Hebrews 3 is the third chapter of the

Epistle to the Hebrews The Epistle to the Hebrews ( grc, Πρὸς Ἑβραίους, Pros Hebraious, to the Hebrews) is one of the books of the New Testament. The text does not mention the name of its author, but was traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle. Most ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

of the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. The author is anonymous, although the internal reference to "our brother Timothy" ( Hebrews 13:23) causes a traditional attribution to

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, but this attribution has been disputed since the second century and there is no decisive evidence for the authorship. This chapter contains the comparison of Moses to Jesus ('the Son'), as well as the application and warning for the congregation.

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

. This chapter is divided into 19 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: * Papyrus 46 (c. 175–225; complete) *

Papyrus 13 Papyrus 13, designated by siglum 𝔓13 or P13 in the Gregory-Aland numbering, is a fragmented manuscript of the New Testament in Greek. It was copied on papyrus in the 3rd century at approximately 225-250 CE.Philip W Comfort and David P Barrett, ...

(225-250; complete) *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(325-350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus ( Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscript ...

(330-360) *

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

(400-440) * Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; complete) *

Codex Freerianus Codex Freerianus, designated by I or 016 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1041 ( von Soden), also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Pauline Epistles'', is a 5th-century manuscript in an uncial hand on vellum in Greek. It is named afte ...

(~450; extant verse 4–6, 14–16) * Codex Claromontanus (~550) *

Codex Coislinianus Codex Coislinianus designated by Hp or 015 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1022 ( Soden), was named also as ''Codex Euthalianus''. It is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Pauline epistles, dated palaeographically to the 6th century. The t ...

(~550; extant verse 13–18) *

Papyrus 116 Papyrus 116 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by 𝔓116, is a copy of part of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Letter to the Hebrews. The surviving text of Hebrews are verses 2:9-11; 3:3-6. They are in a f ...

(6th century; extant verse 3–6)

Old Testament references

* :

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

* : * :

Moses and Jesus as Examples of Faith (3:1–6)

The faithfulness of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

to God as ''the one who appointed him'' is paralleled with the faithfulness of Moses, inviting us to completely trust Jesus.

Verse 1

: ''Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,'' *"Holy brethren": or "holy brothers" suggests a family relationship between true believers, both men and women, as 'pilgrims' ''who share in the heavenly calling'' to reign with

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

in 'the world to come' ().

Verse 2

: ''who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house.'' Moses' foundational role as the revealer of God's will to Israel () is highlighted.

Verse 3

: ''For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.'' *"The house": is rendered in Arabic version "the temple", may refer to pointing to Christ who is the builder, foundation, and cornerstone of "the church", from where he has a glory. Gill, John
''Exposition of the Entire Bible'' - Hebrews 3:3
/ref>

A call to faithfulness (3:7–19)

The Holy Spirit, who is acknowledged as the one spoken 'through David' in

Psalm 95 Psalm 95 is the 95th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation". The Book of Psalms starts the third section of the H ...

(3:7; 4:7), continues to speak to generations of Christians and warn them to 'make each day a fresh 'Today' to hear his voice and live'.

Verse 13

:''But exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.''

Modern English Version The Modern English Version (MEV) is an English translation of the Bible begun in 2005 and completed in 2014. The work was edited by James F. Linzey, and is an update of the King James Version (KJV), re-translated from the Masoretic Text and the ...

*"While it is called "Today": that is, 'while the "to-day" lasts', referring to "the day of grace" (, before the arrival of the day of glory and judgment at Christ's second coming (, ).Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, Andrew Robert; Brown, David. '' Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary On the Whole Bible''
"Hebrews 3"
1871.