Hebrews 4 13

Hebrews 4:13 kjv

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Hebrews 4:13 nkjv

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:13 niv

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:13 esv

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:13 nlt

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Hebrews 4 verses

Hebrews 4 13 Meaning

Hebrews 4:13 powerfully asserts God's omniscience and inescapable scrutiny over all creation. It reveals that absolutely nothing, seen or unseen, within or without, is hidden from His perfect gaze. Every single created being and every aspect of existence, especially the innermost thoughts and intentions of humanity, lies completely exposed and vulnerable before the discerning eyes of God. This divine insight ensures ultimate accountability, emphasizing that a day of reckoning will come for every person's life and choices.

Hebrews 4 13 Context

Hebrews 4:13 concludes a significant section in the Epistle to the Hebrews, specifically Chapters 3 and 4, which deals with the crucial theme of "rest." The author earnestly warns Jewish Christians against the unbelief that led ancient Israel to fail to enter God's promised land of rest (Numbers 14), urging them to strive to enter God's deeper, spiritual rest offered in Christ. This spiritual rest is directly linked to genuine faith and obedience to God's Word.

Verse 12 emphasizes the dynamic, piercing nature of God's Word. Verse 13 then reinforces why God's Word is so powerful in uncovering inner thoughts: because the God from whom this Word comes is omniscient, knowing all. It serves as a stark reminder that while one might superficially profess faith, or outwardly conform, God's perfect knowledge sees the true state of the heart. In a time when some believers might have been tempted to feign faith to avoid persecution or to superficially revert to old customs, this verse stresses that all will ultimately give an account to the One who sees perfectly. It underpins the call for sincere, unwavering faith in Christ, rooted in a transparent heart.

Hebrews 4 13 Word analysis

• no creature: From Greek ktisis (κτίσις), meaning 'creation' or 'created thing.' This signifies absolute universality; it means every single being brought into existence by God, encompassing angels, humans, and every living thing. There are no exceptions.
• is hidden: From Greek aphanes (ἀφανές), meaning 'not apparent,' 'invisible,' or 'concealed.' This word directly contradicts any notion that anything or anyone can escape God's notice or obscure themselves from His gaze. It speaks to God's all-encompassing awareness.
• from His sight: Refers directly to God's perceiving presence and discerning vision. It emphasizes that God's knowledge is not abstract but active and immediate.
• but all things are naked: From Greek gymnos (γυμνός), meaning 'stripped,' 'uncovered,' or 'bare.' In this context, it metaphorically means exposed or fully revealed without any covering, disguise, or concealment. It speaks to the utter vulnerability and lack of facade before God, exposing inner motivations and secrets.
• and open: From Greek tetrachēlismena (τετραχηλισμένα). This is a uniquely vivid and powerful word, the most potent in the verse. It literally means "laid bare by bending back the neck" or "having the throat exposed." This imagery draws from several possible contexts:
  • Wrestling: A move where an opponent is thrown and held with their neck bent backward, exposing their most vulnerable part.
  • Sacrifice/Slaughter: Laying an animal on its back with its neck exposed for the knife.
  • Legal Scrutiny: Possibly related to criminals being held in such a way for examination.Regardless of the exact origin, it powerfully conveys a state of complete, defenseless exposure. Not merely visible, but utterly uncovered and vulnerable to inspection, scrutiny, or judgment from above.
• to the eyes of Him: Reinforces the personal and direct nature of God's perfect observation. It's not a general knowledge, but a direct, penetrating gaze from His own being.
• to whom we must give account: From Greek logos (λόγος), here meaning 'reckoning,' 'reason,' or 'explanation.' This final phrase states the profound consequence of God's omniscience: an unavoidable divine audit of one's life. Because God sees everything with absolute clarity, every created being is ultimately answerable to Him for their actions, thoughts, and faith (or lack thereof).

Words-group analysis

• "no creature is hidden from His sight": This establishes God's absolute omniscience and omnipresence as the fundamental truth. No being, no thought, no intention, anywhere in creation, exists outside of God's knowledge. This sets the stage for the inevitability of His judgment.
• "but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him": This phrase intensifies the preceding one by emphasizing the degree of exposure. It moves beyond merely "not hidden" to a profound revelation. The use of "naked" (stripped bare) and especially "open" (tetrachēlismena, neck bent back for scrutiny/judgment) vividly paints a picture of ultimate vulnerability. It illustrates that God sees not just external actions, but the deep, internal motives and hidden states of the heart, with nothing obscured. This visual serves as a stark image for the condition of human hearts and lives before God.
• "to whom we must give account": This is the profound practical and theological implication. Because God's knowledge is total and penetrative, and we are utterly exposed before Him, judgment and reckoning are an inescapable reality. This concluding statement ties God's attributes directly to human responsibility and the eschatological reality of divine justice, emphasizing that the call to enter God's rest through faith is not a casual suggestion, but a profound matter of ultimate consequence.

Hebrews 4 13 Bonus section

• The relationship between Hebrews 4:12 and 4:13 is symbiotic. Verse 12 speaks of the "Word of God" as living, active, and penetrating. Verse 13 then clarifies why and how it penetrates: because it is inextricably linked to the Person of God Himself, whose omniscience and omnipresence are absolute. The Word is effective in discerning thoughts and intentions because the God who spoke it and empowers it sees and knows everything perfectly.
• This verse counters any legalistic thinking that adherence to rituals or external observance can secure favor while the heart remains unaddressed. It underlines that God is primarily concerned with the inner man, where true faith (or unbelief) resides.
• The concept of God's seeing being equated with an inevitable reckoning is a recurring biblical theme (e.g., in Revelation, the opening of books before judgment). Hebrews 4:13 explicitly states the logical flow: perfect knowledge leads to inescapable accountability.
• For the author's original audience facing pressures, this truth would have been profoundly significant. It served as an encouragement to persevere in genuine faith, knowing that their hidden struggles and sincere commitment were fully known and validated by God, while also cautioning against the dangerous temptation to slide back into old ways out of convenience, assuming their outward behavior would suffice.

Hebrews 4 13 Commentary

Hebrews 4:13 is a powerful climax to the previous verse and the warnings concerning God's rest. If verse 12 describes the penetrating ability of God's Word, verse 13 reveals the penetrating gaze of God Himself, who embodies and upholds that Word. This verse eradicates any notion of secrecy before the divine. There is no cloak of darkness, no deceptive facade, and no depth of the human heart that can conceal itself from God's piercing vision. His omniscience ensures that true faith, or lack thereof, is utterly evident to Him. The powerful word tetrachēlismena highlights a state of utter vulnerability, a total surrender of privacy, forcing a complete self-revelation.

This truth serves as both a stern warning and a profound comfort. It warns against hypocrisy, insincere professions of faith, and hidden rebellion. Since every secret will be laid bare, sincere engagement with God's offer of rest through Christ becomes paramount. It comforts the believer who has been wrongly judged or whose suffering has gone unnoticed, knowing that God sees all their afflictions, their sincere devotion, and every tear. Ultimately, this verse underscores the ultimate authority and justice of God, reminding humanity that every life will face the unblinking, all-knowing scrutiny of the Creator, to whom full account must be rendered. It demands that our internal spiritual state matches our external profession.

• Practical usage:
  • Fosters genuine self-reflection and repentance, knowing God sees beyond outward appearances.
  • Encourages integrity and sincerity in one's faith walk, as God knows the true intentions of the heart.
  • Warns against complacency or feigned piety, emphasizing ultimate accountability for one's actions and motives.