Charles Ellicott Commentary Hebrews 4:1

"Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it." — Hebrews 4:1 (ASV)

Let us therefore fear.—The emphasis rests upon “fear,” not upon “us.” It is noteworthy that the writer begins with “Let us,” though about to write “lest any of you;” he will have gained his object if he brings his readers to share his fear.

Lest, a promise being left us.—Rather, lest perhaps, a promise being (still) left. No word must be inserted here that can diminish the generality of the words; in what follows, the statement will be repeated with all possible clearness. Here it is simply said that such a promise remains unexhausted, waiting for complete fulfillment. No Hebrew Christian would doubt this.

As in Hebrews 1, the writer’s aim is not to establish a truth absolutely new, but to show that a received truth is contained in various Scriptures. Most of our earlier versions (following Luther and Erasmus) render this clause differently, which cannot be correct: “Lest any of you by forsaking the promise of entering in His rest.”

Any of you should seem to come short of it.—Rather, any one of you should be accounted to have come short of it. The difficulty here lies in the words rendered “seem” or “be accounted.” It appears impossible that the meaning can be “should even seem,” or “should think himself,” or “should show himself,” to have failed. It may be that the writer avoids positive and direct language when speaking of what lies beyond human understanding, and therefore reverently says, “should seem to have come short of it.” It is more probable that he is influenced by the figure contained in the next word, the falling short of a mark; and is thus led to refer to the judge who witnesses and declares the failure—“Lest any one . . . be held (or, be adjudged) to have come short of” the promise.