Charles Ellicott Commentary Hebrews 11:39

"And these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise," — Hebrews 11:39 (ASV)

Having obtained a good report.—Now that the history is concluded, the statement of Hebrews 11:2 is resumed. That “the elders” received their witness from God in such a faith as was described in Hebrews 11:1, the records themselves have shown; yet, these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise, that is, the promised blessing.

There are three passages in the Epistle which must be considered together: Hebrews 6:15, And so, having patiently waited, he (Abraham) obtained the promise;Hebrews 10:36, You have need of endurance, that having done the will of God you may receive the promise; and the present verse.

To the saints of the Old Testament, the promised blessing was future; they obtained it, but not within the limits of this present life. To us, the promised blessing is present, revealed to us in its true nature, and obtained for us once for all. For we know that eternal redemption has been won through Christ’s entering for us once for all into the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 9:12), and to us “perfection” has come, in that through Him we “draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:11; Hebrews 7:19).

It is true that:

1. the full personal appropriation of the gift is for every one of us still future, and
2. the full revelation belongs to another state of being.

This, however, is not inconsistent with what has been said.