Hebrews 3 17

Hebrews 3:17 kjv

But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:17 nkjv

Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:17 niv

And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:17 esv

And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:17 nlt

And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn't it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3 verses

Hebrews 3 17 Meaning

Hebrews 3:17 presents a rhetorical question intended to emphatically remind the reader of God's severe judgment upon the Israelites who rebelled against Him during their forty-year wilderness journey. It directly links their sin, primarily that of persistent unbelief and disobedience, to their physical demise in the desert, preventing them from entering the Promised Land. The verse serves as a solemn warning against repeating the same pattern of hardening one's heart and falling into unbelief, emphasizing that God's patience, though long, is not infinite.

Hebrews 3 17 Context

Hebrews 3 primarily establishes Christ's superiority over Moses. While Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house (the Church). The chapter uses the history of the Israelites' exodus and wilderness journey as a compelling warning for the recipients of the letter, who were likely Jewish Christians contemplating abandoning their new faith due to persecution or temptation to revert to the familiar traditions of Judaism.

Verses 7-11 quote Psalm 95:7-11, where God pleads with His people not to harden their hearts as their ancestors did in the wilderness at Meribah and Massah. Hebrews 3:17 specifically serves as a rhetorical answer to the questions posed in verses 15 and 16, reinforcing who precisely God was "provoked" by and what the devastating consequences were. It recalls the direct historical judgment that befell an entire generation due to their unbelief and rebellion, demonstrating that the failure to "enter His rest" (both the Promised Land and a deeper, spiritual rest in God) was a direct result of their sin. This historical account functions as a powerful polemic against any notion that one can maintain a covenant relationship with God without genuine, enduring faith and obedience. It highlights that mere physical participation in the exodus or being part of God's chosen people does not guarantee divine favor if faith is absent.

Hebrews 3 17 Word analysis

• And: (Kai - Greek: Καὶ) Functions as a conjunction, connecting this thought directly to the rhetorical questions in Heb 3:15-16, reiterating and answering them with definitive historical fact.

• with whom: (tisin - Greek: τίσιν) Refers specifically to the persons with whom God's anger was directed. It's plural, indicating a group, the rebellious generation of Israelites.

• was He provoked: (parōxynthē - Greek: παροξύνθη, aorist passive of παροξύνω paroxyneō). Means to sharply provoke, to irritate thoroughly, exasperate, or anger. This denotes God's sustained and profound displeasure, not a fleeting emotion. It speaks of divine wrath caused by deep and continuous rebellion against His will and gracious provision.

• forty years: (tessarakonta etē - Greek: τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη). Refers to the specific duration of Israel's wandering in the wilderness. This period symbolizes prolonged testing, divine patience, and ultimate judgment when patience was exhausted. In biblical terms, forty years often represents a period of trial, purification, or a generation.

• Was it not with: (Ouchi met' - Greek: Οὐχὶ μετ'). This is a rhetorical question designed to elicit an affirmative, self-evident answer. It assumes the audience knows their history well and that the truth being asserted is undeniable.

• those who sinned: (tois hamartēsasin - Greek: τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν, aorist active participle of ἁμαρτάνω hamartanō). Refers to the generation that directly rebelled against God. Their "sin" was multifaceted: murmuring, idolatry, lust, but fundamentally rooted in unbelief (as confirmed in Heb 3:18-19). They doubted God's power and promise.

• whose bodies: (hōn ta kōla - Greek: ὧν τὰ κῶλα). "Kōla" literally means limbs, but metaphorically, it refers to the entire body, or person. The use of "bodies" emphasizes the physical reality and extent of the judgment – the total annihilation of that rebellious generation. It speaks to their corporeal remains.

• fell: (epeson - Greek: ἔπεσον, aorist active of πίπτω piptō). Means to fall, to die. It's a vivid, graphic description of death as a divine act of judgment. Not merely succumbing to natural causes, but being struck down by God.

• in the wilderness: (en tē erēmon - Greek: ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ). The literal geographic location where the judgment took place. The wilderness becomes a symbol of separation from God's blessing and the place where unfaithfulness bears its bitter fruit. It stands in stark contrast to the promised "rest" or land of inheritance.

• He provoked forty years: This phrase highlights God's long-suffering and patience, allowing a full generation's span before the ultimate culmination of His judgment, while simultaneously showing the extreme depth and persistence of their rebellion which continuously agitated Him.

• Was it not with those who sinned: This rhetorical confirmation squarely places the blame on the specific actions of the Israelites. Their suffering and death were not arbitrary but a direct consequence of their sin, underlining God's justice.

• whose bodies fell in the wilderness: This graphic statement unequivocally describes the result of God's provocation. It’s a historical truth that no one from the unbelieving generation entered the Promised Land; they physically perished, reinforcing the severity of their failure and the reliability of God's judgments.

Hebrews 3 17 Bonus section

The historical event of the wilderness wandering is frequently referenced throughout Scripture as a primary example of apostasy and divine judgment. The emphasis on "forty years" is significant; it indicates that God's patience endured for an entire generation's lifetime before the judgment was fully carried out. Yet, even within this period of patience, there were specific, immediate judgments for various acts of rebellion (e.g., Num 16, Korah's rebellion). The ultimate and overarching judgment for the initial act of unbelief at Kadesh Barnea (Num 13-14) was that none of that generation (save Caleb and Joshua) would see the Promised Land, confirming that death in the wilderness was indeed a divine decree. This truth highlights God's consistency: He is slow to anger, but His holiness demands a response to sustained and defiant sin, especially that which strikes at the core of faith and trust in Him. The Spirit's warning in Psalm 95 (quoted here in Hebrews 3) echoes through the centuries, making this historical incident perpetually relevant for every generation of God's people.

Hebrews 3 17 Commentary

Hebrews 3:17 stands as a powerful summation of a tragic historical lesson for all believers. Following the exhortation not to harden one's heart, the writer directly appeals to the audience's knowledge of the wilderness generation, whose constant grumbling, idolatry, and disbelief "provoked" God for forty long years. This provocation refers to God's deep and justifiable anger and sorrow over their persistent rebellion. The stark reality that "their bodies fell in the wilderness" serves as an indelible mark of divine judgment—a consequence that affected nearly an entire generation. Their physical death was a direct sign of their exclusion from God's "rest" (the Promised Land), not merely due to a single transgression, but a sustained pattern of unbelief that undermined their relationship with God. The purpose is not to condemn, but to admonish the New Covenant believers—us—to avoid similar pitfalls of disobedience born from an unbelieving heart. It underscores that spiritual inheritance (God's rest in Christ) is not automatic for those "in the church" but requires genuine, persevering faith. This verse thus issues a call to vigilance: do not presume upon God's grace or exhaust His patience with persistent unbelief, lest you, too, fail to enter His greater, eternal rest.