Practical Considerations in 11:20–22

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

The son, grandson, and great-grandson of Abraham span the generations and centuries by faith. In their old age, with death approaching, the patriarchs Jacob and Joseph passed on blessings and instructions concerning the Promised Land.

20. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

In this verse and the next two verses, the author unfolds an interesting description of the patriarchal blessings. Note that in the case of Abraham’s sons, not Ishmael but Isaac received the blessing. Isaac was the son of the promise. In the next generation, not Esau, the first-born, but Jacob received the covenant blessing that God had given to Abraham and his descendants. Next, not Reuben, Jacob’s first-born, but Joseph received the blessings in his sons Manasseh and Ephraim. And last, not Manasseh, Joseph’s first-born, but Ephraim received the choice blessing. God’s electing love is independent of the rules and regulations concerning the right of the first-born (Deut. 21:15–17). The reason that the names of the patriarchs Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph appear in the list of the heroes of faith is that they exhibited their faith in God.

Isaac knew that he was the recipient of God’s favor. God appeared to him and repeated the promise he had made to Abraham: “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed” (Gen. 26:4). And when Isaac sent Jacob on his way to Paddan Aram, he blessed his son with a similar blessing. Said he, “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham” (Gen. 28:3–4). Isaac virtually repeated the words of the ancient promise first given to Abraham. For this reason the author of Hebrews lists Isaac among the men of faith. Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in faith (Gen. 27:27–28, 39–40). Jacob, not Esau, however, continued in the line of faith, as the writer notes afterward (Heb. 12:16–17).

Even though Isaac was an old man when he blessed his sons, his hour of death came more than forty years later (Gen. 27:2; 35:28–29). He lived to be 180 years old. His son Jacob pronounced the patriarchal blessing on the sons of Joseph when he was ill and expected the end of his life (Gen. 48:1, 21).

21. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

The writer of Hebrews omits any reference to the blessings that Jacob pronounced on his sons as the patriarch predicted the future (Gen. 49). Instead he selects the incident when Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons as a demonstration of Jacob’s faith. That historic moment was indeed significant. Note these points:

a. In his first act of blessing, Jacob addressed Joseph and repeated the words of the promise God had given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God had told Jacob, “I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land [of Canaan] as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you” (Gen. 48:4). This was the patriarchal blessing passed on from one generation to the next.

b. When Joseph with his two sons came to Jacob, he received the blessing of the first-born. He received a double portion not of Jacob’s herds and flocks, but of the promised land of Canaan. Not Joseph himself, but each of his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim received this blessing. They became two tribes in Israel because Jacob accepted Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons (Gen. 48:5).

c. Blessing the two sons of Joseph, Jacob functioned as king of the Promised Land. The patriarch crossed his arms and granted the blessing of the first-born not to Manasseh but to Ephraim (Gen. 48:12–20). In the course of time, the tribe of Ephraim indeed became a leader in Israel. In faith, Jacob looked into the future and was given prophetic insight. He knew that God would fulfill the patriarchal blessing in the sons of Joseph.

d. Convinced that God would fulfill his promise, Jacob gave Joseph instructions to bury him in the cave of Machpelah in the land of Canaan (Gen. 47:29–31; 50:12–14). Jacob’s grave in the Promised Land would serve as a testimony and an encouragement to his descendants that they, too, would enter their inheritance.

e. Jacob worshiped his God as he leaned on his staff.³⁷ He fully acknowledged God’s power and presence in the development of the patriarchal blessing. He worshiped in faith.

22. By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

Of all Joseph’s earlier trials and experiences in which his faith had been tested, the writer of Hebrews selects none. He is interested in the promise of God that Abraham’s descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. Therefore, the words Joseph spoke to his brothers at the end of his life are important. He said, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Gen. 50:24). The golden thread of the promise binds the patriarchs in faith that transcends the generations.

At the age of seventeen (Gen. 37:2), Joseph was sold to Midianite merchants who took him from his native land to Egypt. Joseph returned briefly to Canaan for the burial of his father Jacob (Gen. 50:4–14). He had lived at the court of Pharaoh, had married an Egyptian, and had the Egyptian name Zaphenath-Paneah. Nevertheless, Joseph remained true to the God of his fathers, and when he knew that the end of his life was near, he prophesied concerning the patriarchal blessing. He predicted the exodus of Jacob’s descendants from Egypt. And in faith he told these descendants to carry his bones from Egypt to Canaan (Gen. 50:25). When the exodus occurred, “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him” (Exod. 13:19). “And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem” (Josh. 24:32) within the land allotted to the tribe of Ephraim.

Joseph’s command to bury his bones in Canaan was not an act of nostalgia or superstition, but an act of faith. Prophetically he spoke of the exodus and in faith saw that his remains would be carried to the Promised Land. He believed that God would fulfill his word.

Practical Considerations in 11:20–22

What a joy to see the “faith of our fathers” spanning the generations! The author of Hebrews lists the names of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Each belonged to the covenant that God had made with Abraham when God said, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Gen. 17:7). God keeps his word throughout the generations.

When parents see the love of the Lord in their children, who express a desire to do his will, their hearts are filled with gratitude to God. To see the next generation take up the torch of faith is an evident sign of God’s faithfulness.

But when parents see their sons and daughters turn away from God and his Word, in spite of the training in home, church, and perhaps school, their parental hearts grieve. Isaac and Rebekah endured constant grief when Esau lived a life of disobedience (Gen. 26:34–35). And on his deathbed Jacob pronounced a curse on Simeon and Levi (Gen. 49:7). Salvation cannot be inherited; it is a gift of God. Parents of spiritually wayward sons and daughters need to pray that God in his grace will give them this gift. By exercising their faith, they trust in God’s unlimited power to save their prodigal son or daughter.

Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 11:20–22

Verse 20

καί—although some leading manuscripts omit this conjunction, external textual evidence for its inclusion is strong. The translators of the New International Version have omitted it. Other translations include it and take it either as a connective or as an emphatic: “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come” (NASB).

Verse 22

τῆς ἐξόδου—the writer of Hebrews employs this noun with the definite article as a technical term for the exodus of the Israelites. The term occurs frequently in the Septuagint as a designation for Israel’s departure from Egypt. In the New Testament it appears in three places: in Luke 9:31 and II Peter 1:15, it refers to death; and in Hebrews 11:22, to the exodus.

E. The Faith of Moses

11:23–29

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

1. Moses’ Childhood and Position

11:23–26

Abraham is the father of believers, but Moses is the father of the nation of Israel. The author of Hebrews devotes five sections that begin with the formula by faith to Moses (vv. 23, 24, 27, 28, 29). The first of these instances relates to Moses’ parents; the last, the people of Israel.

23. By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

The writer of Hebrews opens the Book of Exodus and reads about the cruel command of Pharaoh to kill all the Hebrew male children at birth. A Levite and his fianceé, Amram and Jochebed, decide to get married. Subsequently they are blessed with the birth of a son. Now they face the possibility of losing their child. They act boldly in faith. Seeing that their son is a most attractive child, they defy the king’s command. What gives Amram and Jochebed the courage to disobey? Most likely, they see in their strikingly handsome son a sign of God’s approval (see Exod. 2:2; Acts 7:20).³⁸ And because of God’s favor they continue to exercise their faith. They hide Moses for three months until necessity dictates that they devise new ways to protect him. Unafraid of the king and his men, they decide to hide Moses among the reeds of the Nile River.³⁹ God protects Moses royally when the daughter of Pharaoh tells Jochebed to nurse the child and pays her for the service. When Moses is old enough to leave his parental home, he enters the royal palace of Pharaoh. God honors the faith of Moses’ parents, because he protects Moses by having him live in the palace of Pharaoh who had given orders to destroy the male babies of the Hebrews.

24. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Stephen relates that Pharaoh’s daughter took Moses “and brought him up as her own son.” He concludes, “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:21–22). Apparently Stephen had access to a source of oral tradition, for he states that Moses was forty years old when he decided to throw in his lot with the Hebrew slaves. In spite of his training at Pharaoh’s court, Moses put his faith in Israel’s God and severed his ties with Pharaoh’s daughter. He refused to be recognized as an Egyptian prince, for he knew himself to be a descendant of Abraham, a son of the covenant that God had made with the patriarch, and a Hebrew who longed to be free. He identified with the oppressed Hebrew slaves.

The author of Hebrews writes that Moses by faith “refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” The title son of Pharaoh’s daughter was prestigious in Egypt and entailed power and privileges. To break the tie with the daughter of Pharaoh and to choose to be identified with the mistreated Hebrew slaves called for faith and courage. Moses acted not rashly in youthful fervor but maturely as a man who at the age of forty was fully educated. Deliberately he associated with “the people of God,” the Hebrews.

25. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.

In God’s providence, Moses received training that enabled him to become a leader of a nation. He was uniquely qualified to lead the nation Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Thus he regarded himself as God’s appointed deliverer of Israel. Says Stephen, “Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not” (Acts 7:25). Although Moses had been trained, he was not yet ready to govern the nation Israel. His own people were not yet ready to accept him.

Moses, however, had cast his lot with the Israelites. His people, not the Egyptians, were the recipients of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Should he have sided with the Egyptians and turned his back on the people of God, he would have committed the sin of apostasy. In the words of the writer of Hebrews, he would have turned “away from the living God” (3:12). The choice Moses faced, then, was not so much between either being mistreated or enjoying the pleasures of Egypt as between either associating with the people of God or falling into the sin of apostasy.⁴⁰ Moses chose mistreatment and identified himself with God’s people.

Moses could have taken a halfway position. As the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he might have said that his influence would be incalculable in setting the Israelites free. In earlier times Joseph had wielded his power and authority in the interest of Jacob and his descendants. No one would have chided Moses if he had stayed in Egypt. But Joseph by faith predicted the exodus and made his brothers promise to take his bones with them for burial in Canaan. Likewise Moses sided with the Hebrew slaves and renounced his royal title son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

26. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

This verse relates three main thoughts.

a. Christ

The writer is rather explicit in his wording, for he refers to the Christ, in the original Greek. Elsewhere in his epistle he says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8). Because Christ transcends the centuries, the author of Hebrews confidently asserts that Moses endured disgrace for the sake of Christ. Moses considered disgrace for Christ of greater significance than all the glittering riches of Egypt. The writer, therefore, implies that even though Moses never used the name Messiah, he was fully aware of his presence and his coming.

Nevertheless, the reader of this passage faces some problems in interpreting it. For instance, Moses had no idea of the person and work of Christ as we know Jesus from the pages of the New Testament. Moses had the promises God had given to his ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These promises related to the growth of the nation Israel, the inheritance of Canaan, and the coming of the Christ. Moses saw the fulfillment of the promise that Abraham’s descendants would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore” (Heb. 11:12; see also Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 32:12). And he realized that the time for the exodus and the return to Canaan was imminent. That he believed in the coming Deliverer is not in question. The problem of understanding the meaning of the word Christ centers on Christ’s place in the context of the Old Testament.

Some commentators seek an explanation in symbolism. They point to the fulfillment of the prophecy in which God says, “out of Egypt I called my son” (Hos. 11:1) and see an identification of Christ with the nation Israel. Both of them came forth out of Egypt. Others understand the expression the Anointed (the Messiah) to refer in a collective sense to Israel (Ps. 89:50–51). Still others think that Christ accompanied the Israelites during the time of the exodus and the journey to the Promised Land (I Cor. 10:4). Based on Scripture, all these comments are helpful in understanding the text at hand. However, we ought not expect more from a text than the author intends to convey.⁴¹

b. Comparison

The emphasis falls on this comparison: “disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt.” This is a comparison of spiritual riches and earthly treasures. The words of the Beatitudes readily come to mind: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:11–12).

To insult is a passion that originates in man’s sinful heart. Man directs this passion against his fellow man, especially the person who is righteous. And insult directed against man is ultimately directed against God. We know that the Israelites endured daily abuse from their ruthless Egyptian taskmasters (Exod. 1:11–14). God saw the misery of the Israelites, heard their cries, and was concerned about their suffering (Exod. 3:7). Moses deliberately sought identity with these Hebrew slaves because he believed that God would set his people free and fulfill his promises. Moses knew that gaining spiritual objectives for the cause of God’s people was incomparably better than becoming heir to the riches of Egypt. He pursued his spiritual objectives, even though that pursuit resulted in scorn, derision, abuse, and disgrace. Moses, however, “was looking ahead to his reward.”

c. Compensation

Although Scripture clearly teaches that no man is able to earn salvation, the term reward (for example, see Heb. 10:35; 11:6) appears repeatedly. That is, God rewards man on the basis of divine sovereignty and not because of merit. “Every claim to one’s deserts must fall silent in the face of the demand for total obedience.”⁴² But Jesus’ word is reassuring to every believer who seeks to do God’s will. Jesus said, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42). In his sovereign grace God rewards anyone who diligently seeks him in faith. And that is exactly what Moses did in Egypt. He looked to God for his reward.

2. Moses’ Leadership

11:27–29

27. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

What does the writer mean when he writes “he left Egypt”? Moses left Egypt twice. The first time he fled because he feared for his life after he had killed an Egyptian (Exod. 2:14–15). Between the first and the second time lies a forty-year period (Acts 7:30).

Considering the flow of the author’s thought in respect to the flight of Moses in chapter 11, we note that he selects significant incidents that underscore Moses’ faith. He begins with the act of faith exercised by Moses’ parents (v. 23). In the next section he presents Moses as a man of faith at Pharaoh’s court. The summary of this period of Moses’ life begins with the formula by faith. Then, describing Moses’ faith in three sentences, the author mentions Moses’ refusal to be called son of Pharaoh’s daughter, his choice to identify with the people of God, and his decision to endure disgrace rather than enjoy royal treasures (vv. 24–26). Next the writer selects Moses’ departure from Egypt as an example of an act of faith (v. 27). Also, the account of the institution of the Passover, whereby the first-born of Israel were saved, depicts Moses as a man of faith (v. 28). And last, the crossing of the Red Sea represents the faith of Moses and the Israelites (v. 29). The writer of Hebrews, then, enumerates specific events from the life of Moses in which his faith triumphed.

Was Moses’ flight from Egypt after he killed an Egyptian an act of faith? The Exodus account relates that Moses was afraid and that Pharaoh tried to kill him (Exod. 2:14–15). If Moses left Egypt in fear, we have difficulty believing that his flight was an act of faith. Why would the author of Hebrews select this incident as an example of Moses’ trust in God? Moreover, the writer adds that Moses did not fear the anger of the king. This observation makes the interpretation of Moses’ flight to Midian rather complicated.

By contrast, after Moses had waited forty years in Midian, God called him and spoke to him from the burning bush. He instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh and to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt (Exod. 3:10). This was an assignment that demanded faith. Moses repeatedly objected until God reassured him that the elders of Israel would listen to him (v. 18), that God would “make the Egyptians favorably disposed” to the Israelites (v. 21), that Moses would perform miracles (Exod. 4:1–9), and that Moses’ brother Aaron would accompany him (vv. 14–16). After receiving these divine instructions, Moses became a man of faith who was unafraid of Pharaoh. The responsibility of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt was assigned to Moses in his capacity of Israel’s leader. Furthermore, the entire verse—“By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible”—refers to all the confrontations Moses had with Pharaoh in his effort to gain freedom for God’s people.⁴³ That “he left Egypt” is then the culmination of a series of events. One of these events is the institution of the Passover, to which the author of Hebrews pays particular attention in the next verse.⁴⁴ And the clause “not fearing the king’s anger” covers the period of the ten plagues and Pharaoh’s pursuit of the Israelites to the waters of the Red Sea (Exod. 14:5–28).⁴⁵ Moses is the man of faith, who tells the people not to be afraid, to stand firm, and to see the Lord fight for them (vv. 13–14). By faith Moses was unafraid, for he knew that God was on his side.

The words “he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” take on added meaning against the setting of Moses’ experience of seeing the burning bush in Midian. Also, God spoke to Moses repeatedly in Egypt. During the wilderness journey, “the Lord would speak to Moses …, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exod. 33:11; also see Num. 12:7–8). Although Moses was not permitted to see the face of God, he did see his back (Exod. 33:23). The abiding presence of God, especially during Moses’ trying days in Egypt, strengthened Moses’ faith. Because of God’s instructions, Moses was able to persevere in faith and accomplish his task to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.

From the general context of the account in Exodus, the author of Hebrews moves to a specific incident: the institution of the Passover celebration.

28. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

“By faith,” writes the author of Hebrews. In selecting the mountaintop experiences of Moses’ life of faith, the author takes the incident of the institution of the Passover feast. This experience was different from the preceding instances. For the first time the Israelites themselves were involved, for they with Moses had to exercise their faith in God. Second, this experience was essentially spiritual. In the days of Abraham, God instituted the sacrament of circumcision. When the Israelites were about to leave Egypt, God inaugurated the Old Testament sacrament of the Passover. And he appointed Moses to instruct the people of Israel to implement this sacrament. Moses’ task of instructing a nation of slaves in the meaningful celebration of the Passover was an act of faith. To understand the meaning of the phrase by faith, we must note the following points:

a. Institution of Passover

God told Moses to keep the Passover and to sprinkle the blood of the lamb that was slain. The word Passover is a popular translation of the Hebrew original which may mean “to pass over by sparing” someone.⁴⁶ Obviously, the word relates to the Exodus account, where Moses instructs the elders of Israel to slaughter the Passover lamb. They had to put some of the blood of the lamb on the top and sides of the doorframe of the houses of the Israelites. “When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians,” said Moses, “he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down” (Exod. 12:23).

Moses instituted the festival of Passover as an annual event. On the fourteenth day of the month Nisan (approximately March-April), each family had to select and kill a year-old male lamb, without blemish, at sundown (Exod. 12:5; Lev. 23:5; Deut. 16:6). The blood of the lamb had to be smeared on the doorposts and lintel of the house. The lamb was roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Everything had to be eaten that evening. If food was left, it had to be burned (Exod. 12:10; 34:25). The meal had to be eaten in haste. And the festival had to be observed as “a lasting ordinance” (Exod. 12:14).⁴⁷

b. Sprinkling of blood

Before the Israelites were to leave Egypt, they had to sacrifice a lamb and put some of its blood on the doorposts and lintel of their house. God would go throughout the land of Egypt and strike down every first-born of man and animal. But if a house had the blood of a lamb on its doorpost and lintel, God would spare its inhabitants. Moses listened obediently to God’s instructions and in faith passed them on to the Israelites. Could he expect the Israelites to obey the command of God? If they failed to listen, they would suffer the death of their first-born. And Moses himself put full confidence in God. If the blood of the lamb proved to be ineffective in protecting the first-born from the destructive power of the angel of death, his role as leader of the people would end abruptly. To establish Moses’ authority in spiritual matters, the people of Israel would have to see that not one first-born died in those houses where the blood of a lamb had been sprinkled. How many first-born among the Israelites were spared? We know that the nation numbered 603,550 men who were twenty years or older (Num. 1:45). Moses’ faith stood the test when numberless first-born of man and animal were saved.

c. Salvation of first-born

Why would God strike down the first-born of the Egyptians and protect those of the Israelites? Certainly not because of any merit in the nation Israel. Within a relatively short time, all the Israelites of twenty years and older would hear the verdict: all of them would perish in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb (Num. 14:29–30). God spared the first-born because the Israelites believed God and obeyed his word. Their first-born were spared because the atoning blood of the Passover lamb was sprinkled on the entrance of their homes. The Israelites had to see physically and spiritually that salvation comes from the Lord.

The festival of Passover became the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Passover lamb in the New Testament times was Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36; I Peter 1:19). Christ Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all men” (I Tim. 2:6).

The author of Hebrews says nothing about the work of Christ at this point. He depicts the life of faith of Moses and the Israelites. Their keeping of the Passover feast was the beginning of an observance that would lead to and end in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Covered by his blood, countless believers are saved.

29. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

In the eighth century John of Damascus composed a hymn in which he gave expression to the joy the Israelites experienced after crossing the Red Sea.

Come, ye faithful, raise the strain

Of triumphant gladness;

God hath brought his Israel

Into joy from sadness;

Loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke

Jacob’s sons and daughters;

Led them with unmoistened foot

Through the Red Sea waters.

—translated by John Mason Neale

Israel expressed joy and gladness in the so-called Song of Moses (Exod. 15:1–18), and no wonder—faith had triumphed. The Israelites looked back upon the waters of the Red Sea and saw that the Lord had fought for them and had given them the victory (Exod. 14:14).

But what of Israel’s faith in crossing the Red Sea? Instead of acting in faith they cowered in fear. No faith is evident in their complaint against Moses: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exod. 14:11–12). And the fact that the Israelites, except Joshua and Caleb, died in the desert because of their lack of faith in God makes the phrase by faith rather general.

The writer of Hebrews has already spoken about the lack of faith of the Israelites. Candidly he asks, “Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?” (3:16). But because of the faith of those who genuinely believed in the promise that God would save the nation Israel from the imminent attack of the Egyptian military forces, God led his people safely to the other side of the Red Sea. From the Exodus account we learn that Moses’ faith was undaunted. By faith he knew that the Lord would deliver the Israelites and the Egyptians would meet defeat (14:13–14).⁴⁸

The contrast with respect to faith and unbelief is not between the faithful minority and the complaining, terrified Israelites. Rather, the contrast is between the nation Israel that expressed faith in God and thus was victorious and the unbelieving king and army of Egypt who perished in the waters of the Red Sea. The Israelites listened to Moses’ instructions; they saw the Red Sea divided and the path through the sea as dry land; they noticed that the pillar of cloud had shifted from being in front of them to being behind them; and in the light of that cloud they reached the other shore. The Egyptians tried to do exactly the same thing. But it was not the same.⁴⁹ The Egyptian army spent the night in darkness; they followed the Israelites into the sea; they experienced difficulties in driving their chariots; and they suddenly saw the waters of the Red Sea rising. All of them drowned; “not one of them survived” (Exod. 14:28). They had entered the Red Sea without faith in Israel’s God. When they realized that the Lord was fighting for the Israelites, it was too late.

The Israelites were victorious because they had listened to the instructions God had given to Moses. They had acted in faith. But this act of faith is indeed the only one recorded. The writer of Hebrews chooses this act in view of Moses’ trust in God. The next act relates to the fall of Jericho’s walls, but that happened forty years later when the next generation had taken the places of their parents. This generation differed from the one that left Egypt. Whereas the people leaving Egypt failed to trust the Lord, the new generation faithfully executed divine instructions.

Practical Considerations in 11:23–29

Among the heroes of faith stand Amram and Jochebed, the father and mother of Moses. They put their full confidence in God when they married, when children were born, and when hiding the infant Moses became an impossible task. Moses’ resourceful parents exercised their faith, used their imagination, and demonstrated their courage when they constructed a simple basket made of papyrus reeds, tar, and pitch. They placed the three-month-old Moses in the basket, had Moses’ sister watch him, and put the basket among the reeds of the Nile. Undoubtedly they knew that Pharaoh’s daughter would bathe along the riverbank. When Pharaoh’s daughter found the infant, Moses’ sister offered to find a nurse for the child. Thus Jochebed was asked to nurse the child, was paid for her services, and was assured of Moses’ safety.

By faith parents are able to protect their children from the constant attack of evil in our society. They realize that Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion” seeking to destroy their children (I Peter 5:8). Parents resist the devil by standing firm in their faith. They build spiritual homes in which they train their children to fear and love the Lord. With their children, they faithfully attend the worship services of a church true to Scripture. And with ingenuity, wherever God gives opportunity and occasion, they provide Christian day school education for their children. And, of course, they spend much time in prayer in behalf of their sons and daughters.

The first few years of his life Moses spent in the slave hut of his godly parents. Amram and Jochebed taught him to fear God. But when the day came to take Moses to the royal palace, they knew that he would be educated in the culture of the Egyptians and in a pagan religion. Humanly speaking, they had lost a son to the secular world of that day. But the amazing fact is that Moses loved God and “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God” (Heb. 11:25). Instead of being called “son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” he was called “friend of God.”

What happened? Joseph had been the second-in-command in Egypt (Gen. 41:43). In a similar fashion, Moses faced the prospect of ascending the Egyptian throne. Instead Moses associated with God’s people and turned his back upon the “treasures of Egypt.” Why? Because Moses believed God! In faith he accepted God’s promises. In every situation he sought God, trusted him, and knew that God “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). As a child of God, Moses talked to and trusted in his heavenly Father. And God blessed him.

Although times, customs, and circumstances today differ from those of Moses’ day, spiritual choices are the same. Young people today must make the same choice Moses made in ancient Egypt. Earnestly and sincerely they ought to seek God in prayer, strive to do his will, ask for wisdom, and cling to his promises.

After the exodus, the people of Israel knew God not only as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but as the Lord God, who had brought them out of Egypt, the land of slavery (see Exod. 20:2). Today God’s people know him as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 15:6; II Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; I Peter 1:3). That is, because of his Son Jesus Christ, God is the Father of everyone who believes in Jesus.⁵⁰ Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Heb. 11:26). In the New Testament we have received God’s complete revelation and know that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 11:23–29

Verse 23

ἀστεῖον—this two-ending adjective is a derivative of the noun ἄστυ (city) and is the opposite of the adjective ἄγροικος (rustic).⁵¹ It occurs in the Septuagint text of Exodus 2:2; Judges 3:17; Judith 11:23; and Susanna 7; and in the New Testament text of Acts 7:20 and Hebrews 11:23. The adjective has perplexed translators, as is evident from the many translations: “proper child” (KJV), “goodly child” (RV, ASV), “fine child” (JB, NEB), “beautiful child” (R.S.V., NAB, GNB, MLB, NASB, Moffat, NKJV), and “no ordinary child” (NIV). The word may designate someone who is “fair to look on and comely.”⁵²

Verse 24

υἱὸς θυγατρὸς Φαραώ—the phrase is devoid of definite articles to emphasize the dignity of Moses’ status. He bore the title son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Verse 25

ἑλόμενος—as a second aorist middle participle from αἱρέω (I take; in the middle: I choose, prefer), this form is modified by the adverb μᾶλλον (rather). The adverb is somewhat redundant with the participle in the middle voice, not in the active voice. The aorist tense of the participle coincides with that of the main verb ἠρνήσατο (he refused) in the preceding verse. The contrast with the aid of μᾶλλον … ἤ features the durative present infinitives συγκακουχεῖσθαι (to suffer with) and ἔχειν (to have).

The durative idea is expressed in the adverb πρόσκαιρον (for a while) and the noun ἀπόλαυσις (enjoyment), which shows progression in the -σις ending. The noun ἁμαρτίας is an objective genitive; it is descriptive of the noun enjoyment and is the equivalent of “sinful enjoyment.”

Verse 26

ἡγησάμενος—from the verb ἡγέομαι (I consider), this aorist middle participle expresses action that is simultaneous with that of the main verb ἠρνήσατο in verse 24.

The Greek word order is significant because it shows emphasis. The words of greater value stand first, and the phrase in opposition, “disgrace for the sake of Christ,” appears last in this part of the sentence. The genitive of τοῦ Χριστοῦ is objective.

μισθαποδοσίαν—the noun occurs three times in Hebrews (2:2; 10:35; 11:26). Only in this verse does it have the definite article which takes the place of a possessive pronoun: his reward.

Verse 27

κατέλιπεν—the compound in the second aorist active is directive. The verb is often used to indicate abandoning a heritage, giving up riches, and leaving one’s native land.⁵³

μὴ φοβηθείς—the aorist passive participle denotes cause. The New English Bible even inserts the conjunction and, an addition which has no manuscript support: “By faith he left Egypt, and not because he feared the king’s anger.”

ὁρῶν—although the main verb ἐκαρτέρησεν (he persevered) is in the aorist, the participle from ὁράω (I see) is in the present tense.

Verse 28

πεποίηκεν—this verb from ποιέω (I make, do), in combination with the word πάσχα, means “to keep the Passover” (see Exod. 12:48, LXX; Matt. 26:18; and the expression τοῦτο ποιεῖτε in Luke 22:19; I Cor. 11:24, 25). The verb, however, in the perfect active indicative, has two objects (“Passover” and “the sprinkling of blood”). Admittedly, the verb suits the first object better than the second.⁵⁴ The perfect tense, to be sure, relates to the institution of the Passover feast that was celebrated annually afterward and became the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in New Testament times.

τὰ πρωτότοκα—by using the neuter plural, the author indicates that he wants the noun, preceded by the definite article, understood in the widest possible sense to include male and female, man and animal.

θίγῃ—the verb θιγγάνω (I touch) appears three times in the New Testament (Col. 2:21; Heb. 11:28; 12:20). In these passages it occurs as the aorist active subjunctive. The verb governs the genitive case.

Verse 29

διέβησαν—the subject of the verb must be supplied; it is intimated by the use of αὐτῶν in the preceding verse. The verb derives from διαβαίνω (I go through), is a directive compound, and is culminative aorist.

ῆ̔ς πεῖραν λαβόντες—although the feminine relative pronoun in the genitive case follows the noun γῆς (land), it finds its antecedent in θάλασσαν (sea). The noun πεῖραν (attempt) and the aorist participle of λαμβάνω (I take) are an idiomatic expression for “experiencing.”

F. Faith at Jericho

11:30–31

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

The writer of Hebrews deliberately by-passes the forty-year journey from Egypt to Canaan. He wants to indicate that the people of Israel refused to exercise faith and that, devoid of faith, they perished in their disobedience. Except for Joshua and Caleb, all the Israelites who were twenty years or older died in the desert. Their sons and daughters demonstrated faith in Israel’s God when they conquered the fortress city of Jericho.

30. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

The story of Jericho’s fall is well known (Josh. 6:1–24). Joshua, the successor of Moses, received God’s promise: he and all the Israelites would take possession of the land from Lebanon to the Negev desert, and from the river Euphrates to the Mediterranean Sea. Repeatedly God instructed Joshua to be strong and courageous (see Josh. 1:6–7, 9).

Joshua and the Israelites put their faith in God, and because of their faith they were prosperous and successful. Whereas their fathers had refused to follow the pillar of cloud into the Promised Land (Deut. 1:32–36), they, by contrast, trusted the Lord God, crossed the Jordan, and conquered Jericho.

Jericho was strategically located on the eastern flank of Canaan. Nomadic tribes from the desert to the east would cross the Jordan and invade the land. The heavily-walled city of Jericho filled with mighty warriors prevented the invaders from entering the main valleys that provided access to the central part of Canaan.⁵⁵ The city itself was comparatively small; it had a circumference of 600 meters and measured approximately 225 by 80 meters.⁵⁶

Because of their access to fresh water and storehouses of food, the people of Jericho could bide their time behind the massive city walls. However, the people of Israel received God’s promise to Joshua: “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men” (Josh. 6:2). God told the Israelites to march around the city once every day for six days and on the seventh day seven times. And on that last day, when the priests sounded their trumpets on the seventh time around, Joshua commanded the people to shout, “for the Lord has given you the city!” (6:16). They had to devote the city to God as a first-fruit offering of their conquest. God brought down the walls of Jericho, which was situated on a volcanic rift prone to earthquakes.⁵⁷ Regardless of the means by which God destroyed Jericho, the fact remains that Joshua and the people of Israel put their faith in him. That is the point the writer of Hebrews makes: “By faith the walls of Jericho fell.” Faith in God can move mountains.

The writer of Hebrews could have chosen to recount the incident in which the sun stood still in the middle of the sky for a full day (Josh. 10:13) at the request of Joshua. That feat was an act of faith. Says the writer of Joshua, “There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man” (10:14). But the author of Hebrews excludes this incident and mentions the destruction of Jericho instead. By implication he cites the faith of the people of Israel. Purposely, however, he places the faith of the immoral and pagan prostitute Rahab next as a contrast to the faith of the Israelites.

31. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

Both James and the author of Hebrews refer to Rahab and call her forth-rightly “the prostitute” (James 2:25). Matthew lists her name as the mother of Boaz in Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1:5). She was one of Jesus’ forebears because she believed in Israel’s God.⁵⁸

Faith knows no barriers. Consider the evidence against Rahab, for she was

a pagan Canaanite,

a prostitute, and

a woman.

Rahab’s faith triumphed. Her fellow citizens were destroyed, but she and her extended family lived because of her faith in Israel’s God (Josh. 2:8–13; 6:25). God did not condone her sinful practice of prostitution; instead he granted her grace and salvation. And although in Israel the man, not the woman, was heir of God’s promises, in matters of faith distinctions disappear (Gal. 8:28).

Rahab believed Israel’s God. She received no promise of salvation, no gospel of faith and repentance, and no assurance of acceptance. She had heard the reports about the exodus from Egypt, the conquest of the land east of the Jordan, and the destruction of the Amorites. Her confession of faith was based on the works of God. She said, “The Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Josh. 2:11). Hers was a simple but basic confession. She believed in God and trusted in him to deliver her from the impending destruction of her people and her city.

The author of Hebrews writes, “By faith the prostitute Rahab … was not killed with those who were disobedient.” By using the expression disobedient, the writer places the inhabitants of Jericho on the same level as the rebellious Israelites who perished in the desert. He asks, “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?” (3:18). Unbelief results in disobedience; faith in obedience. Rahab believed and welcomed the spies into her home. At great personal risk she protected them from the king’s soldiers, who knew that the spies were in Rahab’s house. Rahab not only believed; she also put her faith to work in the interest of God’s people (James 2:25). And last, she trusted God that at the time of the siege of Jericho her life and those of the members of her family would be spared (Josh. 2:14–21).⁵⁹ We see somewhat of a parallel in the case of the Philippian jailer who asked Paul and Silas, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:30–31).

Joshua spared the life of Rahab’s family and placed them “outside the camp of Israel” (Josh. 6:23). Nevertheless, because of her faith, Rahab was welcomed by the Israelites, married Salmon, and became the mother of Boaz, who was the great-grandfather of David (Ruth 4:21; Matt. 1:5–6).

G. Known and Unknown Heroes of Faith

11:32–40

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

1. Those Who Triumphed

11:32–35a

The list of individuals mentioned as heroes of faith is coming to a close, but not because the author has depleted his sources. He simply lacks the time to enumerate additional heroes. Instead of describing their deeds of faith, the writer merely records the names of those stalwarts known from Scripture.

32. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets.

Ever since the beginning of the epistle, the author modestly refrained from mentioning himself. Here, however, for the first time he uses the first person singular pronoun I. In the concluding part of his epistle, he refers to himself again in the first person singular (13:19, 22, 23).

“What more shall I say?” He hesitates in view of the numberless examples of men and women who lived by faith. He takes a sample of names: some of them belong to the period of the judges; others, to that of the kings. To be sure, the author fails to present the names in chronological order. He should have said Barak (Judges 4–5), Gideon (Judges 6–8), Jephthah (Judges 11–12), Samson (Judges 13–16), Samuel (I Sam. 1–16), and David (I Sam. 16–31; II Sam.; I Kings 1–2:12). But the writer of Hebrews has no intention of listing the names chronologically. In effect, he follows the order Samuel gave in his farewell speech to the people of Israel: “Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal [also called Gideon], Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely” (I Sam. 12:11). We have no indication why Samuel and the author of Hebrews follow a sequence differing from the chronological one.

The names appear in the sequence of three pairs: Gideon before Barak, Samson before Jephthah, and David before Samuel. The first one named in each set seems to be the more popular.⁶⁰

a. Gideon fought with only three hundred men against the multitude of Midianite soldiers. By following faithfully the instruction from God, Gideon became a hero of faith. With his God Gideon was always in the majority (Judges 7:7).

b. Barak refused to do battle with Sisera and Jabin’s army unless the prophetess Deborah went with him (Judges 4:8). With the prophetess to guide him, Barak fought the Canaanites and defeated them (Judges 4:16; and see 5:1).

c. Samson captures the imagination of everyone relishing physical prowess. But his love affair with Delilah not only deprived him of his strength; it also placed a permanent blot on his name. Yet Samson displayed unshakable faith in Israel’s God when he prayed for strength to mete out justice to his enemies. God heard his prayer. “Thus [Samson] killed many more when he died than while he lived” (Judges 16:30).⁶¹

d. Jephthah’s name is indissolubly tied to his rash vow that compelled him to sacrifice his only daughter (Judges 11:39–40). Nevertheless, Jephthah was filled with the Spirit of God. God used him to defeat the Ammonites and to punish the tribe of Ephraim. He was a man of faith.

e. David stands at the head of the kings of Israel. Because he trusted God, David was enabled to conquer his enemies, build his kingdom, and strengthen the people of Israel. He was Israel’s statesman and spiritual leader.

f. Samuel was a prophet, who was called a seer (I Sam. 9:9). He stands first among the prophets and was an outstanding leader in Israel. The people turned to him, for they knew that God’s favor rested on him.⁶² God answered his prayers offered in faith. Said Samuel, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you” (I Sam. 12:23).

The author no longer provides a commentary on the lives of the heroes of faith. Instead he summarizes categories of deeds of faith.

33. Who through faith conquered kingdoms,

administered justice, and

gained what was promised.⁶³

Although the author omits details, the common denominator he supplies is the expression through faith. This expression is a slight variant of the constantly recurring term by faith. The writer seems to intimate that the readers themselves ought to furnish details from their own knowledge of the Bible.

a. Who “conquered kingdoms”? Certainly Joshua did when he took possession of the Promised Land. The description is even more apt for David. He conquered the nations surrounding Israel and thus extended the borders of the Promised Land in fulfillment of God’s sacred oath. God had sworn that he would give the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He had promised Moses that this land would extend from Lebanon in the north to the Negev in the south, and from the river Euphrates in the east to the Mediterranean Sea as the western border (Deut. 1:7–8). David fulfilled that promise through faith.

b. Who “administered justice”? The names of the judges in Israel come to mind, especially the name of Samuel. The people of Israel said that Samuel had not cheated or oppressed anyone (I Sam. 12:4). Kings of Israel and Judah administered justice in behalf of the people, as Scripture attests:

David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. [II Sam. 8:15]

When all Israel heard the verdict [Solomon] had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice. [I Kings 3:28]

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, appointed judges in the land and told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” [II Chron. 19:6–7]

c. Who “gained what was promised”? Because the expression promises is in the plural, I think that the author intends to call to mind numerous promises God had made to his people. Already the writer spoke of Abraham, who after waiting for the son of the promise received Isaac (Gen. 21:1–2; Heb. 6:15). At the end of his life, Joshua said to the elders, leaders, judges, and officials of Israel, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Josh. 23:14). Indeed, God’s promises to his people are innumerable, as the Scriptures themselves testify.

The author continues to enumerate the deeds of faith performed by his people. They are the heroes of faith,

who shut the mouths of lions,

34. quenched the fury of the flames,

and escaped the edge of the sword.

a. Among the biblical examples of people who fought lions is Samson, who tore a lion to pieces with his bare hands because “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power” (Judges 14:6). Also, David told Saul that while David was keeping the sheep of his father Jesse, he would rescue a sheep from the mouth of a lion or a bear and kill the wild beast (I Sam. 17:34–37). David testified that God delivered him from the paw of the lion. And from the lions’ den, Daniel answered King Darius: “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions” (Dan. 6:21–22). Centuries later Paul wrote, “But the Lord stood at my side … and I was delivered from the lion’s mouth” (II Tim. 4:17).

b. The three friends of Daniel withstood the heat of the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, accompanied by someone who looked “like a son of the gods” (Dan. 3:25), walked around in the fire.⁶⁴ Nebuchadnezzar confessed that God “sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him” (v. 28).⁶⁵

c. Who escaped the edge of the sword? On numerous occasions David fled to safety when he was pursued by Saul. Elijah fled the murderous Jezebel and went to Mount Horeb in the Sinai Peninsula (I Kings 19:8–10). Elisha heard that the king of Israel wanted to kill him during the famine in besieged Samaria (II Kings 6:31–32).

Still other heroes of faith received divine aid in overcoming weaknesses. They were the people

whose weakness was turned to strength;

and who became powerful in battle

and routed foreign armies.

a. Who was weak and became strong? Of course, Samson. Just before he died, God strengthened him to execute the superhuman feat of pushing the pillars of the temple of Dagon from their places (Judges 16:29–30). Hezekiah prayed to God when Isaiah told him that he would die. God answered his prayer and granted Hezekiah fifteen additional years (Isa. 38:1–8; II Kings 20:1–6; II Chron. 32:24). And when the weak remnant of the exiles returned from Babylonian captivity, God gave the leaders Nehemiah and Ezra and the people strength to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the temple.

b. Who were the mighty in battle? And who put foreign armies to flight? Here are a few names and examples:

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. [I Sam. 17:50]

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, faced a vast army from Edom. The king defeated the enemy because God fought for his people (II Chron. 20:1–30).

Hezekiah, king of Judah, knew that a mighty Assyrian army had taken all the fortified cities of Judah and was marching toward Jerusalem. Because of Hezekiah’s faith in God, an angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (II Kings 19:35; II Chron. 32:21). Sennacherib, king of Assyria, withdrew his army and returned to Nineveh.

35a. Women received back their dead, raised to life again.

In the Old Testament we read that both Elijah and Elisha raised boys from the dead and gave them back to their mothers. The widow of Zarephath, who was not of Israel, believed. When she received her son from Elijah, she said, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth” (I Kings 17:24). The Shunammite woman came to Elisha because she knew that this “man of God” would be instrumental in raising her son from the dead (II Kings 4:8–37).

The New Testament provides the example of the widow of Nain who received her son when Jesus raised him from the dead (Luke 7:11–15). Mary and Martha received their brother Lazarus when Jesus called him forth from the grave (John 11:1–44). And the widows in Joppa welcomed Dorcas back when Peter raised her to life (Acts 9:36–41).

2. Those Who Suffered

11:35b–38

In the next few verses the author summarizes the physical suffering that the heroes of faith endured. They were martyrs for God’s cause. By faith they conquered even though they lost their lives.

35b. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.

The instrument on which people were tortured in ancient times was called the tympanum. Presumably it consisted of a large wheel on which victims were stretched out. Then they were beaten to death.⁶⁶ In the Maccabean period during the first part of the second century before Christ, an almost ninety-year-old scribe named Eleazar was put on the rack and endured blows that led to his death. Said Eleazar, “It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him” (II Macc. 6:30, R.S.V.). In this same period seven brothers and their mother were tortured by King Antiochus Epiphanes. They were put to death one after the other. One theme of this gruesome tale is that the martyrs believed in the “everlasting renewal of life” (II Macc. 7:9; also see vv. 14, 23, 29, 36).⁶⁷

Accounts from the dark days of persecution that led to the Maccabean revolt were well known to the Jewish people whom the author of Hebrews addressed. These martyrs suffered and died because of their faith. They looked for a better resurrection. That is, they did not expect to return to this earthly life. A better resurrection, however, is an everlasting renewal of life in the presence of God.

Saints of the Old Testament era had a vague idea about the doctrine of the resurrection. But during the immediate centuries before Christ’s coming to earth, the teaching of a resurrection after this life developed. And later when Jesus was about to raise Lazarus, Martha expressed this doctrine when she said, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24). By faith believers endured suffering and hoped for a better resurrection in the life hereafter.

36. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.

The author of Hebrews moves from specific incidents to the more general occurrences of jeering, flogging, and being chained and imprisoned. From the New Testament we learn that jeering, flogging, and imprisonment were rather common. Jesus had to endure the sneers of Jews and soldiers. He suffered flogging during his trial at the court of Pontius Pilate. The apostles repeatedly spent time in prison. For example, Paul writes to the Corinthians, “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again” (II Cor. 11:23).

The recipients of the Epistle to the Hebrews had experienced public insult and persecution. They themselves had seen the inside walls of a prison (10:33–34). They knew that their trust in God would be richly rewarded.

Old Testament examples of people who were mocked, scourged, or imprisoned include the prophet Michaiah, who was slapped in the face and sent to prison for predicting the future (I Kings 22:24–28). Jeremiah was beaten by the officials of King Zedekiah and placed in prison for a long time (Jer. 37:14–21; also see 20:1–3; 38:1–13). And at the time of the Maccabean revolt, King Antiochus Epiphanes had the seven brothers and their mother tortured “with whips and cords” (II Macc. 7:1, R.S.V.).

Once again the writer of Hebrews becomes specific in listing the types of suffering that believers had to bear. He puts three of them in brief succession.

37a. They were stoned;

they were sawed in two;

they were put to death by the sword.

a. Because stones are plentiful in Israel, the practice of throwing stones to kill someone was common. The law of Moses specified that a blasphemer had to be stoned by the community (Lev. 24:14–23). Naboth the Jezreelite, although he was innocent, was put to death by the scheming Jezebel (I Kings 21:10–15). Also, prophets of the Lord God met a similar fate. Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest, died in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple during the reign of Joash, king of Judah (II Chron. 24:21–22; Matt. 23:35; Luke 11:51). That the practice of stoning the prophets had been quite prevalent in ancient Israel is evident from Jesus’ remark in his discourse of the seven woes. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together” (Matt. 23:37).⁶⁸

b. Nowhere in Scripture is there a parallel to the clause “they were sawed in two.” Tradition is strong that the prophet Isaiah was cut in half with a wooden saw.⁶⁹ This happened during the reign of King Manasseh. The Old Testament has no record of this incident.

c. Prophets who were killed by the sword are the contemporaries of Elijah. Complains the prophet to God, “The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword” (I Kings 19:10). King Jehoiakim in the days of Jeremiah struck down with the sword the prophet Uriah. This prophet prophesied in the name of the Lord and predicted the destruction of Jerusalem (Jer. 26:20–23). And John the Baptist died at the hand of Herod’s executioner because he had told Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:14–29).

Many of the unknown heroes of faith were living in miserable conditions and sordid circumstances. 37b. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38a. The world was not worthy of them. The prophet Elijah is an example of those servants of God who lived in abject poverty. His lifestyle became a message of God’s impending judgment on Israel. Elijah’s appearance suited his prophetic calling. He was depicted as “a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist” (II Kings 1:8). His successor Elisha inherited his coat, and in successive generations a garment of hair was the distinctive attire of a prophet (Zech. 13:4). With this apparel the prophet proclaimed a message of repentance and faith in God. John the Baptist, dressed in “clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist” (Mark 1:6), preached “a baptism of repentance” (v. 4). The darker hair of a camel or of a goatskin gave the prophet’s garment more of a mournful appearance than did the lighter colored sheepskins.⁷⁰

These prophets of old, persecuted and mistreated, were the world’s refugees. Their adversaries denied them bread to eat and water to drink. Consider the plight of Elijah. He depended on the ravens to supply him with bread and meat, and he obtained drinking water from the brook Kerith (I Kings 17:2–6). King Ahab sent search parties to every nation and kingdom to find Elijah, so that he might put the prophet to death (I Kings 18:9–10). In the eyes of Ahab, Elijah was not worthy to live on the face of the earth.

The text, however, says the exact opposite: “the world was not worthy of them.” That is, God’s enemies cannot be compared with God’s servants. These servants are great in honor and stature. King Ahab cannot be measured against Elijah, and King Herod is no match for John the Baptist. By their faith, believers tower above an unbelieving world in which God has placed them for man’s benefit.

Referring to the prophets of the Old Testament era, the writer of Hebrews says, 38b. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Obadiah, in charge of King Ahab’s palace, “hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water” (I Kings 18:13; and see v. 4). Elijah fled into the Negev desert (I Kings 19:4). For him the land of Israel was no longer safe.

Caves were rather numerous in Israel (I Sam. 13:6). As fugitives, David and his men had no difficulty finding shelter from their pursuers or from the elements of nature (I Sam. 24:1–13). Constantly they endured the hostilities of Saul and his soldiers.

The believer is always surrounded by an unbelieving world. He is often lonely but never alone, for Jesus is his faithful companion in life. Confesses Henry F. Lyte,

Man may trouble and distress me,

’Twill but drive me to Thy breast;

Life with trials hard may press me,

Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.

3. Commendation

11:39–40

The author has come to the end of his discourse on the heroes of faith. Throughout the chapter the expression by faith is the golden thread that characterizes the life and deeds of God’s people. He concludes this chapter by commending these heroes of faith and by including the readers of his epistle in God’s blessing.

39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

In this text the writer stresses a positive element and a negative. We consider them in sequence.

a. Positive

The word choice in the first part of this verse reminds us of the beginning of the chapter. After the brief definition of faith, the author writes, “This is what the ancients were commended for” (11:2). Then he provides examples of those who have been commended: Abel (v. 4) and Enoch (v. 5). He seems to imply that all the other people he mentions are commended for their faith—all the known and unknown believers. And who commends these saints? God, of course.⁷¹ God forgets none of his children. He recognizes everyone who acts in faith, because he has promised to be the God of his people (see, for instance, 8:10). As Father of his children, he expects them to put their trust in him. Instinctively a child puts full confidence in his parents and sometimes expects a parent to perform impossible feats. So God wants the believer to come in faith and ask for seemingly impossible things. Why? Because God takes pleasure in commending the believer for his faith.

b. Negative

Although believers in Old Testament times received words of praise for exercising their faith, and although many promises that God had given them were fulfilled in their lifetime, they failed to obtain that which had been promised. They saw some promises come true, but not the one promise of the coming of Christ. The writer of Hebrews already stated that the Old Testament believers saw and welcomed the promises in Christ from a distance (11:13). These believers looked forward to a heavenly country where God himself had prepared a place for them. At the conclusion of this chapter, the author once more testifies that although the saints received divine approval for their faith, they did not obtain that which had been promised.⁷²

What, precisely, did these Old Testament believers not receive? They had the promise of the coming of the Messiah and salvation in him. They were the heirs of the messianic prophecies (Gen. 3:15; 49:10; Num. 24:17; II Sam. 7:13; Job 19:25; Ps. 2:6–12; 16:10; 22:1; 45:6–8; 110:1; and numerous passages in the books of the prophets). But all these believers died before Jesus appeared on earth. To be sure, they died in faith and entered heaven. Nevertheless, they entered the presence of God with the promise that they had received and in expectation of its fulfillment. Their understanding of the plan of salvation was vague and incomplete. With the revelation God had given them, they tried to understand the mystery of redemption.⁷³ Peter testifies to this when he writes, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (I Peter 1:10–11).

The author of Hebrews ends the chapter by including the readers of his epistle in the discussion of faith and the promise of salvation in Christ. Before he began this discussion, he already had exhorted his readers to persevere in faith, “so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (10:36). He brings the Old Testament saints and New Testament believers together in Jesus Christ. He considers them one family, and “a family is not complete unless all its members are present.”⁷⁴

40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Here the pastor speaks not with words of exhortation or admonition. Rather, he teaches his readers the unity and continuity of the believers of both the Old Testament and New Testament eras.⁷⁵ He is saying that they (the heroes of faith) and we (believers in Jesus Christ) are one. In the next chapter the writer brings the “great cloud of witnesses” and the readers of his epistle together in Jesus (12:1–2). Jesus is the originator, the author, and the captain of faith. He leads the believer to perfection.

Says the writer, “God had planned something better for us.” In view of its repeated use in Hebrews, we know that the word better relates to the era of fulfillment in Jesus Christ.⁷⁶ That is, believers who belong to the Christian era have become recipients of the promised salvation in Christ. The Old Testament believers look forward to this fulfillment. Because we look back upon the accomplished work of Christ, by faith we are able to appropriate the fullness of salvation. In other words, we are privileged above the saints who had only the promise.

What is the significance of Christ’s coming for the Old Testament believers? The author puts it this way: “Only together with us would they be made perfect.” During the time of the old covenant (Heb. 8:6–7), believers were unable to reach perfection. With his coming, Christ brought “many sons to glory” (2:10) and made them perfect (10:14). Through his atoning work, Christ caused Old Testament and New Testament believers to share in his perfection (12:23).⁷⁷

readers on to perseverance in the faith. Both Old and New Testament believers not only share the perfection Christ provides; they also have a common faith. And as the heroes of faith diligently exercised their faith, so the readers of the Epistle to the Hebrews must persevere. The saints of the Old Testament era serve the New Testament believers as incentives to persevere in faith. In the unity we have with them, we know that through faith we inherit the promise of salvation (6:12; 13:7).

Practical Considerations in 11:32–40

The word saint makes us think of a person who walks around with hands folded, with eyes turned heavenward, and with a halo around his head. Somehow we get the impression that he is not one of us. But when the author of Hebrews takes us to the art gallery of the Old Testament and shows us the portraits of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and numerous other people, he confronts us with paintings of people in action. These saints are our brothers and sisters in faith. The paintings are scenes of battles, feats of courage, and instances of suffering. The dominant people in these portraits are ordinary men and women. They have one thing in common, and that is faith.

These people are saints, and because of this common faith, we are intimately related. We belong to the same family, for their trials and triumphs are ours, too. And just as they depended on divine help, we also trust in the Lord for aid. They spent their time in prayer; so do we. We pray and work for the coming of Christ’s kingdom; as the second petition of the Lord’s prayer has it, “your kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). And thus as prayer partners and coworkers for God (I Cor. 3:9), we ourselves are saints who put faith into practice.

Ever since childhood we have been told not to boast about ourselves. Solomon said it well: “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips” (Prov. 27:2). But we must not only listen to what the author of Hebrews tells about our spiritual possessions; we must also tell everyone about them. In fact, we have to brag about them because they are so much better than the possessions of the Old Testament believers. We have a better salvation (6:9), a better hope (7:19), a better covenant (7:22), better promises (8:6), and better and lasting possessions (10:34). We are privileged sons and daughters of God, heirs and coheirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). We may not keep silent. God wants us to talk about our riches in Christ, so that others, too, may share our spiritual wealth.

By contrast, the Old Testament believers, mentioned in Hebrews 11, had only fragments of God’s revelation. With these bits and pieces, they persevered in faith. We, who have God’s full revelation in Jesus Christ, ought to strive more earnestly to do the will of God (Heb. 10:35). “A small spark of light led them to heaven; when the sun of righteousness shines over us, with what pretence can we excuse ourselves if we still cleave to the earth?”⁷⁸

Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 11:32–40

Verse 32

λέγω—an instance of the deliberative subjunctive in a rhetorical question.

διηγούμενον—the present middle participle (from διηγέομαι, I relate) modifies the accusative singular personal pronoun με. The gender of the participle is masculine.

Verse 33

διὰ πίστεως—this construction is a variant of πίστει, much the same as κατὰ πίστιν (v. 13). Compare also δι᾽ ῆ̔ς (vv. 4, 7) and δι᾽ αὐτῆς (v. 4).

κατηγωνίσαντο—derived from καταγωνίζομαι (I overcome), this verb in the aorist middle is a compound with perfective force.⁷⁹ The compound consists of κατὰ (down) and ἀγωνίζομαι (I fight).

ἐπέτυχον—a verb in the aorist active from ἐπιτυγχάνω (I obtain) governs a genitive case.

Verse 34

παρεμβολάς—the accusative plural of the compound noun παρεμβολή derives from παρά (along), ἐν (in), and βάλλω (I throw). Here it refers to an army that is placed in line of battle.

ἀλλοτρίων—from ἄλλος (another), with the meaning belonging to another. The secondary meaning is “foreign,” that is, “enemy.”

Verse 36

ἕτεροι—in verse 35 the term ἄλλοι occurs. Although the two words are quite often differentiated, here they are synonymous.

πεῖραν ἔλαβον—see verse 29.

Verse 37

ἐπρίσθησαν—from πρίζω (I cut in two with a saw), the aorist passive form perhaps has led to dittography in the word ἐπειράσθησαν (they were tempted). But the expression they were tempted, sometimes appearing before the verb they were sawed in two and sometimes after it, breaks the sequence of those verbs used for describing the administration of the death penalty. In short, ἐπειράσθησαν does not fit the context. Conjectural emendations of this form are numerous.⁸⁰

Verse 39

μαρτυρηθέντες—the aorist passive participle of μαρτυρέω (I testify) has a concessive denotation.

διὰ τῆς πίστεως—see verse 33. The definite article takes the place of the possessive pronoun their.

τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν—some manuscripts, perhaps because of verse 13, have the plural. The singular also appears in 9:15 and 10:36.

Verse 40

προβλεψαμένου—the aorist middle participle from the compound πρό (before) and βλέπω (I see) is with τοῦ θεοῦ a genitive absolute construction and has a causal meaning. In the middle voice the verb means “to provide.”

ἵνα—the conjunction seems to introduce a result clause instead of a purpose clause.

τελειωθῶσιν—from τελειόω (I complete), this form is the aorist passive subjunctive. The verb occurs nine times in Hebrews out of a total of twenty-three times in the New Testament. The negative μή appears to negate χωρὶς ἡμῶν more than the verb itself.

Summary of Chapter 11

What is faith? The author answers this question by giving the readers first a brief definition and then the application of faith in the lives of many believers. The definition is not designed to be comprehensive; rather, it is introductory in nature. Using examples taken from life, the writer demonstrates the characteristics and qualities of faith.

After an initial reference to the origin of the world, the author chooses his illustrations from specific periods of history. First, from the period between creation and the flood he selects the names of Abel, Enoch, and Noah. These people lived by faith and experienced intimate fellowship with God. With these examples, the writer depicts a gradual progression: Abel’s faith eventually resulted in physical death; Enoch’s faith brought translation to glory; and Noah’s faith provided salvation for him, his family, and the animals.

Then, from the period of the patriarchs, the author selects incidents from the life of Abraham. He shows Abraham’s obedience relative to traveling to the land of Canaan, the birth of a son, and the sacrifice of Isaac. The patriarchs died without seeing the promises of God fulfilled: they longed for life eternal in a heavenly city. Also, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph looked to the future.

From the time of the exodus from Egypt to the conquest of Canaan, the writer gleans events from the life of Moses: his birth, childhood, education, and departure from Egypt. He also relates the faith of the Israelites in crossing the Red Sea and in marching around Jericho’s walls. A brief remark on Rahab’s faith concludes his comments about that era.

When the author comes to the period of the judges, kings, and prophets, he lists only some representative names. He summarizes the types of trials and triumphs that believers endured and enjoyed. Although he refrains from providing details, he intimates a relation between these persons and deeds of faith.