HEB 6:7 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.
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 a land that drinks the rain that often comes upon it and produces useful vegetation for those for whom it is also cultivated shares in a blessing from God,

UST Here is an example: God blesses any field where, once rain falls on it, crops grow that people use.

BSB For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives [the] blessing of God.

MSB For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives [the] blessing of God.

BLB For land having drunk in the rain coming often upon it and producing vegetation useful for those for the sake of whom also it is tilled, partakes of blessing from God.

AICNT For the earth, which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and produces vegetation suitable for those for whom it is also cultivated, partakes of a blessing from God.

OEB Ground that drinks in the showers that from time to time fall on it, and produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is tilled, receives a blessing from God;

WEBBE For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God.

LSV For the earth, having drunk in the rain coming on it many times, and is bringing forth herbs fit for those because of whom it is also dressed, partakes of blessing from God,

FBV Land that has been watered by rain, and produces crops for those who farm it, has God's blessing.

TCNT For land that has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.

T4T Think about this: It is land on which rain has frequently fallen [PRS] and on which plants grow [PRS] that is useful for the people who prepare the land that God has blessed. Similarly, it is those believers who have received many good things from God and who do good deeds/things that please God, whom God will bless [MET].

LEB For ground that drinks the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth vegetation usable to those people _⌊for whose sake_⌋[fn] it is also cultivated, shares a blessing from God.

6:7 Literally “for the sake of whom”

BBE For a land, drinking in the frequent rain and producing good plants for those for whom it is worked, has a blessing from God:

Moff For land which absorbs the rain that often falls on it, and bears plants that are useful to those for whom it is tilled, receives a blessing from God;

Wymth For land which has drunk in the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sakes, indeed, it is tilled, has a share in God's blessing.

ASV For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God:

DRA For the earth that drinketh in the rain which cometh often upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is tilled, receiveth blessing from God.

YLT For earth, that is drinking in the rain many times coming upon it, and is bringing forth herbs fit for those because of whom also it is dressed, doth partake of blessing from God,

Drby For ground which drinks the rain which comes often upon it, and produces useful herbs for those for whose sakes also it is tilled, partakes of blessing from [fn]God;

6.7 Elohim

RV For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God:
(For the land which hath/has drunk the rain that cometh/comes often upon it, and bringeth/brings forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God: )

SLT For the earth drinking the rain coming often upon it, and bringing forth the vegetable fitting well to them by whom it is cultivated, receives commendation from God:

Wbstr For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh often upon it, and bringeth forth herbs fit for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

KJB-1769 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
(For the earth which drinketh/drinks in the rain that cometh/comes often upon it, and bringeth/brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: )

KJB-1611 For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft vpon it, and bringeth forth herbes meet for them [fn]by whome it is dressed, receiueth blessing from God.
(For the earth which drinketh/drinks in the rain that cometh/comes often upon it, and bringeth/brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God.)

6:7 Or, for.

Bshps For the earth which drynketh in the rayne that commeth oft vppon it, and bringeth foorth hearbes meete for them by whom also it is dressed, receaueth blessyng of God:
(For the earth which drinketh/drinks in the rain that cometh/comes often upon it, and bringeth/brings forth herbs meet for them by whom also it is dressed, receives blessing of God:)

Gnva For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft vpon it, and bringeth foorth herbes meete for them by whome it is dressed, receiueth blessing of God.
(For the earth which drinketh/drinks in the rain that cometh/comes often upon it, and bringeth/brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing of God. )

Cvdl For the earth, that drynketh in the rayne, which commeth oft vpon it, and bringeth forth herbes mete for them that dresse it, receaueth blessynge of God:
(For the earth, that drinketh/drinks in the rain, which cometh/comes often upon it, and bringeth/brings forth herbs meet for them that dress it, receives blessing of God:)

TNT For that erth which drinketh in the rayne wich cometh ofte vpon it and bringeth forth erbes mete for them that dresse it receaveth blessynge of god.
(For that earth which drinketh/drinks in the rain wich cometh/comes often upon it and bringeth/brings forth herbs meet for them that dress it receives blessing of god. )

Wycl For the erthe that drinkith reyn ofte comynge on it, and bringith forth couenable erbe to hem of whiche it is tilid, takith blessing of God.
(For the earth that drinketh/drinks rain often coming on it, and bringeth/brings forth convenient herb to hem of which it is tilid, taketh/takes blessing of God.)

Luth Denn die Erde, die den Regen trinkt, der oft über sie kommt, und bequem Kraut träget denen, die sie bauen, empfänget Segen von GOtt.
(Because the earth/land/ground, the the Regen drinks(v), the/of_the oft above they/she/them comes, and comfortable/convenient Kraut träget those, the they/she/them build, empfänget blessing from God.)

ClVg Terra enim sæpe venientem super se bibens imbrem, et generans herbam opportunam illis, a quibus colitur, accipit benedictionem a Deo:[fn]
(Land because often coming over himself bibens rain, and generans grass opportunam to_them, from to_whom cultivatesur, receives blessing from to_God: )

6.7 Sæpe venientem. Dicit sæpe venientem, quia si rara, non sufficit: si assidua, vilescit. Imbrem. Doctrinam sanctam, rorem cœlorum, quem sitienti terræ pluunt cœli, id est prædicatores verbi veritatis. Generans herbam. Significat eos sæpe bibisse per legem et prophetas verbum cœlestis doctrinæ, qui nec sic prompti fuerunt germina fidei proferre. A quibus colitur. Cultores terræ sunt qui vomere spirituali arbusta conscindunt, et falce verbi Dei noxia præcidunt. Vel illi a quibus colitur. sunt illi iidem qui se colunt in bonis operibus, imitati scilicet majores, secundum illud: Et fecerunt fructum nativitatis, quia patres suos, qui eos in fide genu erunt, imitantur.

6.7 Often coming. Sayit often coming, because when/but_if rara, not/no enough: when/but_if assidua, vilescit. Imbrem. Doctrinam holy, rorem of_the_heavens, which thirsty of_the_earth/land pluunt heavens, that it_is preachers words to_the_truths. Generans grass. It_means them often bibisse through the_law and a_prophets the_word/saying heavenly doctrines, who/which but_not so prompti they_were germina of_faith to_bring_forth. From to_whom cultivatesur. Cultores of_the_earth/land are who/which vomit spiritual bushes conscindunt, and sickle words of_God night/darknessia beforecidunt. Or them from to_whom cultivatesur. are them the_same who/which himself they_worship in/into/on good works, imitati namely elders, after/second it/this/that: And they_did fruit birth, because fathers his_own, who/which them in/into/on with_faith knee they_will_be, they_imitate.

UGNT γῆ γὰρ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ’ αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετόν, καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον, ἐκείνοις δι’ οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ;
(gaʸ gar haʸ piousa ton ep’ autaʸs erⱪomenon pollakis hueton, kai tiktousa botanaʸn eutheton, ekeinois di’ hous kai geōrgeitai, metalambanei eulogias apo tou Theou;)

SBL-GNT γῆ γὰρ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ⸂ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις⸃ ὑετόν, καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις διʼ οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ·
(gaʸ gar haʸ piousa ton epʼ autaʸs ⸂erⱪomenon pollakis⸃ hueton, kai tiktousa botanaʸn eutheton ekeinois diʼ hous kai geōrgeitai, metalambanei eulogias apo tou theou;)

RP-GNT Γῆ γὰρ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῆς πολλάκις ἐρχόμενον ὑετόν, καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις δι' οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ·
(Gaʸ gar haʸ piousa ton ep' autaʸs pollakis erⱪomenon hueton, kai tiktousa botanaʸn eutheton ekeinois di' hous kai geōrgeitai, metalambanei eulogias apo tou theou;)

TC-GNT Γῆ γὰρ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς [fn]πολλάκις ἐρχόμενον ὑετόν, καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις δι᾽ οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ·
(Gaʸ gar haʸ piousa ton ep autaʸs pollakis erⱪomenon hueton, kai tiktousa botanaʸn eutheton ekeinois di hous kai geōrgeitai, metalambanei eulogias apo tou Theou; )

6:7 πολλακις ερχομενον ¦ ερχομενον πολλακις CT

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 Group 6:4–8

In the second (6:4–6) and third (6:7–8) paragraphs in this chapter the author gave the third warning in Hebrews (as indicated in the Outline). In 6:4–6 he warned that if people “fall away” from their faith, they bring disgrace to God’s Son. It is impossible to make them repent again. In 6:7–8 he compared faithful and unfaithful believers to fruitful and unfruitful land. Land that produces only thorns must be burned.

6:7a

For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it

¶ Some land absorbs the rain that often falls on it.
¶ People are like soil/ground. Some soil/ground soaks up rain water, as often as the rains come.
¶ God blesses land that has rain often falling on it,

For: This verse illustrates two different responses to the blessings of following Christ. Some of these blessings are listed in 6:4–5 (“the heavenly gift, the Holy Spirit, the word of God, the powers of the coming age”). The author introduces the illustration with the Greek word that the BSB translates as For.

Some other ways to introduce the illustration are:

Use a phrase that indicates what the paragraph will illustrate. For example:
Some people are like land that…. (NCV)
An example of this is earth/ground. If it is…Tagbanwa back translation on TW.
Change the order of phrases in the verse so that 6:7c (“receives a blessing from God”) comes at the beginning. For example:
God blesses the land which… (GNT)
The people whom God blesses are like land…

It is good to read 6:4–8 carefully again before you decide how to connect 6:4–6 with 6:7–8. In some languages an introductory word or phrase may not be needed, as in the NRSV. See the General Comment on 6:7–8 at the end of 6:8b for more information.

land that drinks in the rain often falling on it: This phrase describes a farm or garden that often receives rain. The verb drinks in means “absorbs” or “soaks in.” It implies that the farm has a type of soil that absorbs the rain so that the plants can use it. Describe this process in a natural way in your language.

Some ways to translate this phrase are:

the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on it (NET)

Some people are like a farm that receives plenty of rain

land: The word land refers here to land that is farmed. Some other ways to translate it are:

farm

field

ground

6:7b

and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended

Then it produces a harvest which helps/benefits those who own the land.
Then the seeds that the farmer planted grow well and mature, and the crops/plants are useful to him.

that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended: The Greek word botanē which is translated “crops” only occurs here in the NT. This clause refers to land where useful plants grow. These plants could be food crops or crops that are used for other purposes. In some languages it is not natural to speak of ground or land producing a crop. Some other ways to translate the meaning are:

where plants grow that are useful to the land ownerKankanaey back translation on TW.

the plants are healthy there and this is of great value to the owner of the land

for whom it is tended: The verb it is tended is passive. The phrase implies that people farm the land for themselves or for other owners. In some languages it is more natural to use an active verb. For example:

The land produces a good crop for those who cultivate/dig (NCV)

6:7c

receives the blessing of God.

That is the kind of land which God blesses.
God is pleased with people who are like that soil/ground, and he continues to do good to them.

receives the blessing of God: The phrase receives the blessing of God indicates that God does good to the land. He continues to cause it to be fruitful. For example:

God blesses well-watered land that produces a crop.

People who are like such land receive God’s favor.

the blessing: The word blessing refers to favor from God. It implies that God is pleased with the person or things that he blesses, and he does good things for them. See blessing, sense C1(a), in KBT.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: γῆ Γάρ ἡ πιοῦσα τόν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετόν καί τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις διʼ οὕς καί γεωργεῖται μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπό τοῦ Θεοῦ)

The word For introduces an example that uses farming language to illustrate two ways in which a person could respond to the good news. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces an example, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [For example,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

γῆ & ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ’ αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετόν, καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον, ἐκείνοις δι’ οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ

land & ¬which ˓having˒_drunk (Some words not found in SR-GNT: γῆ Γάρ ἡ πιοῦσα τόν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετόν καί τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις διʼ οὕς καί γεωργεῖται μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπό τοῦ Θεοῦ)

Throughout this verse, the author speaks of land as if it could “drink,” “produce,” and “share.” This was a natural way to express how land relates to crops and rain in the author’s culture. Use a natural way in your language to refer to how land is involved in the farming process. Alternate translation: [a land that absorbs the rain that often falls on it and on which grows useful vegetation for those for whom it is also cultivated receives a blessing from God]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

βοτάνην εὔθετον

vegetation suitable

The phrase useful vegetation refers to plants that grow on the land and that benefit people. They could be plants that people eat, or they could be plants that people use for other purposes. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that refers to plants that people use. Alternate translation: [helpful crops] or [edible plants]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

καὶ γεωργεῖται

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. The author uses the passive form here to focus on the land that is cultivated rather than on the people doing the cultivating. If you must state who did the action, you could refer to farmers or people in general. Alternate translation: [farmers cultivate it]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ

˓is˒_partaking ˱of˲_blessing (Some words not found in SR-GNT: γῆ Γάρ ἡ πιοῦσα τόν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετόν καί τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις διʼ οὕς καί γεωργεῖται μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπό τοῦ Θεοῦ)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of blessing, you could express the idea by using a verb such as “bless.” Alternate translation: [is blessed by God] or [is one that God blesses]

Parallel HEB 6:7

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

Paragraph Group 6:4–8

6:7a

6:7b

6:7c