Hebrews 10:38: Edit history

Context

In 10:32–39, the author of Hebrews reminds the readers of "the former days" just after their conversion, when they joyfully endured suffering and the confiscation of their property. After exhorting them, "Cast not away therefore your confidence" (10:35), the author quotes Habakkuk 2:3–4. The recipients have traditionally been understood as Jewish Christians facing persecution and pressure to apostatize. Coming after verse 37, "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry," this verse exhorts the readers to keep the faith while they await the Lord's Second Coming. Verse 39 encourages them again: "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition." This line of thought leads into chapter 11, which recounts the faithful of earlier generations.

Interpretation

• Persevering faith: Many commentators read "faith" in this verse as faithfulness and endurance that hold fast to God's promises even amid suffering. The preceding statement "For ye have need of patience" (v. 36) and the following chapter 11 are cited in support of this reading.
• Connection with justification: Habakkuk 2:4 is also quoted in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. Protestant interpreters sometimes read these three passages together, explaining that the one who has been justified by faith goes on living by that same faith to the end. A commonly noted difference is that Paul emphasizes being declared righteous (justification), whereas Hebrews emphasizes a life of endurance.
• Messianic reading: In verse 37, Hebrews uses the expression "he that shall come" to make clear that the one awaited is Christ. For this reason, many interpreters read the entire quotation in the context of expectation of the Second Coming.

Debates and Issues

• Text and translation: In the Hebrew (Masoretic) text, Habakkuk 2:4 reads "the just shall live by his faith" (or "faithfulness"). Hebrews follows the Greek Septuagint tradition and also reverses the order of the two lines in its quotation. In addition, the manuscripts of Hebrews differ on whether "my" is present and where it is placed. The Korean Revised Version renders the phrase "my righteous one," while the King James Version, following a text without "my," reads "the just shall live by faith."
• The meaning of "draw back": Calvinist and Reformed interpreters, in keeping with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, regard this warning as a means by which true believers are kept to the end, citing the assurance of verse 39 in support. Arminian and Wesleyan interpreters read it as a serious warning showing that believers can actually fall away from the faith. This debate is usually treated together with the interpretation of Hebrews 10:26–31.

In Korean Churches

The phrase "the just shall live by faith" is frequently quoted, together with Habakkuk 2:4 and Romans 1:17, in sermons such as those preached on Reformation Sunday. The Hebrews passage itself is commonly used in sermons exhorting endurance in suffering and steadfastness in the faith.

Related Passages

• Habakkuk 2:3–4
• Romans 1:17
• Galatians 3:11
• Hebrews 10:39
• Hebrews 11:6