Hebrews 11:13

11 By faith ^aSarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and ^bshe bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him ^cfaithful who had promised.

12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as ^adead, were born as many as the ^bstars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

The Heavenly Hope

13 These all died in faith, ^anot having received the ^bpromises, but ^chaving seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and ^dconfessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14 For those who say such things ^adeclare plainly that they seek a homeland.

15 And truly if they had called to mind ^athat country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.

16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed ^ato be called their God, for He has ^bprepared a city for them.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Hebrews 11:13 Mean?

A pilgrim is a person on the move with no settled habitation who knows where he is going. The heroes of faith were motivated by their vision of what lies at the end of the journey. Faith produces vision. Though they died without receiving the promises, they saw them afar off, believed what they saw, rejoiced in them, and identified themselves and God with them. This ability to see gave direction to their lives and set them apart from the rest of mankind. Brethren must likewise live on the basis of the words of promise. David, by contrast, began to settle in and was no longer a pilgrim. Neglect of God and pride began affecting his decisions.

Hebrews 11:13

A pilgrim is a person on the move, traveling from one place to another. It is usually used in a religious sense of one who may have no settled habitation but knows where he is going. Here, it is especially clear that all of these people were motivated by their vision of what lies at the end of the journey.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Elements of Motivation (Part Two): Vision

**Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Hebrews 11:13:**

Genesis 13:14-15
Luke 16:22
2 Corinthians 4:17
Galatians 3:16
Galatians 3:16

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