Hebrews 3:12-16

The Peril of Unbelief

12 ¹Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from ²the living God.

13 But ³encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so * that none * of you will be hardened by the ⁴deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we have become partakers of Christ, ⁵if we hold fast the beginning of our ⁶assurance firm until the end,

15 while it is said, "⁷TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

16 For who ⁸provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, ⁹did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

Hebrews 3:12-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS 3

The apostle having discoursed, in the preceding chapters, concerning the dignity of Christ's person, and his wondrous grace in the assumption of human nature, and suffering in the room and stead of his people, exhorts the Hebrews in this to a serious consideration of him, attention to him, and faith in him, and constancy in it; the arguments he uses to engage them to these things are taken from the grace and benefit they themselves were partakers of through him, from the office in which he was, and his faithfulness to his Father in the discharge of it, Heb 3:1,2 which is illustrated in the case of Moses, who was faithful in the house of God, and whom Christ excelled, and therefore was worthy of more honour; partly, because he is the builder of the house; and partly, because he is a Son in it, when Moses was only a servant; which house is Christ's own, and consists of true and steadfast believers in him, Heb 3:2-6, wherefore the exhortation to regard him is renewed, enforced, and expressed in the words of the Holy Ghost, Heb 3:7-11 which are taken out of Ps 95:7-11 and applied to the present case: hence the apostle cautions against unbelief, as being a great evil in itself, and bad in its consequence, causing persons to depart from the living God, Heb 3:12, in order to prevent which he advises to a daily exhortation of each other to their duty, that so they might not be hardened in sin through the deceitfulness of it, Heb 3:13 and the rather it became them to be concerned to hold fast their faith in Christ to the end, since this is the grand evidence of being a partaker of him, Heb 3:14. And then the exhortation in the above passage of Scripture is recited, Heb 3:15 to show, that though not all the persons spoken of, yet some did provoke the Lord by their unbelief, and unbecoming carriage, Heb 3:16 wherefore, by the example of punishment being inflicted on such, of which instances are given in the forefathers of these people, such as their carcasses falling in the wilderness, and their not entering into the land of Canaan, which they could not, because God swore they should not, being grieved and provoked by them, and because of their unbelief, they are dissuaded from the same evils, lest they should be punished in like manner, Heb 3:17-19.

Cross References

• 1. Colossians 2:8; Hebrews 12:25
• 2. Matthew 16:16; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:31; Hebrews 12:22
• 3. Hebrews 10:24
• 4. Ephesians 4:22
• 5. Hebrews 3:6
• 6. Hebrews 11:1
• 7. Psalms 95:7; Hebrews 3:7; Hebrews 4:7
• 8. Jeremiah 32:29; Jeremiah 44:3, 8
• 9. Num 14:2, 11, 30; Deut 1:35, 36, 38

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "in falling"
• [b]. Lit "in the rebellion"