Hebrews 5:14 Meaning and Explanation
“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Solid food is for the mature, whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.
What Does Hebrews 5:14 Mean?
The writer completes the contrast. Solid food, the deeper teaching, belongs to the mature, those of full age whose spiritual senses have been trained, through steady use, to tell good from evil. Maturity here is not merely knowing more but discerning rightly.
Discernment, the verse teaches, grows like a trained sense; it is sharpened by practice, by repeatedly choosing the good and refusing the evil until wisdom becomes second nature. This is the goal the writer longs to see in his readers before he leads them into the deep truths about Christ. For us it is both a challenge and an encouragement: keep exercising faith, and God will grow in us the seasoned discernment that solid spiritual food requires.
Hebrews 5:14 in the Original Language
aistheterion (αἰσθητήριον), 'senses' -- the faculties of perception; here the trained spiritual capacity to discern between good and evil.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrews 5:14
What does Hebrews 5:14 mean?
Solid food is for the mature, whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.