Hebrews 11:9

11:8-19 We are often called to leave worldly connexions, interests, and comforts. If heirs of Abraham's faith, we shall obey and go forth, though not knowing what may befall us; and we shall be found in the way of duty, looking for the performance of God's promises. The trial of Abraham's faith was, that he simply and fully obeyed the call of God. Sarah received the promise as the promise of God; being convinced of that, she truly judged that he both could and would perform it. Many, who have a part in the promises, do not soon receive the things promised. Faith can lay hold of blessings at a great distance; can make them present; can love them and rejoice in them, though strangers; as saints, whose home is heaven; as pilgrims, travelling toward their home. By faith, they overcome the terrors of death, and bid a cheerful farewell to this world, and to all the comforts and crosses of it. And those once truly and savingly called out of a sinful state, have no mind to return into it. All true believers desire the heavenly inheritance; and the stronger faith is, the more fervent those desires will be. Notwithstanding their meanness by nature, their vileness by sin, and the poverty of their outward condition, God is not ashamed to be called the God of all true believers; such is his mercy, such is his love to them. Let them never be ashamed of being called his people, nor of any of those who are truly so, how much soever despised in the world.

Above all, let them take care that they are not a shame and reproach to their God. The greatest trial and act of faith upon record is, Abraham's offering up Isaac, Ge 22:2. There, every word shows a trial. It is our duty to reason down our doubts and fears, by looking, as Abraham did, to the Almighty power of God. The best way to enjoy our comforts is, to give them up to God; he will then again give them as shall be the best for us. Let us look how far our faith has caused the like obedience, when we have been called to lesser acts of self-denial, or to make smaller sacrifices to our duty. Have we given up what was called for, fully believing that the Lord would make up all our losses, and even bless us by the most afflicting dispensations?

He sojourned in (παρῴκησεν εἰς) The verb lit. to dwell beside or among. Πάροικος, a foreigner dwelling in a state without rights of citizenship. In Class. only in the sense of neighbor. See on Luke 24:18. The verb of rest with the preposition of motion (only here) signifies that he went into the land and dwelt there. Usually with ἐν in, but sometimes with the simple accusative, as Luke 24:18; Genesis 17:8; Exodus 6:4. Land of promise (γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας) Note the article, omitted in A.V., the promise: the land which was designated in the promise of God. See Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:15. The phrase N.T.o. There is no corresponding phrase in O.T. Strange (ἀλλοτρίαν) Another (ἄλλη) land than his own. So lxx, Genesis 15:13. Comp. Acts 7:6. In tabernacles (ἐν σκηναῖς) Or tents, as a migratory people, without a permanent home. The heirs with him (τῶν συνκληρονόμων) Joint-heirs or fellow-heirs. olxx, oClass. See Romans 8:17; Ephesians 3:6; 1 Peter 3:7. The three, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are mentioned because they cover the entire period of the sojourn in Canaan. Faith inspired these to endure patiently their unsettled life, since it assured them of a permanent home in the future.

Hebrews 11:9-10 . By faith, &c. — Believing that Canaan was promised to him and his seed only as a type of a better country, he acquired no possessions therein except a burying-place, and built no houses there; but sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country — Αλλοτιαν , a country belonging to others, dwelling in tents, as a sojourner; with Isaac and Jacob — Who by the same manner of living showed the same faith. Jacob was born fifteen years before the death of Abraham, as is evident from the account of the lives of the patriarchs given in Genesis. Isaac and Jacob are said to be heirs with Abraham of the same promise, because they all had the same interest therein; and Isaac did not receive this inheritance from Abraham, nor Jacob from Isaac, but all of them from God. In saying that Abraham dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the apostle does not mean that they all three dwelt together in one family, and one place, while they were in Canaan; for Abraham and Isaac had separate habitations when Jacob was born. But he means that, while in Canaan, they all dwelt in tents; and by applying this observation to the two latter, as well as to Abraham, the apostle praises their faith likewise. For, since Canaan belonged to them as joint heirs with their father, by dwelling there in tents as sojourners, they showed that they also knew the true meaning of the promise, and looked for a better country than Canaan.

For he looked for — He expected at length to be led on to; a city which hath foundations — Whereas a tent hath none. Grotius thinks Abraham hoped that his posterity should have, in the land of promise, a city that God would prepare for them, in a special manner, namely, Jerusalem. But such an interpretation Isaiah , 1 st, Expressly contrary to the exposition given by the apostle himself of this expression, Hebrews 11:16 : 2d, It is not suitable to God’s dealing with Abraham, and to the nature and effects of the holy patriarch’s faith, that he should have nothing to encourage him in his pilgrimage but a hope that, after many generations, his posterity should have a city to dwell in, in the land of Canaan, wherein the condition of most of them was not better than his in tents: 3d, To suppose that this was only an earthly city, not to be possessed by his posterity until eight hundred years afterward, and that but for a limited time, is utterly to overthrow his faith, the nature of the covenant of God with him, and his being an example to gospel believers, as he is here proposed to be.

Hebrews 11:9 . Παρῴκησεν ) He went to dwell as a stranger in , Hebrews 11:13 , note.— τῆς ἐπαγγελίας , of the promise ) It had been promised immediately, Genesis 12:7 .— ἐν σκηναῖς , in tabernacles ) Genesis 12:8 : πάροικοι , strangers (new-comers, sojourners) use tents. The antithesis is πόλις , a city , Hebrews 11:10 .— μετὰ , with ) The same mode of living, a proof of the same faith. It is construed with παρῴκησεν , was a stranger .— καὶ Ἰακὼβ , and Jacob ) He was fifteen years old at the death of Abraham.— τῶν συγκληρονόμων , joint-heirs ) In no other place are sons called joint-heirs with their parents, but merely heirs. Isaac did not acknowledge himself indebted for the inheritance to Abraham, nor Jacob to Isaac, but they received it severally from God Himself. This expression, the heirs of the promise , and ἐπέτυχε ΤΗΣ ἐπαγγελίας , he obtained THE promise , Hebrews 6:17 , Hebrews 12:15 , are said of the very thing promised; but both phrases in this chap. Hebrews 11:9 ; Hebrews 11:33 , the joint-heirs of the promise , and ἐπέτυχον ἐπαγγελιῶν (without the article τῶν ), obtained promises , and in like manner, Hebrews 11:17 , ὁ τὰς ἐπυγγελίας ἀναδεξάμενος , he who received the promises , are said of the promise of something future: and believers are said to receive, to obtain , λαμβάνειν , κομιζεσθαι , the very thing promised , especially in this same chapter, Hebrews 11:13 ; Hebrews 11:39 .

The difference of expressions is suitable to the different scope of ch. 6 and 9; for in ch. 6 the condition itself of men in former times is commended, and proposed as an example; but in ch. 11 the condition of New Testament believers is celebrated above the other (viz. that of Old Testament believers).

9 . as in a strange country ] “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you” ( Genesis 23:3 ). The patriarchs are constantly called paroikoi , “dwellers beside,” “sojourners” ( Genesis 17:8 ; Genesis 20:1 , &c). dwelling in tabernacles ] i.e. in tents ( Genesis 12:8 ; Genesis 13:3 , &c).

(9) The land of promise —More correctly, according to the true reading, a land of the promise: into a land which the promise ( Genesis 12:7 ) made his own he came as a sojourner, and sojourned in it as in a land belonging to others, making his settled abode there in tents. The words of which this is a paraphrase are very expressive, especially those of the last clause. Abraham there “made his home once for all, well aware that it was to be his home—expecting no change in this respect all his life long—in tents,” movable, shifting abodes—here to-day, there to-morrow—with (as did also in their turn) “Isaac and Jacob,” the “heirs with him of the same promise.” (Dr. Vaughan.)

9. sojourned—as a "stranger and pilgrim." in—Greek, "into," that is, he went into it and sojourned there. as in a strange country—a country not belonging to him, but to others (so the Greek), Ac 7:5, 6. dwelling in tabernacles—tents: as strangers and sojourners do: moving from place to place, as having no fixed possession of their own. In contrast to the abiding "city" (Heb 11:10). with—Their kind of dwelling being the same is a proof that their faith was the same. They all alike were content to wait for their good things hereafter (Lu 16:25). Jacob was fifteen years old at the death of Abraham. heirs with him of the same promise—Isaac did not inherit it from Abraham, nor Jacob from Isaac, but they all inherited it from God directly as "fellow heirs." In Heb 6:12, 15, 17, "the promise" means the thing promised as a thing in part already attained; but in this chapter "the promise" is of something still future. However, see on [2586]Heb 6:12.