Hebrews 13:5
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Among the closing practical exhortations, this verse addresses the believer's relationship to money, grounding contentment in God's enduring promise of presence.
What Does Hebrews 13:5 Mean?
Hebrews 13:5 calls believers to live free from the love of money and to be content, resting on God's promise never to leave or forsake them. The word "conversation" here means one's whole way of life, not merely speech. That manner of life is to be "without covetousness" -- free from the grasping desire for more, the restless craving that money so easily stirs. In its place comes contentment: "be content with such things as ye have."
Contentment is not resignation but a settled satisfaction that does not depend on accumulating more. The remarkable feature of this verse is the reason it gives for contentment. It does not appeal to the dangers of wealth or the brevity of life, but to a promise: "he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." The double assurance, with its piling-up of negatives in the original, makes the promise emphatic: under no circumstances will God abandon His own. This is the true ground of contentment. When God Himself is our unfailing companion, the anxious need to secure ourselves through possessions loses its grip. We can hold our circumstances loosely because we hold fast to the One who will never let us go. The next verse draws out the bold confidence this promise makes possible.
In the Original Language
The Greek aphilargyros ("without covetousness") literally means not loving silver, and the promise uses an emphatic stacking of negatives for absolute assurance.
Cross References
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
- Philippians 4:11
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not... for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
- Deuteronomy 31:6
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
- 1 Timothy 6:6
Application
Loosen your grip on possessions and cultivate contentment, drawing security not from what you own but from God's promise never to leave you.