Hebrews 3:18 Meaning and Explanation
“And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God swore that those who would not believe would not enter His rest.
What Does Hebrews 3:18 Mean?
The third question reaches the decisive cause. To whom did God swear that they would be shut out from His rest? To them that believed not. The writer has moved from sinning in verse 17 to its root here, naming unbelief as the heart of the matter. Disobedience and unbelief are two faces of one refusal to trust God.
This is the hinge of the whole warning. The barrier to God's rest was not weakness or hardship but an unbelieving heart. By framing it as a question whose answer is unavoidable, the writer makes the reader say it themselves. The promise of rest is real and still open; what closes it is the same thing that closed it then, a heart unwilling to believe.
Hebrews 3:18 in the Original Language
apeitheo (ἀπειθέω), 'believed not' -- to refuse to be persuaded, a disbelief that shows itself in disobedience.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrews 3:18
What does Hebrews 3:18 mean?
God swore that those who would not believe would not enter His rest.