King James Version
Hebrews
Hebrews in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of Hebrews: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Unknown. The letter names no author. Clement of Alexandria credited Paul with Luke as translator. Origen said only God knows who wrote it. Barnabas, Apollos, and Luke are among modern proposals. |
|---|---|
| Date | AD 60–95 in one survey, probably the late 60s, since the letter speaks of the sacrificial system as still operating. |
| Place written | Not named. The letter sends greetings from those of Italy, which may mean writer or readers are in or from Italy. |
| Genre | A sermon in letter form, called a word of exhortation. |
| Chapters | 13 |
| Verses | 303 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | Hebrews 1:3Hebrews 1:3 · King James VersionWho being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;Hebrews 1:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
Hebrews has no greeting with a name. Hebrews 2:3Hebrews 2:3 · King James VersionHow shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Hebrews 2:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) says the message was confirmed to us by those who heard the Lord, which places the writer in the second generation. Hebrews 13:23Hebrews 13:23 · King James VersionKnow ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.
Hebrews 13:23 · King James VersionOpen the Source mentions our brother Timothy, so the writer belongs to Paul’s circle.
Clement of Alexandria, reported by Eusebius in Church History 6.14, said Paul wrote it in Hebrew for the Hebrews and Luke translated it carefully for the Greeks, which explains why its style resembles Acts. (2) Origen, reported in Church History 6.25, said the thoughts are the apostle’s but the diction and composition belong to someone who remembered his teaching, and added that only God knows who wrote it in truth. He reports that some said Clement of Rome and others Luke. (2) Eusebius says in Church History 3.3.5 that some reject Hebrews because the church of Rome disputed it as not Paul’s. (3) Athanasius counts it among Paul’s fourteen. (4) Most modern scholars, conservative and critical, do not think Paul wrote it, citing its polished Greek and its distance from Paul’s usual greetings. The letter’s authority in the church never depended on settling the name.
Who It Is Not
Hebrews is not by any writer who names himself in it. The Muratorian fragment does not list it, so it cannot be cited as an early Roman witness for the book. (5)
When and Where
Bible Gateway gives AD 60–95, probably the late 60s. (6) The letter speaks of priests who offer gifts according to the law in the present tense, as in Hebrews 8:4Hebrews 8:4 · King James VersionFor if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
Hebrews 8:4 · King James VersionOpen the Source and Hebrews 10:1–2Hebrews 10:1–2 · King James Version10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Hebrews 10:1–2 · King James VersionOpen the Source, and does not mention the temple’s destruction, which would have suited its argument. That supports a date before AD 70. Later dates are also held.
Audience and Setting
Jewish Christians, as the title implies, tempted to drift back from Christ. Hebrews 10:32–34Hebrews 10:32–34 · King James Version10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Hebrews 10:32–34 · King James VersionOpen the Source recalls earlier persecution and loss of goods. Hebrews 13:24Hebrews 13:24 · King James VersionSalute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.
Hebrews 13:24 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) sends greetings from those of Italy. The purpose is to show that Christ is greater than angels, Moses, and the Levitical priesthood, and to urge perseverance.
Rulers at the Time
The letter names no ruler. This page adds none.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Earlier persecution | Readers endured loss of goods. Hebrews 10:32–34Hebrews 10:32–34 · King James Version10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.Hebrews 10:32–34 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Timothy released | Hebrews 13:23Hebrews 13:23 · King James VersionKnow ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.Hebrews 13:23 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| The letter | AD 60–95 in one survey, probably the late 60s. (6) |
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | Italy. Whether writer or readers are there is unclear. | Hebrews 13:24Hebrews 13:24 · King James VersionSalute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.Hebrews 13:24 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Jerusalem | Mount Sion and the heavenly Jerusalem are contrasted with Sinai. The Old City of modern Jerusalem. | Hebrews 12:22Hebrews 12:22 · King James VersionBut ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,Hebrews 12:22 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
Hebrews 1–2 show the Son greater than angels. Hebrews 3–4 show him greater than Moses and offer rest. Hebrews 5–7 present Christ as high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 8–10 describe the new covenant and Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice. Hebrews 11 is the roll of faith. Hebrews 12–13 urge endurance and practical love.
Key Themes
The superiority of Christ, in Hebrews 1:1–4Hebrews 1:1–4 · King James Version1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Hebrews 1:1–4 · King James VersionOpen the Source. The new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31–34Jeremiah 31:31–34 · King James Version31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:31–34 · King James VersionOpen the Source, quoted in Hebrews 8:8–12Hebrews 8:8–12 · King James Version8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Hebrews 8:8–12 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Faith, defined in Hebrews 11:1Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Warning against falling away, in Hebrews 6:4–6Hebrews 6:4–6 · King James Version6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Hebrews 6:4–6 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
Hebrews 6:4–6Hebrews 6:4–6 · King James Version6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Hebrews 6:4–6 · King James VersionOpen the Source is debated among churches that confess the Trinity on whether believers can lose salvation. This page does not decide. Authorship is the other main question, and the canon’s long acceptance of the book without a settled author is part of the answer.
How the Book Points to Christ
Hebrews 1:3Hebrews 1:3 · King James VersionWho being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews 1:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source calls the Son the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of his person. Hebrews 1:8Hebrews 1:8 · King James VersionBut unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Hebrews 1:8 · King James VersionOpen the Source applies Psalm 45:6Psalms 45:6 · King James VersionThy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Psalms 45:6 · King James VersionOpen the Source to the Son: thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. Hebrews 1:10–12Hebrews 1:10–12 · King James Version1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Hebrews 1:10–12 · King James VersionOpen the Source applies to him a psalm about the Lord creating the earth. Jesus is God. Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews? sets out the authorship evidence.
Text and Manuscripts
Codex Sinaiticus contains Hebrews. (7) In early collections Hebrews often sat among Paul’s letters. The verse pages show this site’s Greek beside the King James.
Canon Reception
Hebrews was accepted early in the East and disputed in the West, mainly because of authorship. Eusebius records the Roman doubt. (3) Athanasius lists it among the fourteen letters of Paul in AD 367. (4)
Further Reading
Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews? and What Is the Deity of Christ?.
References
- Letter to the Hebrews, 2:3; 13:23–24Hebrews 2:3 · King James Version
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Hebrews 2:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Church History, Book 6, 6.14.2–4; 6.25.11–14 (Eusebius, Church History 6.14 and 6.25, reporting Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 1, on New Advent.)
- Church History, Book 3, 3.3.5Papias, in Eusebius, Church History 3.39.15 · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, New Advent
Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord's discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely.
Papias, in Eusebius, Church History 3.39.15 · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, New AdventOpen the Source (Eusebius, Church History 3.3, 3.24–25, and 3.39, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 1, on New Advent. Chapter 25 sorts books into acknowledged, disputed, and rejected. Chapter 39 reports Papias on Mark and Matthew.) - Festal Letter 39, 39.4–5 (Athanasius of Alexandria, AD 367, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 4, on New Advent. The letter lists twenty-two Old Testament books and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and places Esther among books to be read rather than in the canon.)
- Muratorian fragment, HebrewsMuratorian fragment, on Acts · Roberts-Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers 5
Moreover, the Acts of all the Apostles are comprised by Luke in one book, and addressed to the most excellent Theophilus, because these different events took place when he was present himself; and he shows this clearly-i.e., that the principle on which he wrote was, to give only what fell under his own notice-by the omission of the passion of Peter, and also of the journey of Paul, when he went from the city-Rome-to Spain.
Muratorian fragment, on Acts · Roberts-Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers 5Open the Source (Roberts-Donaldson translation, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5. The Latin is damaged and the English follows restorations. The fragment lists the books read in the church and those rejected.) - When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, Hebrews (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives Hebrews as AD 60–95, probably the late 60s. It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Codex Sinaiticus, About the manuscriptCodex Sinaiticus: content · Codex Sinaiticus Project
Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century, contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament.
Codex Sinaiticus: content · Codex Sinaiticus ProjectOpen the Source (The Codex Sinaiticus project’s description of the manuscript, a fourth-century Greek Bible with the earliest complete copy of the New Testament.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.