Charles Ellicott Commentary Hebrews 11

We have seen how the writer approached the subject that is the chief theme of this last division of this Epistle. The coming of the Lord, for judgment upon His adversaries and for salvation to His people, draws near. In the midst of dangers and judgments God’s righteous servant will live, and the ground of his life is his steadfast faith—if he shrinks back, destruction will overtake him. “Our principle of action” (the writer says to his Hebrew readers) “is not shrinking back, but faith.”

And faith is this. . . .” It has been debated whether what follows is a definition of what faith is, or in reality a description of what faith does. It is not a complete definition, in the sense of including all the moments of thought that are present in the word as used in the last chapter (Hebrews 11:38) or in this. The “things hoped for” are not mere figments of the imagination; their basis is the word of God. If we keep this in mind, the words, still remaining general in their form, agree with all that has led up to them and with all that follows; and whether they are called definition or description will be of little consequence.

The exact meaning of the special terms used here is not easy to ascertain. The word rendered “substance” has already occurred twice in the Epistle. In Hebrews 1:3 this was its true meaning—the essence that, so to speak, underlies, “stands under,” the qualities possessed. In Hebrews 3:14 the same metaphor of standing under is applied to steadfastness, confidence (see the Note). The former of these renderings the Authorized Version—in this instance deserting the earlier translations (which for the most part have “sure confidence” or “ground”) to follow the Rhemish in its rendering of the Latin substantia—has made familiar in the present passage. The sense that it presents, however, is not very clear; and the symmetry of the verse almost compels us here to choose some word that denotes an act, or at all events an attitude, of the mind. Most commentators of our own day accept the second meaning explained above, “confidence” or “assurance in regard to things hoped for.”

To adopt Dr. Vaughan’s clear explanation, “Faith is that principle, that exercise of mind and soul, which has for its object things not seen but hoped for, and which, instead of sinking under them as too ponderous, whether from their difficulty or from their uncertainty, stands firm under them—supports and sustains their pressure—in other words, is assured of, confides in and relies on them.”

This interpretation yields an excellent sense, and has the advantage of assigning to the Greek word a meaning that it certainly bears in an earlier chapter, and in two places of St. Paul’s Epistles. On the other hand, the analogy of the second member of the verse, and a peculiarity in the Greek construction that we cannot here discuss, seem to be in favor of a third rendering of the words: “Faith is the giving substance to things hoped for.” It has indeed been said that by such a translation the things hoped for are represented as being without substance.

But this difficulty is only apparent; for in regard to ourselves these objects of our hope do not yet exist, since they still belong to the future (Romans 8:24–25). In the second clause the word “evidence” is likely to mislead; very probably, indeed, it now fails to convey the sense intended by our translators, who here followed the rendering of the Genevan Bible (suggested by Calvin’s “evidentia”).

The Greek word denotes putting to the test, examining for the purpose of proof, bringing to conviction. Under this aspect faith appears as neither blindly rejecting nor blindly accepting whatever may be said about things unseen, but boldly dealing with them as if with things seen, and then unflinchingly accepting what has stood the proof. One peculiarity of the Greek yet remains to be noticed. In the second clause the word “things” is expressed in the Greek , but not in the first; by this means we are reminded of the reality of what is thus spoken of as unseen.

The whole verse, then, may be rendered Now faith is the giving substance to what is hoped for, the testing of things not seen. And now turning from the general aspect of the words to the way they are presented by the context, we have as the meaning: Faith, holding to God’s word, gives substance to what that word promises, investing the future blessings with a present existence, treating them as if already objects of sight rather than of hope. Through faith, guided by the same word, the things unseen are brought to the proof; what that word teaches, though future, or though belonging to a world beyond human sight, is received with full conviction.

Thus “every genuine act of faith is the act of the whole man, not of his understanding alone, not of his affections alone, not of his will alone, but of all three in their central, aboriginal unity.” And thus faith becomes “the faculty in man through which the spiritual world exercises its sway over him, and thereby enables him to overcome the world of sin and death.” (Hare, Victory of Faith.)

For by it.—Better, For in it witness was borne to the elders. The connection seems to be this: Faith truly accomplishes all this; for it was in the exercise of such a faith that the elders gained the witness which the Scripture bears (see Hebrews 11:4-5, 39) to them and to their noble deeds. This verse, then, is added to confirm the first.

Through faith.—Rather, By faith, as in the following verses. The first place is not given to “the elders,” for the writer’s object is to set forth the achievements of faith. With these, he would say, the Scripture record is filled. Even where there is no mention of this principle, we must trace it in the lives of God’s servants; even where there is no history of men, there is a necessity for the exercise of faith by ourselves, and the first words of Scripture teach this lesson.

That the worlds were framed.—Literally, that the ages have been prepared. The remarkable expression which was used in Hebrews 1:2 is here repeated. The complete preparation of all that the successive periods of time contain is the idea which the words present. The narrative of Genesis 1 ascribes the whole creation of the heaven and the earth to God, and associates with a word of God every stage in the preparation and furnishing of the earth. (See Note on Hebrews 1:2.) This is the first lesson of that record. But it does not stand alone, as is taught more plainly still by the next clause.

So that things which are seen.—A slight alteration in the Greek is necessary here—the thing seen (or what is seen) being the true reading. A more important point is a change in the aspect of the whole clause, which the Greek seems to require. As the English words stand, they point out the significance of the statement of Scripture respecting the creative act: we believe the writer intended rather to state the divine purpose in relation to that first creation and all subsequent acts that are included in the “preparing of the ages.”

In order that what is seen should not have come into being out of things which appear. This is probably the true meaning of the clause. In the narrative of Genesis 1, God would have us learn a lesson for the whole course of human history and development. As the visible universe did not take its being out of what was apparent, so what from time to time is seen does not arise of itself out of what is manifest to man’s natural perceptions. Not only is the eternity of matter denied, but from the beginning, a warning has been given against a materialistic philosophy. The first page of Scripture is designed to teach the constant presence and work of the Creator. This lesson we learn and apply by faith; and the result of its application is seen in many points of the history which follows. In that history, the operation of faith is twofold.

The writer’s most obvious design is to call attention to the faith possessed by “the elders,” and its wonderful triumphs; but it is in many cases by the same faith that we interpret the Scripture record so as to discover this to have been their guiding principle. But seldom does the Old Testament directly speak of faith, and hence the importance of this verse (which some have thought incongruous, since it retards the exhibition of the elders’ faith) as throwing light on our interpretation of the teaching of God’s word.

A more excellent.—The Greek literally means that Abel’s sacrifice was “more than” Cain’s (compare Hebrews 3:3, “more glory”; Matthew 6:25; Luke 11:32, and others). The word “sacrifice” (which, as is the case with very many words in this chapter, is taken directly from the Septuagint) does not have its special sense (see Note on Hebrews 10:5) in the narrative of Genesis 4. This is because the offerings of the two brothers are there designated by the same name, both in the Hebrew (“offering”) and in the Greek (“sacrifice”). Therefore, apart from the first words, “by faith,” there is nothing here said to explain the superiority of Abel’s offering. However, one who believes sacrifice to have been of Divine institution, and who notes the close connection between God’s word and the actions of the men whose faith is here recorded, may hold it probable that Abel’s obedience was manifested in his mode of approaching God.

By which he obtained witness.—Probably, “through which faith,” but the Greek may also mean through which sacrifice. The witness (Hebrews 11:2) is that borne by God in His acceptance of the offering, which was shown by some visible sign. We might also add that such a testimony to Abel is implied in the reproof of Cain (Genesis 4:7). However, the following words, God bearing witness over (or in regard to) his gifts, show what was chiefly in the writer’s thought.

Such acceptance implied Abel’s righteousness and thus testified to his “faith.” It is remarkable that in three out of the four places in which Abel is mentioned in the New Testament this epithet is used (Matthew 23:35; 1 John 3:12). In the later Jewish tradition (contained in the Targum of Jerusalem), the brothers are represented as types of faith and unbelief; and in Hebrews 11:10, thy brother’s blood (Hebrew, “bloods”) is expanded into “the blood of the multitude of the righteous who were to arise from thy brother.” In this clause, the authorities for the Greek text are much divided. One reading, he testifying over his gifts to God, has the support of the three oldest manuscripts but can hardly be correct.

And by it.—Better, and through it (his faith). The reference is to Genesis 4:10, the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground . Therefore, as Calvin remarks, “he was plainly numbered among God’s saints, whose death is precious in His sight.”

See death.—See Luke 2:26; Psalms 89:48 (John 8:51).

And was not found . . . translated him.—This is an exact quotation from the Septuagint (Genesis 5:24). The word “translated” is a very simple one, meaning only a change of place; but nothing can equal the simplicity of the Hebrew: he was not, for God took him.

He had this testimony.—Better, he hath had witness borne to him (Hebrews 11:2; Hebrews 11:4) that he hath been well pleasing to God. The form of the expression shows that the writer is again speaking of the ever-present word of Scripture (Hebrews 4:9 and following). That word does not record the translation of Enoch until it hath borne witness to him that he pleased God.

The words walked with God are rendered in the Septuagint as was well pleasing to God, and it is this rendering that is quoted here and in the next verse. The writer himself supplies the comment in the next verse, which has a very close connection with this.