Hebrews 12:25 kjv
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Hebrews 12:25 nkjv
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,
Hebrews 12:25 niv
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
Hebrews 12:25 esv
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.
Hebrews 12:25 nlt
Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!
Hebrews 12 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Heb 1:1-2 | God, who at various times... spoke in time past... by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son... | God's superior revelation in Christ. |
| Heb 2:1-3 | For this reason we must pay closer attention... how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation...? | Warning against neglecting salvation's message. |
| Exod 19:18-19, 21: | ...Mount Sinai was completely in smoke... when the trumpet sounded long and became louder... God answered him by voice... Moses came down... to the people and spoke to them. | God's fearful voice and warning at Sinai. |
| Deut 4:10-12, 14: | ...you came near... the mountain burned with fire... the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire... you heard the sound of words, but saw no form... | God spoke audibly and terrifyingly at Sinai. |
| Deut 5:2-6, 22-26: | The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb... The LORD spoke with you face to face... You heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness. | God's direct speaking to Israel. |
| Num 16:31-33: | ...the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up... perished from among the assembly. | Example of those who rejected God's messenger (Korah) not escaping. |
| Jer 7:25-26: | Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets... Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear. | Persistent rejection of God's speaking. |
| Zech 1:3-4: | Turn to Me, declares the LORD... Be not as your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried, saying... But they did not listen or pay attention. | Call to repentance after past rejection. |
| Lk 10:16 | He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me. | Rejecting Christ's messengers is rejecting Him. |
| Jn 12:48 | He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. | Christ's words bring judgment to rejecters. |
| Matt 7:24-27 | Whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them... who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them... | Contrast between hearing and obeying Christ. |
| Heb 3:7-19 | Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God... their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. | Warning against hardening hearts like Israel in the wilderness. |
| Heb 4:1-2, 6-7, 11 | Therefore, since a promise remains... Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. | Not entering rest due to unbelief, rejecting divine call. |
| Heb 10:26-29, 31 | For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins... It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. | Severe consequence for willful apostasy. |
| 2 Cor 3:7-11 | But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious... how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? | The greater glory and authority of the New Covenant. |
| Matt 17:5 | While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" | God's voice from heaven testifying to Christ. |
| Acts 9:4 | Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" | Christ's voice from heaven directly confronting rejection. |
| Rom 2:2-3, 5: | We know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things... do you suppose, O man, that you will escape the judgment of God? | No escaping God's judgment for disobedience. |
| 2 Pet 2:20-22 | For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord... they are again entangled in them... the latter end is worse. | The severe spiritual danger of turning back. |
| Jas 1:22-24 | But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face... | Emphasis on acting upon God's word, not just hearing it. |
Hebrews 12 verses
Hebrews 12 25 Meaning
Hebrews 12:25 issues a solemn warning: believers must pay careful attention to God's continuous word. It argues a fortiori (from the stronger case): if those who rejected God's revelation on Earth (the Law given at Sinai through Moses) faced severe judgment and could not escape, then much more will those not escape divine retribution who deliberately turn away from God's greater revelation spoken from heaven through His Son, Jesus Christ. The verse underscores the heightened accountability and dire consequences for rejecting the superior, clearer, and ultimate revelation of God in the New Covenant.
Hebrews 12 25 Context
Hebrews chapter 12 serves as a pivotal hortatory section within the epistle, drawing conclusions from the theological arguments of the preceding chapters. After presenting the superiority of Christ, His priesthood, and the New Covenant, and after cataloging the great examples of faith in chapter 11, the author exhorts his readers to persevere in their Christian race (12:1-3) and to embrace God's loving discipline (12:4-11). Directly preceding verse 25, the author draws a sharp contrast between two mountains: Mount Sinai, representing the Old Covenant, characterized by fire, darkness, terror, and a strict, unapproachable law (12:18-21); and Mount Zion (or the heavenly Jerusalem), representing the New Covenant, characterized by joyful access, an innumerable company of angels, the church of the firstborn, God the Judge, the spirits of the just made perfect, Jesus the Mediator, and the sprinkled blood of atonement (12:22-24). Hebrews 12:25 directly flows from this contrast, highlighting the profound difference in the revelation and therefore the graver consequences of neglecting the superior word of the New Covenant, in stark warning against apostasy for Jewish believers tempted to return to their former way of life under the Law.
Hebrews 12 25 Word analysis
- See: (Greek: blepete, βλέπετε). An urgent imperative. It means "take heed," "be careful," or "look to it." It conveys a solemn warning, demanding vigilant attention and sober reflection from the audience. It is a command to be cautious and avoid spiritual peril.
- that you do not refuse: (Greek: me paraitēsasthe, μὴ παραιτήσαισθε). The Greek paraitoumai signifies to "beg off," "deprecate," "decline," "excuse oneself from," or "reject." It's not necessarily an open defiance but can be a refusal to hear, accept, or comply, perhaps subtly neglecting or dismissing the message.
- Him who speaks: (Greek: ton lalounta, τὸν λαλοῦντα). "Who speaks" is a present participle, emphasizing a continuous, ongoing action. God is not merely a past speaker but is perpetually communicating. In this context, "Him who speaks" refers primarily to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ (cf. Heb 1:1-2), and secondarily to Christ Himself. The divine voice continues to resound.
- for if they did not escape: (Greek: ei gar ekeinoi ouk exefygan, εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἐξέφυγον). The phrase "did not escape" underscores the inevitability of the judgment and consequences faced by those who refused God's earlier word. It indicates an inescapable destiny of doom or punishment.
- who refused Him who spoke on earth: This refers to the Israelites at Mount Sinai who repeatedly rebelled against God and Moses. "Refused" is again paraitēsammenoi. "Him who spoke on earth" (Greek: ton epi gēs chrēmatizonta, τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς χρηματίζοντα) refers to God's self-revelation at Mount Sinai (Exod 19-20), characterized by a fearful, tangible presence. The word chrēmatizonta (to deliver a divine message/oracle) indicates God giving the Law and commandments through Moses.
- much more: (Greek: pollō mallon, πολλῷ μᾶλλον). This strong adverbial phrase denotes an "argument from the greater." It posits an amplified, undeniable certainty. If the lesser rejection (of the earthly revelation) led to inescapable judgment, then the greater rejection (of the heavenly revelation) will surely lead to even more severe and inescapable consequences.
- will not we escape: Emphasizes the certainty of judgment for the New Covenant believer who rejects God's Word in Christ. It parallels "did not escape" from the previous clause.
- who turn away from: (Greek: apostrephomenoi, ἀποστρεφόμενοι). This verb signifies "to turn away from," "to reject," "to avoid," or "to turn one's back on." It suggests a more deliberate, decisive, and complete rejection than paraitoumai ("refuse"). It implies active rebellion or spiritual apostasy, a fundamental change of direction away from God's voice.
- Him who speaks from heaven: (Greek: ton ap' ouranōn chrēmatizomenon, τὸν ἀπ' οὐρανῶν χρηματιζόμενον). This designates God, particularly as He has revealed Himself ultimately and fully through His Son, Jesus Christ, who ascended to heaven and continues to speak (Heb 1:1-2). The "speaking from heaven" contrasts sharply with the "speaking on earth" from Sinai, signifying the superior nature, clarity, and authority of Christ's revelation. The ongoing, living word of the exalted Christ.
Hebrews 12 25 Bonus section
The active, continuous present tense of "speaks" (lalounta, chrēmatizomenon) is vital. God's speaking is not a one-time event confined to the past. He is actively and perpetually communicating to His people, primarily through the Scriptures (His written Word) and by His Spirit working within them. The warnings in Hebrews are not against merely ignoring an old historical voice but against failing to hear and obey the living voice of God that continues to speak in the present moment. This implies that spiritual deafness or disinterest in God's contemporary revelation through Christ's New Covenant word is profoundly perilous. The ultimate authority and glory associated with the "speaker from heaven" (Jesus as the ascended Lord) mean that the consequence of rejecting His word is necessarily graver than any prior rejection of God's earthly manifestation.
Hebrews 12 25 Commentary
Hebrews 12:25 stands as a critical warning, synthesizing the theological arguments and pastoral exhortations of the epistle. It presents a divine "much more" argument: if the covenant entered into at Mount Sinai, mediated by angels and Moses, was a covenant of warning with serious consequences for disobedience, how much more fearful will be the judgment for neglecting or actively turning away from the New Covenant, mediated by Christ himself, the Son of God speaking directly from heaven. The writer employs the vivid imagery of Sinai's terror contrasted with the spiritual privilege of approaching heavenly Zion. To "refuse" or "turn away from" such a greater revelation signifies not just neglect, but a deep-seated spiritual rebellion with dire, inescapable repercussions. This is a call for utmost vigilance, urging believers not to dismiss God's continued voice in Christ. Practically, it means diligently engaging with God's word, cherishing the gospel, and responding in obedient faith, lest we inadvertently spurn the ultimate divine revelation and suffer the severe judgment promised. It encourages continuous spiritual sensitivity to Christ's speaking through His Word and Spirit, and adherence to His will.