¹ That’s why after moving on from the beginner discussion of the Messiah, we can be brought to maturity, not laying a foundation over again of transforming the mind^a away from actions aligned with death, of faithfulness to God, ² of teaching about ritual washings, about placing hands on people, and about both the reawakening^b of the dead and the Age-aligned^c rectification.^d ³ We will do this^e only if God permits it. ⁴ You see, it is impossible for those who were enlightened once—who tasted the heavenly gift and became partakers^f of the Sacred Life-breath, ⁵ who tasted both God’s beautiful^g talk and powerful acts of the coming Age— ⁶ and who fell off the path, to restore them by transforming the mind while they are exposing to public shame and crucifying the son of God over again among^h themselves. ⁷ You see, the land that drank up the rain that frequently falls on it and produces plants available for those who tend it receives a share of the pronouncement of well-beingⁱ from God. ⁸ However, when it produces thorns and thistles, it is appraised as unfit and approaching a declaration of hardship,^j the end of which^k is burning.

⁹ But even though we speak this way, loved ones, we are convinced of better things about you, specifically of holding onto liberation ¹⁰ because God is not unjust, forgetting your work and love that you demonstrated as his representatives,^l since you have served and continue to serve those who are designated to sacred purposes. ¹¹ But, we deeply desire each of you^m to demonstrate the same eagerness for full confidence in our hope until the end ¹² so that you won’t become reluctant, but instead, would be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faithfulness and patient perseverance.

¹³ When God made a promise to Abraham, having nothing more significant to swear by, God swore by themself, ¹⁴ “I will certainly pronounce well-being over youⁿ and increase your flourishing^o!"^p ¹⁵ And that’s how, after patiently persevering, he came upon the promise. ¹⁶ People swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath is a termination of any opportunity for response^q against agreement^r between them. ¹⁷ Regarding the promise, because God intended thoroughly to demonstrate an irrevocable^s intention to the heirs of the promise, God intervened with an oath. ¹⁸ That way, because of it being impossible for God to lie about these two irrevocable things,^t we who have sought refuge have strong encouragement to hold firmly onto the hope that has been presented. ¹⁹ That hope^u is like an anchor that we have for our very being,^v both reliable and stable, that extends into the inner room behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus entered as a forerunner^w on our behalf since he became “a high priest based on the order of Melchizedek throughout the Age.”^x

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Hebrews 5

Hebrews 7

FOOTNOTES:

a. The Greek word metanoia is traditionally translated as ‘repent.’ The meaning of metanoia is ‘change the mind.’ It does not mean ‘remorse’ or ‘reforming behavior.’ The confusion comes from the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible, which used paenitere, which means ‘to be penitent,’ which was a significant shift away from the Greek meaning.
b. Traditionally, ‘resurrection.’ ‘Rising up’ or ‘rising again’ or ‘waking up again’ or ‘reawakening’ are more literal but can include the idea of resurrection (returning to life after experiencing death). The phrase “falling asleep” was a common euphemism for dying, so ‘reawakening’ is an appropriate corresponding term. The word anistemi also has several other uses, including ‘getting up’ from lying down, rising up in an insurrection or being presented as a public figure like a prophet.
c. “Age-aligned” renders the Greek adjective aionion, which refers not to endless duration but to the character and reality of the Age to Come. The word describes something that belongs to, arises from, or is shaped by God’s coming Age rather than the present one. It does not primarily mean “eternal” in a temporal sense, but “Age-charactered” or “belonging to the Age.”
d. “Rectification” translates the Greek noun krima, which refers to God’s decisive act of evaluating and setting things right. In the New Testament, this language is not primarily forensic or courtroom-based. It draws on covenant and sanctuary imagery: God revealing what is true, restoring what has gone astray, and bringing people and communities into alignment with the good. “Rectification” reflects this restorative and truth-revealing sense, rather than the punitive or legal connotations often associated with “judgment.”
e. Referring to ‘being brought to maturity/completion’
f. Or ‘sharers in’ or ‘participants in’
g. Or ‘favorable’ or ‘appealing’ or ‘genuine’ or ‘noble’ or ‘helpful’ or ‘desirable.’ Traditionally, ‘good’
h. Or ‘for’ or ‘with’
i. Traditionally, ‘blessings.’ This word eulogia, is one of two unrelated words traditionally translated as ‘blessing.’ This one has to do with speaking well over someone, either in the form of praise or wishing and predicting a positive future for them in a way that brings it into being.
j. Traditionally, ‘curse.’ However, it means ‘curse’ as in predicting negative consequences or outcomes for someone or something, or as in ‘ill-wishes’ for someone. It does not mean a magic spell designed to cause harm or some supernatural and inescapable fate imposed from outside by God or anyone else.
k. The grammar here could be referring to the ‘land’ in verse 7 or to the ‘declaration of hardship’ in verse 8.
l. Literally, ‘for his name’
m. The language here emphasizes each individual within the group. It implies that verse 10’s affirmation was applying to the group as a whole, and the writer wants to encourage growth so that each individual within the group is living in line with these values.
n. Traditionally, 'bless you.' It's important to note that this word eulogeo and its Hebrew counterpart barach are unrelated in meaning and origin to the word 'blessed' such as in Matthew 5 (the Beatitudes), which is a translation of the Greek makarios and the Hebrew counterpart ashrei.
o. Hebrew language used pairs of repeated words, such as ‘king of kings’ and ‘holy of holies’ as an emphatic construction to communicate the highest or most absolute sense of the meaning. This phrase is a Greek translation of a Hebrew quotation and is translated to English here as ‘increasingly multiply.’ More literally, it is ‘increase you while increasing you’ or ‘multiply you while multiplying you.’
p. Quotation of Genesis 22:17
q. Or ‘opposition’ or ‘exchange of arguments’
r. Or ‘confirmation’ or ‘guarantee’
s. Or ‘unalterable’ or ‘nontransferable’ or ‘immovable’
t. Or ‘actions.’ This phrase refers to the two elements of what he promised to do for Abraham: I will certainly (1) praise you with well-wishes and (2) increase your flourishing.
u. Literally, ‘which’ or ‘it’
v. Traditionally, ‘soul’
w. “Forerunner” translates the Greek word prodromos, which in ancient maritime practice referred to a small, light vessel sent ahead of a larger ship. This scout boat would carry the anchor into a safe position inside a harbor or past a dangerous channel so the main vessel, still offshore, could pull itself forward along the anchor line into shelter. It was also used of a scout who travels first so the caravan can follow, or the first runner in a relay who carries the baton forward. It always implies someone going ahead first to make it possible for others to follow.
x. Quotation of Psalm 110:4, and it refers back to Hebrews 4:6, 10.