Hebrews 3:13
“But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
King James Version (KJV)
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The author has been recalling Israel's hardening in the wilderness as a warning to his readers. Verse 13 prescribes the antidote -- daily mutual encouragement within the community of believers.
What Does Hebrews 3:13 Mean?
Hebrews 3:13 calls believers to encourage one another every single day so that no one's heart becomes hardened by the deceptive power of sin. The command is mutual and ongoing -- "exhort one another" -- showing that spiritual endurance is not a solitary effort but a shared responsibility carried out within a community of faith. The word "daily" presses urgency: this is not occasional encouragement but a steady, repeated practice.
The phrase "while it is called To day" echoes the warning of the wilderness generation, who heard God's voice yet hardened their hearts. Today is the time of opportunity; tomorrow is never guaranteed. The danger the verse names is subtle. Sin is described as having a "deceitfulness" -- it does not announce itself as ruin but disguises itself, promising satisfaction while slowly numbing the conscience. Hardening rarely happens all at once; it creeps in through small compromises until the heart no longer feels what it once felt. The remedy is community: brothers and sisters speaking truth, warning, and lifting one another while there is still time. Daily mutual encouragement is presented not as optional fellowship but as a safeguard against drifting away.
In the Original Language
The Greek parakaleō ("exhort") means to call alongside, encourage, or urge, while apatē ("deceitfulness") describes the trickery by which sin misleads.
Cross References
“Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:”
- Hebrews 3:8
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
- Hebrews 10:25
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Application
Make a habit of encouraging fellow believers regularly, and welcome their encouragement, so that none of you drifts unnoticed into a hardened heart.