Hebrews 3:12
New International Version
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

New Living Translation
Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.

English Standard Version
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Berean Standard Bible
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.

Berean Literal Bible
Take heed, brothers, lest ever there will be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, into falling away from the living God.

King James Bible
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

New King James Version
Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

New American Standard Bible
Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

NASB 1995
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

NASB 1977
Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God.

Legacy Standard Bible
See to it brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

Amplified Bible
Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a heart] that turns away from the living God.

Christian Standard Bible
Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.

American Standard Version
Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Beware therefore, my brethren, lest there be an evil, unfaithful heart in any of you, and you depart from THE LIVING GOD;

Contemporary English Version
My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Take heed, brethren, lest perhaps there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, to depart from the living God.

English Revised Version
Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you ever develop a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Good News Translation
My friends, be careful that none of you have a heart so evil and unbelieving that you will turn away from the living God.

International Standard Version
See to it, my brothers, that no evil, unbelieving heart is found in any of you, as shown by your turning away from the living God.

Literal Standard Version
Watch out, brothers, lest there will be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in the falling away from the living God,

Majority Standard Bible
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.

New American Bible
Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God.

NET Bible
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God.

New Revised Standard Version
Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

New Heart English Bible
Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God;

Webster's Bible Translation
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Weymouth New Testament
see to it, brethren, that there is never in any one of you--as perhaps there may be--a sinful and unbelieving heart, manifesting itself in revolt from the ever-living God.

World English Bible
Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there might be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God;

Young's Literal Translation
See, brethren, lest there shall be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in the falling away from the living God,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Peril of Unbelief
11So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’ ” 12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. 13But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.…

Cross References
Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

Hebrews 3:19
So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter.

Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 12:22
Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels


Treasury of Scripture

Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Take.

Hebrews 2:1-3
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip…

Hebrews 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Matthew 24:4
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

an.

Hebrews 3:10
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

Genesis 8:21
And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

in.

Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Hebrews 12:25
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

Job 21:14
Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

the.

1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

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Beware Care Chance Departing Ever-Living Evil Falling Falls Heart Heed Itself Manifesting Perhaps Revolt Sinful Turning Unbelief Unbelieving Wicked
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Beware Care Chance Departing Ever-Living Evil Falling Falls Heart Heed Itself Manifesting Perhaps Revolt Sinful Turning Unbelief Unbelieving Wicked
Hebrews 3
1. Christ is more worthy than Moses;
7. therefore if we believe not in him, we shall be more worthy punishment than hardhearted Israel.














(12) Lest there be in any of you.--Better, lest haply there shall be in any one of you. (See above, on Hebrews 3:7.)

In departing.--Better, in falling away from a Living God. The heart of unbelief will manifest its evil in apostasy. The Greek word apistia stands in direct contrast to "faithful" (pistos), Hebrews 3:2, and combines the ideas of "unbelief" and "faithlessness." He whose words they have heard is a living God, ever watchful in warning and entreaty (Hebrews 3:8), but also in the sure punishment of the faithless (Hebrews 3:11; Hebrews 10:31). . . .

Verse 12. - Take heed (literally, see), brethren, lest haply there should be (literally, shall be) in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. Here begins definitely the hortatory application of the warning of the ninety-fifth psalm. Its drift, to the end of the chapter, is: You, being called under the SON to a far higher position than your fathers under Moses were, but the retention of your position being, as theirs was, conditional on your faithfulness, see that you do not forfeit it, as some of you may be in danger of doing. That you may, if you are not careful, is shown by the very warning of the psalm, and by the example of your fathers, referred to in the psalm, all of whom, though called, failed of attainment through unbelief. It is implied all along that the "today" of the psalm includes the present day of grace, and points to a truer rest than that of Canaan, still offered to the faithful. But the full bringing out of this thought is reserved for the next chapter. On the language of ver. 12 we observe:

(1) The same form of warning, βλέπετε μὴ, occurs infra Hebrews 12:25, but then, suitably to the context, followed by a subjunctive. Here the future indicative which follows, μήποτε ἔσται, denotes a fact in the future, distinctly apprehended as possible (cf. Colossians 2:8). It had not ensued as yet, nor does the writer anticipate the probability of its being the case with all his readers; but in the state of feeling with regard to the gospel among the Hebrew Christians which the whole Epistle was intended to counteract, he sees ground for fearing it in the case of some. Their present wavering might result in apostasy.

(2) It is not necessary to analyze the expression," an evil heart of unbelief," so as to settle whether the evil heart is regarded as the result of unbelief, or unbelief of the evil heart; the main point to be observed is that unbelief is connected with moral culpability, as is implied further in ver. 13. The unbelief so condemned in Holy Scripture is not mere intellectual incapacity; it is condemned only so far as man is responsible for it on account of his own willful perversity or carelessness.

(3) The outcome of such "evil heart of unbelief," if allowed to become fixed and permanent, will be apostasy (ἀπόστηναι: cf. Luke 8:13; 1 Timothy 4:1) from "the living God," from him who is Eternal Life and the Source of all life and salvation. The thought of the momentous consequence of the falling away of Christians after light enjoyed is prominent in the Epistle (see especially Hebrews 6:4, etc.; Hebrews 10:26, etc.). The expression," the living God," further directs attention to the revelation of God in the Old Testament, in which he is continually so designated, and to the thought that it is the same God who has revealed himself finally in the SON. Addressing Hebrew Christians, the writer may mean to say," In apostatizing from Christ you would be cutting yourselves off from the God of your whole ancestral faith." There may be an intended allusion, too, to the oath, already referred to, of Numbers 14:21, 28, the form of which in the original is," As I live" (ζῶ ἐγὼ λέγει Κύριος, LXX.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
See to it,
Βλέπετε (Blepete)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 991: (primarily physical), I look, see, perceive, discern. A primary verb; to look at.

brothers,
ἀδελφοί (adelphoi)
Noun - Vocative Masculine Plural
Strong's 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.

[that]
ποτε (pote)
Conjunction
Strong's 4219: When, at what time. From the base of pou and te; interrogative adverb, at what time.

[none]
τινι (tini)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

of you
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

has
ἔσται (estai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

a wicked
πονηρὰ (ponēra)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4190: Evil, bad, wicked, malicious, slothful.

heart
καρδία (kardia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2588: Prolonged from a primary kar; the heart, i.e. the thoughts or feelings; also the middle.

of unbelief
ἀπιστίας (apistias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 570: Unbelief, unfaithfulness, distrust. From apistos; faithlessness, i.e. disbelief, or unfaithfulness.

that turns away
ἀποστῆναι (apostēnai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 868: From apo and histemi; to remove, i.e. instigate to revolt; usually to desist, desert, etc.

from
ἀπὸ (apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

[the] living
ζῶντος (zōntos)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2198: To live, be alive. A primary verb; to live.

God.
Θεοῦ (Theou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.


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NT Letters: Hebrews 3:12 Beware brothers lest perhaps there be (Heb. He. Hb)
Hebrews 3:11
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