Hebrews 12:2 - Forerunner Commentary

Hebrews 12:2

The Race of Faith

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, ^alet us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and ^blet us run ^cwith endurance the race that is set before us,

2 looking unto Jesus, the¹ author and finisher of our faith, ^awho for the joy that was set before Him ^bendured the cross, despising the shame, and ^chas sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Discipline of God

3 ^aFor consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, ^blest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

4 ^aYou have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
^a“My son, do not despise the¹ chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6 For ^awhom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 ^aIf¹ you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what ^bson is there whom a father does not chasten?

8 But if you are without chastening, ^aof which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to ^athe Father of spirits and live?

10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, ^athat we may be partakers of His holiness.

11 Now no¹ chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields ^athe peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

12 Therefore ^astrengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 ^aPursue peace with all people, and holiness, ^bwithout which no one will see the Lord:

15 looking carefully lest anyone ^afall short of the grace of God; lest any ^broot of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

16 lest there be any ^afornicator or profane person like Esau, ^bwho for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was ^arejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The Glorious Company

18 For you have not come¹ to ^athe mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and² darkness and tempest,

19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it ^abegged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: ^a“And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned¹ or shot with an arrow.”

21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ^a“I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

23 to the¹ general assembly and church of ^athe firstborn ^bwho are registered in heaven, to God ^cthe Judge of all, to the spirits of just men ^dmade perfect,

24 to Jesus ^athe Mediator of the new covenant, and to ^bthe blood of sprinkling that speaks better things ^cthan that of Abel.

Hear the Heavenly Voice

25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For ^aif they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,

26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ^a“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the ^aremoval of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we¹ may ^aserve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

29 For ^aour God is a consuming fire.

Verse Comparison: Hebrews 12:2

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American Standard Version
looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of `our' faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Amplified® Bible
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader {and} the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising {and} ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Contemporary English Version
We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne!

Darby English Version
looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith: who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured [the] cross, having despised [the] shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Good News Bible
Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.

International Standard Version
looking off to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

King James Version
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

New American Standard Bible
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

New International Version
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

New King James Version
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Young's Literal Translation
looking to the author and perfecter of faith -- Jesus, who, over-against the joy set before him -- did endure a cross, shame having despised, on the right hand also of the throne of God did sit down;

New English Translation
keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.¹

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