Hebrews / Chapter 3

Hebrews 3

19 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Hebrews 3 compares Jesus to Moses, arguing that while Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, Jesus is faithful as a Son over God's house. The chapter then transitions into an extended warning passage based on Psalm 95:7-11, urging the audience not to repeat the wilderness generation's rebellion at Meribah. The hardening of hearts, the provocation in the wilderness, and the failure to enter God's rest become a cautionary paradigm for the Christian community.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The comparison with Moses is structurally daring — Moses held unparalleled authority in Judaism, yet the author subordinates him to Christ not by diminishing Moses but by elevating the category: servant versus Son, part of the house versus builder of the house. The Psalm 95 quotation initiates an argument that extends through chapter 4, making it the longest sustained Old Testament exposition in Hebrews.

Translation Friction

The phrase 'apostle and high priest of our confession' (verse 1) is the only place in the New Testament where Jesus is called 'apostle.' The warning language is strong — 'evil, unbelieving heart' (verse 12) — and the question of whether genuine believers can fall away remains debated. We render the text without resolving the theological tension.

Connections

The Moses comparison continues themes from Exodus 32-34 and Numbers 14. Psalm 95's 'rest' (katapausis) links to Genesis 2:2 (God's Sabbath rest) and will be developed in chapter 4. The 'house' language connects to the temple/tabernacle theology of chapters 8-9. The warning echoes Deuteronomy's exhortations to faithfulness.

Hebrews 3:1

Ὅθεν, ἀδελφοὶ ἅγιοι, κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι, κατανοήσατε τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν,

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

KJV Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

ἀπόστολον apostolon
"apostle" — sent one, emissary, messenger, apostle

From apostellō ('to send'). Jesus is God's authorized representative sent to humanity. This unique title in Hebrews complements 'high priest' — together they describe the complete mediatorial role.

Translator Notes

  1. This is the only verse in the New Testament that calls Jesus 'apostle' (apostolon, 'sent one'). The title pairs with 'high priest' to define Jesus's dual role: sent from God to humanity (apostle) and representing humanity before God (high priest). The word 'confession' (homologias) refers to the community's shared profession of faith. The verb katanoēsate ('consider, fix your mind on, examine carefully') demands sustained intellectual attention, not casual thought.
Hebrews 3:2

πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτὸν ὡς καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ.

He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all of God's household.

KJV Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb poiēsanti ('the one who made/appointed him') could mean 'created' or 'appointed.' In context, 'appointed' is more suitable since the comparison is about role and function, not ontology. The phrase 'in all his house' (en holō tō oikō autou) alludes to Numbers 12:7 (LXX), where God vindicates Moses: 'He is faithful in all my house.' The author affirms Moses's faithfulness before surpassing it.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Numbers 12:7. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
Hebrews 3:3

πλείονος γὰρ οὗτος δόξης παρὰ Μωϋσῆν ἠξίωται καθ' ὅσον πλείονα τιμὴν ἔχει τοῦ οἴκου ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτόν.

For Jesus has been considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

KJV For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The argument is an analogy: as builder exceeds building, so Christ exceeds Moses. The verb kataskeuasas ('the one who built, prepared, established') implies not just construction but design and purpose. Moses is part of the house (the people of God); Jesus built the house. The passive ēxiōtai ('has been considered worthy') is a divine passive — God has conferred this greater glory on Jesus.
Hebrews 3:4

πᾶς γὰρ οἶκος κατασκευάζεται ὑπό τινος, ὁ δὲ πάντα κατασκευάσας θεός.

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

KJV For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse serves as a bridge in the argument. If every house requires a builder, and God is the ultimate builder of all things, then the one who built God's house (verse 3) operates with divine authority. The implication — that Jesus as builder shares in the creative work of God — is left for the reader to infer.
Hebrews 3:5

καὶ Μωϋσῆς μὲν πιστὸς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ ὡς θεράπων εἰς μαρτύριον τῶν λαληθησομένων,

Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, as a testimony to the things that would be spoken later.

KJV And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek therapōn ('servant, attendant') is a more honorable term than doulos ('slave'). It denotes a trusted household attendant — Moses's role was noble but subordinate. The phrase eis martyrion tōn lalēthēsomenōn ('as a testimony to things that would be spoken later') casts Moses's entire ministry as preparatory and prophetic — pointing forward to Christ's fuller revelation.
Hebrews 3:6

Χριστὸς δὲ ὡς υἱὸς ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· οὗ οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς, ἐάν τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ τὸ καύχημα τῆς ἐλπίδος κατάσχωμεν.

But Christ was faithful as a Son over God's house — and we are his house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope we boast in.

KJV But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The contrast is complete: Moses was faithful in (en) the house as servant; Christ is faithful over (epi) the house as Son. The conditional 'if' (ean) introduces the first of several conditional statements in the warning passages — membership in God's house is genuine but contingent on perseverance. The Greek parrēsian ('confidence, boldness, openness of speech') and kauchēma ('boast, ground of boasting') describe an outward, expressive faith. Some manuscripts add 'firm to the end' (mechri telous bebaian), but the SBLGNT omits it.
Hebrews 3:7

Διό, καθὼς λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε,

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice,

KJV Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The quotation of Psalm 95:7-11 begins here and continues through verse 11. The attribution to the Holy Spirit (to pneuma to hagion) rather than to David reflects the author's view that Scripture's ultimate author is God himself. The word 'today' (sēmeron) becomes a key term — the author will apply this 'today' to the present moment of his audience in verses 13 and 15.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalms 95:7-11. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
Hebrews 3:8

μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ, κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ,

Indeed, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the desert:.

KJV Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek parapikrasmō ('rebellion, provocation, embitterment') translates the Hebrew Meribah ('strife, contention') from Psalm 95:8, which refers to the events at Meribah and Massah (Exodus 17:1-7). The Septuagint translates the place name as a description of the act. The verb sklērunēte ('harden') echoes the Pharaoh narrative in Exodus — the same word group describes Pharaoh's hardened heart. The author warns against repeating the pattern.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalms 95:7-11 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Exodus 17:1-7 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Hebrews 3:9

οὗ ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ καὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου

Indeed, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and noticed my works forty years.

KJV When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The shift from 'do not harden your hearts' to God speaking in first person ('me,' 'my works') is dramatic — God himself recounts the offense. The Greek dokimasia ('testing, trial, proving') suggests they put God on trial, demanding proof. Despite seeing God's works (erga mou), they still refused to trust — a failure of will, not evidence.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Psalms 95:7-11. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
Hebrews 3:10

τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη· διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ καὶ εἶπον· Ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ, αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου,

For this reason I was grieved with that generation, and stated, They do alway err in their heart. Then they have not known my ways.

KJV Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The author separates 'forty years' from the preceding verse and attaches it to God's anger rather than to the works — a subtle interpretive move that emphasizes the duration of God's displeasure. The verb prosōchthisa ('was angry, was disgusted, was grieved') is stronger than mere sadness — it carries overtones of revulsion. The Greek planōntai ('go astray, wander') pictures a people who have lost their way, a deliberate irony for a generation literally wandering in the wilderness.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalms 95:7-11 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
Hebrews 3:11

ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου· Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου.

So I swore in my anger, 'They will never enter my rest.'"

KJV So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

κατάπαυσιν katapausin
"rest" — rest, cessation, resting place, place of settlement

From katapauo ('to cause to cease, to give rest'). In this context it carries the full weight of the Hebrew menuchah — not merely stopping but arriving at the intended destination, the place of peace and completion God has prepared.

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek ei eiseleusontai ('if they will enter') reproduces a Hebrew oath formula — 'if they enter' means 'they certainly will not enter.' The concept of God's 'rest' (katapausin mou) is multivalent: it refers to the promised land (which that generation forfeited), to God's Sabbath rest (Genesis 2:2), and potentially to an eschatological rest that chapter 4 will develop. The divine oath seals the exclusion with ultimate finality.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalms 95:7-11. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Genesis 2:2. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
Hebrews 3:12

βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος,

Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

KJV Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb blepete ('watch out, be on guard') shifts from psalm quotation to direct application. The phrase kardia ponēra apistias ('evil heart of unbelief') is shocking in its directness — unbelief is not a minor failing but an evil disposition. The infinitive apostēnai ('to turn away, to stand away from') is the root of 'apostasy.' The title 'living God' (theou zōntos) heightens the gravity: the one they would be turning from is not an abstraction but the living, active God.
Hebrews 3:13

ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ σήμερον καλεῖται, ἵνα μὴ σκληρυνθῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας.

Instead, encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

KJV But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imperative parakaleite ('encourage, exhort') is plural and reciprocal — perseverance is a community project, not an individual achievement. The phrase achris hou to sēmeron kaleitai ('as long as it is still called today') turns the psalm's 'today' into a limited window of opportunity. The personification of sin as deceptive (apatē tēs hamartias) suggests that the hardening process is gradual and disguised — people do not recognize their own drift until the heart is already hardened.
Hebrews 3:14

μέτοχοι γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγόναμεν, ἐάνπερ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ὑποστάσεως μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατάσχωμεν,

For we have become partners with Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm until the end.

KJV For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The term metochoi ('partners, sharers, participants') is stronger than casual association — it implies shared ownership and joint participation. The phrase tēn archēn tēs hypostaseōs ('the beginning of our confidence/substance') is debated: hypostasis can mean 'confidence' (subjective) or 'reality/substance' (objective). In context, 'confidence' fits — the initial assurance that marked their conversion must be maintained to the end. The conditional eanper ('if indeed') is more emphatic than simple ean ('if').
Hebrews 3:15

ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαι· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ.

As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

KJV While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The psalm quotation from verse 7-8 is repeated, but now 'today' carries the full weight of the intervening argument — it is no longer just a word in an ancient psalm but a present-tense demand on the audience. The repetition functions as a literary hinge between the exposition of the psalm (verses 7-11) and its application (verses 16-19).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalms 95:7-8 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
Hebrews 3:16

τίνες γὰρ ἀκούσαντες παρεπίκραναν; ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες οἱ ἐξελθόντες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διὰ Μωϋσέως;

For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

KJV For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The rhetorical questions in verses 16-18 form a devastating catechism. The answer to each is obvious and condemning. The word parepikranan ('rebelled, provoked') echoes parapikrasmos from verse 8. The shocking point: it was not some fringe group but 'all' (pantes) who came out of Egypt — the very people who witnessed the greatest deliverance in Israel's history. Privilege of experience did not guarantee faithfulness.
Hebrews 3:17

τίσιν δὲ προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη; οὐχὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν, ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ;

And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

KJV But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek kōla ('limbs, bodies, corpses') is more graphic than 'carcases' — it evokes bodies literally falling and lying scattered across the desert landscape. The image is drawn from Numbers 14:29, 32 where God declares that the bodies of the rebellious generation would fall in the wilderness. The forty years of anger corresponds to the forty years of wandering.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Numbers 14:29. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
Hebrews 3:18

τίσιν δὲ ὤμοσεν μὴ εἰσελεύσεσθαι εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἀπειθήσασιν;

And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient?

KJV And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek apeithēsasin ('those who were disobedient') can also mean 'those who were unbelieving' — the semantic overlap between disobedience and unbelief is significant. In Hebrew thought, to disbelieve God is to disobey him, and to disobey is to disbelieve. The author will make this connection explicit in verse 19.
Hebrews 3:19

καὶ βλέπομεν ὅτι οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν εἰσελθεῖν δι' ἀπιστίαν.

So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

KJV So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The chapter's conclusion is stark: the wilderness generation's failure was ultimately a failure of faith (apistian, 'unbelief'). The verb ēdunēthēsan ('they were able') is negated — their unbelief made entry impossible, not merely unlikely. The verse links disobedience (verse 18) with unbelief (verse 19), establishing that the two are inseparable. The 'rest' that was forfeited through unbelief will be explored further in chapter 4 as still available to the present audience.
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