American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Hebrews 11
1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Reference
Faith
2 Corinthians 5:7
Hebrews 11:7
Hebrews 10:22
Psalm 27:13
Hebrews 11:27
Hebrews 6:12
1 Corinthians 13:13
Hebrews 10:39
Hope
Psalm 42:11
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 4:18
3
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Reference
Creation
John 1:3
Revelation 4:11
Acts 17:24
Hebrews 1:2
Jeremiah 10:11
Isaiah 40:26
Acts 14:15
Faith
Romans 4:17
Word
Psalm 33:6
2 Peter 3:5
4
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaks.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 12:24
Genesis 4:10
Jude 1:11
Genesis 4:8
Genesis 4:15
Hebrews 9:22
Righteousness
Matthew 23:35
Sacrifice
Proverbs 15:8
Leviticus 9:24
Witness
Hebrews 12:1
5
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Reference
6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Reference
Faith
Romans 10:14
Psalm 73:28
Parallel theme
Proverbs 8:17
Psalm 119:10
John 14:6
References God
Matthew 6:33
1 Chronicles 28:9
Luke 12:31
Hebrews 7:25
Hebrews 3:12
7
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Reference
Faith
Romans 4:13
Romans 3:22
Galatians 5:5
Parallel theme
Luke 17:26
Proverbs 27:12
Matthew 3:7
Genesis 7:23
References God
1 Peter 3:20
Righteousness
Ezekiel 14:14
Ezekiel 14:20
8
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he went.
Reference
Faith
Romans 10:16
Hebrews 11:33
Romans 1:5
Parallel theme
1 Peter 1:22
Genesis 12:7
Genesis 22:18
Isaiah 41:2
Romans 6:17
Genesis 17:8
References Abraham
Isaiah 51:2
9
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Reference
Covenant
Hebrews 6:17
Parallel theme
Genesis 12:8
Genesis 13:18
Genesis 18:9
Genesis 13:3
Genesis 35:27
10
For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 13:14
Philippians 3:20
John 14:2
Isaiah 14:32
References God
Hebrews 12:22
Hebrews 3:4
2 Corinthians 5:1
Revelation 21:2
Hebrews 12:28
11
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Reference
12
Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
Reference
13
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Reference
Faith
Hebrews 11:39
Hebrews 11:27
Parallel theme
Psalm 39:12
Romans 8:24
John 8:56
Genesis 23:4
Ephesians 2:19
1 Peter 1:17
1 Peter 2:11
Job 19:25
14
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from where they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: why God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he has prepared for them a city.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 13:14
Philippians 3:20
John 14:2
Matthew 25:34
Hebrews 11:14
Hebrews 2:11
2 Timothy 4:18
References God
Hebrews 11:10
Hebrews 12:22
Exodus 3:6
17
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Reference
19
Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from where also he received him in a figure.
Reference
20
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22
By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Reference
23
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 1:22
Exodus 1:16
Hebrews 13:6
Isaiah 41:14
Psalm 118:6
Matthew 10:28
Isaiah 41:10
Isaiah 51:12
References Moses
Acts 7:20
Word
Isaiah 51:7
24
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 5:17
Revelation 18:7
Job 20:5
Hebrews 11:37
James 5:5
References God
Psalm 84:10
1 Peter 2:10
James 1:20
Sin
Job 36:21
26
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect to the recompense of the reward.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 11:6
Hebrews 10:35
Matthew 5:12
Revelation 3:18
Hebrews 2:2
2 Corinthians 6:10
Luke 14:14
Isaiah 51:7
References Christ
2 Corinthians 12:10
1 Peter 4:14
27
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Reference
Faith
Hebrews 11:13
Hebrews 11:1
1 Peter 1:8
Kingdom
1 Timothy 1:17
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 4:18
Exodus 11:8
James 5:11
Hebrews 10:32
Exodus 12:11
References Egypt
Exodus 4:19
28
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Reference
29
By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Reference
30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
31
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Reference
32
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 16:1
1 Samuel 1:20
Romans 4:1
Romans 7:7
1 Samuel 12:11
Prophecy
Acts 3:24
Acts 13:20
Acts 10:43
2 Peter 1:21
References David
1 Samuel 16:13
33
Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
Reference
Covenant
Hebrews 10:36
Galatians 3:16
Faith
Hebrews 11:17
Kingdom
Psalm 144:10
1 Peter 5:8
Parallel theme
Psalm 91:13
2 Timothy 4:17
34
Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Reference
35
Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Reference
36
And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yes, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Reference
Kingdom
Genesis 39:20
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 20:2
2 Chronicles 30:10
Jeremiah 20:7
2 Chronicles 36:16
2 Chronicles 16:10
37
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Reference
38
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Reference
Summary of Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11 presents faith as confident trust in God's promises and invisible realities, then demonstrates this faith through a sweeping history of people who obeyed God despite uncertainty, delayed fulfillment, suffering, persecution, danger, and death, showing that genuine faith does not depend upon immediately receiving what God has promised but continues trusting Him because His future reward is greater than present comfort.
The chapter begins by defining faith as the confident assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things that cannot yet be seen, establishing the foundation for the long series of examples that follows.
The writer then explains that the people of earlier generations received God's approval through faith, beginning with the creation of the universe and continuing through the major periods of biblical history.
Abel demonstrated faith through his acceptable offering, while Enoch demonstrated faith through a life that pleased God so deeply that he was taken from earthly life without experiencing ordinary death.
The writer then emphasizes that faith is essential for anyone who wants to approach God because genuine faith recognizes that God exists and trusts that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.
Noah provides another powerful example because he obeyed God's warning about a coming event that had not yet occurred, building the ark despite having no visible evidence of the approaching Flood.
Abraham becomes one of the chapter's most important examples because he left his homeland without knowing exactly where God would lead him, lived as a temporary resident in the promised land, and continued looking toward a greater city whose architect and builder is God.
Abraham and Sarah also trusted God's promise concerning a child even when their age made the promise appear naturally impossible, demonstrating that faith depends upon God's faithfulness rather than human circumstances.
The patriarchs continued to trust God's promises even though they died without seeing the complete fulfillment of everything God had promised them, because they understood themselves as temporary residents seeking a better and lasting homeland.
Abraham's faith reached an extraordinary level when God tested him by commanding him to offer Isaac, because Abraham trusted that God could somehow fulfill His promises even if Isaac had to be raised from the dead.
The chapter continues through Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, showing that each of these patriarchs looked beyond his immediate circumstances toward God's future purposes.
Joseph demonstrated this confidence when he spoke about Israel's future departure from Egypt even though that deliverance would happen long after his death.
The story then moves to Moses, whose parents protected him despite Pharaoh's command, while Moses himself eventually rejected the privileges of Pharaoh's household and chose to identify with God's suffering people.
Moses valued God's future reward more highly than Egypt's temporary wealth, and he courageously left Egypt because his faith enabled him to persevere as though he could see the invisible God.
His observance of the Passover demonstrated trust in God's appointed means of deliverance, while Israel's crossing of the Red Sea demonstrated collective faith in God's power to rescue them.
The chapter then moves into the conquest of Canaan, where the fall of Jericho demonstrates that obedient faith can accomplish what ordinary human strength cannot accomplish.
Rahab is also included among the faithful because she protected the Israelite spies after recognizing the authority of Israel's God, showing that faith can lead someone to make courageous decisions even when surrounded by opposition.
The writer then rapidly lists Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, acknowledging that countless additional examples could be provided.
Some faithful people experienced extraordinary victories, conquered kingdoms, practiced righteousness, received promises, escaped dangerous situations, survived lions, endured fire, and became strong after periods of weakness.
Yet Hebrews deliberately refuses to present faith as a guarantee of earthly success because other faithful people experienced mocking, imprisonment, torture, poverty, wandering, persecution, and death while remaining loyal to God.
This contrast is essential because the chapter teaches that faith is not simply believing that God will make earthly circumstances comfortable or successful.
Some believers received miraculous deliverance, while others remained faithful even when God allowed them to experience severe suffering, because their confidence rested upon a better resurrection and a greater future reward.
The chapter therefore honors people who were rejected by the world, driven into deserts and mountains, forced to live in caves, and treated as though they were unworthy, declaring that the world itself was not worthy of such faithful people.
The final verses explain that although all these people received God's approval through faith, they did not receive the complete fulfillment of the promise during their earthly lives.
God had planned something better that would include believers under the new covenant, meaning that the faith of the Old Testament saints ultimately points forward to the fulfillment accomplished through Christ.
The central message of Hebrews 11 is that true faith means trusting God's character, promises, and future purposes even when their fulfillment cannot yet be seen, and the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David, the prophets, and countless other faithful people demonstrate that genuine faith produces obedience, courage, perseverance, sacrifice, and hope through both extraordinary victories and painful suffering, because God's promised reward is greater and more lasting than anything that can be gained or lost in this present life.
The chapter begins by defining faith as the confident assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things that cannot yet be seen, establishing the foundation for the long series of examples that follows.
The writer then explains that the people of earlier generations received God's approval through faith, beginning with the creation of the universe and continuing through the major periods of biblical history.
Abel demonstrated faith through his acceptable offering, while Enoch demonstrated faith through a life that pleased God so deeply that he was taken from earthly life without experiencing ordinary death.
The writer then emphasizes that faith is essential for anyone who wants to approach God because genuine faith recognizes that God exists and trusts that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.
Noah provides another powerful example because he obeyed God's warning about a coming event that had not yet occurred, building the ark despite having no visible evidence of the approaching Flood.
Abraham becomes one of the chapter's most important examples because he left his homeland without knowing exactly where God would lead him, lived as a temporary resident in the promised land, and continued looking toward a greater city whose architect and builder is God.
Abraham and Sarah also trusted God's promise concerning a child even when their age made the promise appear naturally impossible, demonstrating that faith depends upon God's faithfulness rather than human circumstances.
The patriarchs continued to trust God's promises even though they died without seeing the complete fulfillment of everything God had promised them, because they understood themselves as temporary residents seeking a better and lasting homeland.
Abraham's faith reached an extraordinary level when God tested him by commanding him to offer Isaac, because Abraham trusted that God could somehow fulfill His promises even if Isaac had to be raised from the dead.
The chapter continues through Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, showing that each of these patriarchs looked beyond his immediate circumstances toward God's future purposes.
Joseph demonstrated this confidence when he spoke about Israel's future departure from Egypt even though that deliverance would happen long after his death.
The story then moves to Moses, whose parents protected him despite Pharaoh's command, while Moses himself eventually rejected the privileges of Pharaoh's household and chose to identify with God's suffering people.
Moses valued God's future reward more highly than Egypt's temporary wealth, and he courageously left Egypt because his faith enabled him to persevere as though he could see the invisible God.
His observance of the Passover demonstrated trust in God's appointed means of deliverance, while Israel's crossing of the Red Sea demonstrated collective faith in God's power to rescue them.
The chapter then moves into the conquest of Canaan, where the fall of Jericho demonstrates that obedient faith can accomplish what ordinary human strength cannot accomplish.
Rahab is also included among the faithful because she protected the Israelite spies after recognizing the authority of Israel's God, showing that faith can lead someone to make courageous decisions even when surrounded by opposition.
The writer then rapidly lists Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, acknowledging that countless additional examples could be provided.
Some faithful people experienced extraordinary victories, conquered kingdoms, practiced righteousness, received promises, escaped dangerous situations, survived lions, endured fire, and became strong after periods of weakness.
Yet Hebrews deliberately refuses to present faith as a guarantee of earthly success because other faithful people experienced mocking, imprisonment, torture, poverty, wandering, persecution, and death while remaining loyal to God.
This contrast is essential because the chapter teaches that faith is not simply believing that God will make earthly circumstances comfortable or successful.
Some believers received miraculous deliverance, while others remained faithful even when God allowed them to experience severe suffering, because their confidence rested upon a better resurrection and a greater future reward.
The chapter therefore honors people who were rejected by the world, driven into deserts and mountains, forced to live in caves, and treated as though they were unworthy, declaring that the world itself was not worthy of such faithful people.
The final verses explain that although all these people received God's approval through faith, they did not receive the complete fulfillment of the promise during their earthly lives.
God had planned something better that would include believers under the new covenant, meaning that the faith of the Old Testament saints ultimately points forward to the fulfillment accomplished through Christ.
The central message of Hebrews 11 is that true faith means trusting God's character, promises, and future purposes even when their fulfillment cannot yet be seen, and the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David, the prophets, and countless other faithful people demonstrate that genuine faith produces obedience, courage, perseverance, sacrifice, and hope through both extraordinary victories and painful suffering, because God's promised reward is greater and more lasting than anything that can be gained or lost in this present life.