Albert Barnes Commentary Hebrews 3:8

"Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, Like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness," — Hebrews 3:8 (ASV)

Harden not your hearts. Do not render the heart unresponsive to the Divine voice and admonition. A hard heart is one where the conscience is seared and unresponsive, where truth makes no impression, where no religious effect is produced by afflictions, where preaching is listened to without interest, and where the mind is unaffected by the appeals of friends. The idea here is that a refusal to listen to the voice of God is connected with a hardening of the heart. It is in two ways.

1. The very refusal to do this tends to harden it.
2. And, in order to resist the appeals of God, people must resort to the means of voluntarily hardening the heart. This they do by setting themselves against the truth, by the excuses which they offer for not becoming Christians, by plunging into sin in order to avoid serious impressions, and by direct resistance of the Holy Spirit. A significant part of the efforts of sinners consists in endeavoring to produce unresponsiveness in their minds to the truth and the appeals of God.

As in the provocation. Literally, in the embittering—this means what embitters or provokes the mind, such as disobedience. Here it refers to what they did to embitter the mind of God against them; that is, the course of conduct they adopted to provoke Him to wrath.

In the day of temptation. In the time of temptation—the word "day" being used here, as it often is, to denote an indefinite period, or time in general. The word temptation here refers to the various provocations by which they tried the patience of God. They rebelled against Him; they did what put the Divine patience and forbearance to a trial. It does not mean that they tempted God to do evil, but that His long-suffering was tried by their sins.

In the wilderness. The desert through which they passed. The word wilderness, in the Scriptures, commonly means a desert. (See Barnes on Matthew 3:1).

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1. Provocation was in demanding bread at Sin;
2. For want of water at Massah or Meribah;
3. At Sinai with the golden calf;
4. At Taberah for want of flesh;
5. At Kadesh, when they refused to go up into Canaan, and the oath came that they should die in the wilderness.

A like refusal may prevent us from entering into rest."—Dr. J. P. Wilson, MS. Notes.