New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Hebrews 11
1
Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.
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
We have faith. So we understand that everything was made when God commanded it. That's why we believe that what we see was not made out of what could be seen.
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
Abel had faith. So he offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. Because of his faith Abel was praised as a godly man. God said good things about his offerings. Because of his faith Abel still speaks. He speaks even though he is dead.
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
Enoch had faith. So he was taken from this life. He didn't die. He just couldn't be found. God had taken him away. Before God took him, Enoch was praised as one who pleased God.
Reference
6
Without faith it isn't possible to please God. Those who come to God must believe that he exists. And they must believe that he rewards those who look to 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
Noah had faith. So he built an ark to save his family. He built it because of his great respect for God. God had warned him about things that could not yet be seen. Because of his faith he showed the world that it was guilty. Because of his faith he was considered right with God.
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
Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn't know where he was going.
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
Because of his faith he made his home in the land God had promised him. He was like an outsider in a strange country. He lived there in tents. So did Isaac and Jacob. They received the same promise he did.
Reference
Covenant
Hebrews 6:17
Parallel theme
Genesis 12:8
Genesis 13:18
Genesis 18:9
Genesis 13:3
Genesis 35:27
10
Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built.
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
Abraham had faith. So God made it possible for him to become a father. He became a father even though he was too old. Sarah also was too old to have children. But Abraham believed that the One who made the promise was faithful.
Reference
12
Abraham was past the time when he could have children. But many children came from that one man. They were as many as the stars in the sky. They were as many as the sand on the seashore. No one could count them.
Reference
13
All those people were still living by faith when they died. They didn't receive the things God had promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a long way off. They openly said that they were outsiders and strangers on 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
People who say things like that show that they are looking for a country of their own.
15
What if they had been thinking of the country they had left? Then they could have returned to it.
16
Instead, they longed for a better country. They wanted one in heaven. So God is pleased when they call him their God. In fact, he has prepared a city for them.
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
Abraham had faith. So he offered Isaac as a sacrifice. That happened when God put him to the test. Abraham had received the promises. But he was about to offer his one and only son.
Reference
18
God had said to him, "Your family line will continue through Isaac."--(Genesis 21:12) Even so, Abraham was going to offer him up.
Reference
19
Abraham believed that God could raise the dead. In a way, he did receive Isaac back from death.
Reference
20
Isaac had faith. So he blessed Jacob and Esau. He told them what was ahead for them.
21
Jacob had faith. So he blessed each of Joseph's sons. He blessed them when he was dying. Because of his faith he worshiped God as he leaned on the top of his wooden staff.
22
Joseph had faith. So he spoke to the people of Israel about their leaving Egypt. He gave directions about his bones. He did that toward the end of his life.
Reference
23
Moses' parents had faith. So they hid him for three months after he was born. They saw he was a special child. They were not afraid of the king's command.
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
Moses had faith. So he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. That happened after he had grown up.
25
He chose to be treated badly together with the people of God. He chose that instead of enjoying sin's pleasures for a short time.
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
He suffered shame because of Christ. He thought it had great value. He considered it better than the riches of Egypt. He was looking ahead to God's 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
Because of his faith he left Egypt. It wasn't because he was afraid of the king's anger. He didn't let anything stop him. He saw the One who can't be seen.
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
Because of his faith he was the first to keep the Passover Feast. He commanded the people of Israel to sprinkle blood on their doorways. He did it so that the destroying angel would not touch their oldest sons.
Reference
29
The people had faith. So they passed through the Red Sea. They went through it as if it were dry land. The Egyptians tried to do it also. But they drowned.
Reference
30
The people had faith. So the walls of Jericho fell down. It happened after they had marched around the city for seven days.
31
Rahab, the prostitute, had faith. So she welcomed the spies. That's why she wasn't killed with those who didn't obey God.
Reference
32
What more can I say? I don't have time to tell about all the others. I don't have time to talk about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah. I don't have time to tell about David, Samuel and 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
Because of their faith they took over kingdoms. They ruled fairly. They received the blessings God had promised. They shut 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
They put out great fires. They escaped being killed by the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became powerful in battle. They beat back armies from other countries.
Reference
35
Women received their dead back. The dead were raised to life again. Others were made to suffer greatly. But they refused to be set free. They did that so that after death they would be raised to a better life.
Reference
36
Some were laughed at. Some were whipped. Still others were held by chains. They were put in prison.
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
Some were killed with stones. They were sawed in two. They were put to death by the sword. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor. They were attacked. They were treated badly.
Reference
38
The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains. They lived in caves. They lived in holes in the ground.
Reference
39
All of those people were praised because they had faith. But none of them received what God had promised.
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.