Hebrews 12:6–11

Context

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is not known with certainty. The epistle is generally thought to have been written to believers facing persecution and the temptation to abandon their faith. After the roll call of the faithful in chapter 11, the opening of chapter 12 compares the life of faith to a race and urges readers to look to Jesus. In 12:4 the author observes that the readers "have not yet resisted unto blood," and in 12:5–6 he quotes Proverbs 3:11–12. The present passage is an exposition of that quotation.

The Greek word paideia, rendered here as "chastening," does not denote punishment alone. It also refers to the upbringing, instruction, and training of children. The author compares earthly fathers with God: earthly fathers chastened "for a few days … after their own pleasure," but God chastens "that we might be partakers of his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). The word "bastards" in verse 8 refers to children without legal standing. The argument is that receiving chastening is itself evidence of being a true child.

Interpretation

• Reading as training: Many commentators do not regard the suffering in this passage as punishment for a particular personal sin. Instead, they hold that the author interprets persecution endured for the faith as the process by which God trains His children. The word rendered "exercised" in verse 11 ("them which are exercised thereby") originally referred to the training of athletes.
• Reformed reading: John Calvin and the broader Reformed tradition distinguish the discipline believers experience from "punishment" in the sense of paying again the penalty for sin that Christ has already borne. This discipline is explained as an expression of a father's love in correcting his children.
• Wesleyan and Holiness reading: Wesleyan theology and Holiness churches often connect being "partakers of his holiness" in verse 10 with the process of sanctification and holiness.

Questions of Application

• Translation issues: The opening of verse 7 can be read in Greek either as a statement ("It is for discipline that you endure") or as a command ("Endure it as discipline"). Likewise, the end of verse 11 may be translated "the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (the peaceful fruit that righteousness yields) or, as in the Revised New Korean Version, "the fruit of righteousness and peace."
• Is all suffering chastening?: Some point out that using this passage to interpret every misfortune, such as illness or accidents, as chastening for sin goes beyond its context. This objection is often discussed alongside the Book of Job and John 9:1–3.
• Corporal punishment and abuse: Some argue that the analogy of earthly fathers in verse 9 must not be used to justify the corporal punishment of children or coercion within the church. They maintain that the passage should be read together with Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently cited as a word of comfort in sermons and pastoral visits dealing with suffering and refinement. Terms such as "chastening" (jinggye) and "refining" (yeondan) have become common in the prayers and testimonies of Korean churches.

Related Passages

• Proverbs 3:11–12
• Deuteronomy 8:5
• Revelation 3:19
• James 1:2–4
• Romans 8:18