implies here that the people have confidence in God and in what God says. In some languages it is more natural to translate the word faith as a verb here. For example:

because they trust/believe God

See the other examples in the preceding notes on 6:12b. For more information, see believe, sense C, in KBT.

patience: The Greek word that the BSB translates as patience refers to being calm and steadfast while waiting for something to happen. In this context where patience is used along with “faith” and “promises” the word patience refers to steadfastly continuing to wait and expect God to fulfill his promises.

Some other ways to translate patience here are:

patiently waitUma back translation on TW.

who really persevereYakan back translation on TW.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἵνα μή νωθροί γένησθε μιμηταί δέ τῶν διά πίστεως καί μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τάς ἐπαγγελίας)

The author speaks as if the audience could become dull, just as if they were sharp tools that become dull and no longer cut things well. He speaks in this way to exhort them not to become ineffective and slow in their behavior. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable idiom or express the idea plainly. See how you translated the similar phrase in [5:11](../05/11.md). Alternate translation: [you might not become slow] or [you might not become people who avoid doing what you should]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

μιμηταὶ δὲ

The author is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the first half of the sentence. Alternate translation: [but so that you might become imitators] or [but become imitators]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τῶν διὰ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας, κληρονομούντων

˱of˲_the_‹ones› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἵνα μή νωθροί γένησθε μιμηταί δέ τῶν διά πίστεως καί μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τάς ἐπαγγελίας)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of faith and patience, you could express the idea by using verbs or adverbs. Alternate translation: [of those who, by means of how they believed and were patient, are inheriting]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τῶν διὰ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας, κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας

The author speaks as if believers were children who would receive property that a parent passes on to their child when the parent dies. He speaks in this way to indicate that believers receive the promises from God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [of those to whom, because of their faith and patience, God is giving the promises] or [of those who by faith and patience are obtaining the promises]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

τὰς ἐπαγγελίας

The word promises refers to the contents of the promises, or what God has “promised” to give. If it would be helpful in your language, you could clarify that the author is referring to the contents of these promises. Alternate translation: [the things from God’s promises] or [the things that God has promised]

Parallel HEB 6:12

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

Paragraph 6:9–12

6:12a

6:12b