Expositor's Bible Commentary 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 be careful” is more strictly “let us fear”; the writer does not want his readers to grow complacent, for there is real danger. God’s promises mean much to the writer. The particular promise in question “still stands.” That is to say, though it has not been fulfilled, neither has it been revoked. In one sense, of course, there was a fulfillment, for the generation after the people who died in the wilderness entered Canaan. But throughout this section it is basic to the argument that physical entry into Canaan did not constitute the ultimate fulfillment of the promise. God had promised “rest” and that meant more than living in Canaan. There is a problem about the word translated “be found” (GK 1506). It can mean either “think” or “seem.” If “think” is chosen, the writer is reassuring fearful Christians who thought they might miss out on the rest. If “seem” is chosen, these words constitute a soft warning to the readers to take care lest they miss the promised rest. A decision is not easy, but on the whole it seems that this second interpretation fits the context better.

The author, then, is reminding his readers that there was a generation to whom the rest was promised and who missed it. They should beware lest they make the same mistake.