Hebrews 11:3

Context

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews urges believers who were tempted to abandon their faith amid hardship to hold fast to faith to the end. Hebrews 11:1 introduces faith as "the evidence of things not seen." Verse 2 says that the elders obtained a good report by this faith, and from verse 4 onward the author recounts, one after another, the faith of Old Testament figures, beginning with Abel. Verse 3 stands immediately before this list. It contains the first occurrence of the phrase "through faith" (or "by faith"), and its subject is not a figure of old but "we." By presenting the beginning of the world, which no one directly witnessed, as the first object of faith, the author gives concrete form to the definition in verse 1.

Interpretation

• Creation out of nothing: Many interpreters, especially in the Reformed and evangelical traditions, regard this verse as a basis for creatio ex nihilo, the doctrine that God made the world by his word alone, without preexisting material. It is also reported to be cited as a proof text in the chapter on creation in the Westminster Confession of Faith.
• The nature of "the word": The term for "word" here is the Greek rhēma, which differs from the logos of John 1. Many commentators understand it as God's command, as in "And God said" in Genesis 1. Other interpreters connect it with Christ, on the basis of Hebrews 1:2, which says that God made the worlds through the Son.
• The meaning of "the worlds": The Greek aiōnes, rendered "the worlds," can also mean "ages" or "eras." For this reason some extend the reading to mean that not only the spatial universe but all of time and history stands under the word of God.
• Faith and knowledge: The verse presents creation as something understood "through faith." Some take this to mean that creation can be known not through observation but only through the faith that receives revelation. Others take it to mean that faith, rather than standing in opposition to reason, enables one to understand the source of the visible world.

Debates and Issues

The Greek of the second half of the verse can be translated in two ways, depending on what the negative modifies. One rendering is "things which are seen were not made of things which do appear"; the other is "things which are seen were made of things which do not appear." The first reading accords well with creation out of nothing. Scholars who adopt the second reading hold that the expression refers to an invisible source, namely the word of God.

The verse is also cited in the creation and evolution debate. Proponents of creation science cite it in support of the view that creation must be accepted by faith rather than through scientific explanation. Those who seek to harmonize faith and science hold that the verse identifies who the Creator is but does not specify the manner or duration of creation. The interpretation of the verse itself does not differ greatly from one denomination to another.

Related Passages

• Genesis 1:1-3
• Psalm 33:6
• Hebrews 1:1-3
• Romans 4:17
• 2 Corinthians 4:18