Hebrews 8:11 kjv
And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Hebrews 8:11 nkjv
None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
Hebrews 8:11 niv
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
Hebrews 8:11 esv
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
Hebrews 8:11 nlt
And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
nor will they need to teach their relatives,
saying, 'You should know the LORD.'
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
will know me already.
Hebrews 8 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 31:33 | "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel... I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts..." | God's law inscribed internally. |
| Jer 31:34 | "No longer will they teach their neighbor... for they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest..." | The direct source and promise of universal knowledge. |
| Isa 54:13 | "All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace." | Divine teaching of believers. |
| Jn 6:45 | "It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." | Jesus confirms direct divine teaching. |
| 1 Jn 2:20 | "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know..." | Spirit's indwelling enables intrinsic knowledge. |
| 1 Jn 2:27 | "But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you... as His anointing teaches you about everything..." | Holy Spirit as internal teacher. |
| Isa 11:9 | "They will not hurt or destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." | Universal, pervasive knowledge in God's kingdom. |
| Hab 2:14 | "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." | Similar prophetic promise of universal knowledge. |
| Jn 17:3 | "And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." | Eternal life linked to experiential knowledge of God. |
| Jer 9:24 | "but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness..." | Boasting in understanding and knowing God. |
| Phil 3:10 | "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death..." | Paul's pursuit of intimate knowledge of Christ. |
| Eze 36:26 | "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." | A new heart, prerequisite for new covenant knowledge. |
| Eze 36:27 | "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." | Spirit's role in enabling obedience and divine knowledge. |
| Joel 2:28 | "And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." | Prophecy of Spirit's outpouring on all ages and classes. |
| Act 2:17 | "‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh...'" | Peter affirms fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. |
| 2 Cor 3:3 | "since you are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of hearts..." | New Covenant written on hearts by the Spirit. |
| Heb 10:16 | "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them..." | Reiteration of New Covenant law on hearts and minds. |
| Deut 6:6-7 | "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children..." | Old Covenant emphasis on human teaching of the Law. |
| Rom 8:9 | "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you..." | Believers indwelled by the Spirit. |
| 1 Thess 4:9 | "Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another..." | Divine teaching for transformed living. |
| 2 Tim 3:16 | "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." | Scripture's ongoing role in discipleship (distinct from basic knowledge). |
| 1 Cor 2:12 | "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God." | Spirit grants understanding of divine truths. |
Hebrews 8 verses
Hebrews 8 11 Meaning
Hebrews 8:11 speaks of a foundational promise of the New Covenant, echoing Jeremiah's prophecy. It declares that in this new era, there will be no need for individuals to repeatedly teach their fellow humans the basic injunction, "Know the Lord," because an intrinsic, widespread, and profound knowledge of God will characterize all participants of this covenant. This intimate and direct understanding of God will extend universally, encompassing everyone "from the least to the greatest" within the covenant community, signifying an internal divine illumination rather than reliance on external human instruction for fundamental spiritual understanding.
Hebrews 8 11 Context
Hebrews chapter 8 introduces Jesus Christ as the superior High Priest who ministers in a "more excellent ministry" in the heavenly sanctuary, based on a "better covenant." This chapter's core purpose is to elaborate on the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Mosaic Covenant, arguing for its replacement. The author dedicates much of the chapter to quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34, the prophetic passage that foretells this "new covenant." Verse 11, specifically part of this extended quotation, highlights a key characteristic of this better covenant: the universal and internal knowledge of God for all its participants. This contrasts sharply with the Old Covenant, where the law was external, teaching was often ritualistic, and knowing God was frequently mediated through priests and prophets. The historical context involves Jewish believers potentially considering reverting to Judaism due to persecution or longing for familiar traditions; the epistle strongly asserts that the New Covenant in Christ fulfills and supersedes the Old, rendering it obsolete.
Hebrews 8 11 Word analysis
- And they shall not teach (καὶ οὐ μὴ διδάξωσιν - kai ou mē didaxōsin): The Greek uses a strong double negative (οὐ μή) with the aorist subjunctive, conveying an emphatic, absolute certainty about the future: "they shall surely not teach," or "by no means will they teach." It doesn't prohibit all teaching (as discipleship and growth still occur) but specifically the foundational instruction of "Know the Lord" as a new concept.
- every man his neighbour (ἕκαστος τὸν πολίτην αὐτοῦ - hekastos ton politēn autou): "Hekastos" means "each one, every single one." "Politen" refers to a fellow citizen, someone within the community. This highlights a community-wide shift.
- and every man his brother (καὶ ἕκαστος τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ - kai hekastos ton adelphon autou): Reinforces the breadth of the scope. "Adelphon" signifies a closer kinship, a fellow Israelite, or now, a fellow believer in Christ. The repetition of "every man" emphasizes the universal, personal, and pervasive nature of this change, impacting individual relationships within the covenant community.
- saying, Know the Lord (λέγων Γνῶθι τὸν Κύριον - legōn Gnōthi ton Kyrion): "Gnōthi" is an imperative, "Know!" (from γινώσκω - ginōskō), emphasizing an experiential, relational knowledge rather than mere intellectual acquaintance. Κύριος (Kyrios) refers to God Himself, specifically Yahweh in the Old Testament context being quoted. This refers to the fundamental gospel truth or recognition of God's saving power.
- for all shall know me (ὅτι πάντες εἰδήσουσίν με - hoti pantes eidēsousin me): "Pantes" means "all," universally, without exception within the New Covenant. "Shall know" (εἰδήσουσιν - eidēsousin) comes from οἶδα (oida), which often implies a more direct, intuitive, and complete knowledge, a settled understanding gained through experience or observation, sometimes contrasted with the more progressive
ginōskō. It suggests a deeper, more inherent recognition and familiarity with God. - from the least to the greatest (ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου - apo mikrou heōs megalou): This phrase unequivocally defines the inclusivity of the New Covenant knowledge. It spans all ages, social standings, intellectual capacities, or spiritual maturity levels. It is not limited to an elite few but extends to all who are truly part of this new relationship with God.
Hebrews 8 11 Bonus section
The "knowledge of the Lord" referred to in Hebrews 8:11 is not merely intellectual assent but an experiential and transformative relationship, echoing the biblical concept of knowing God as participation and covenant fellowship (e.g., as in a marital covenant). This promised internal understanding signifies God's own initiative in revealing Himself intimately to His people through the Spirit, marking a distinct improvement over the Old Covenant, where the law was externally applied and the knowledge of God was often indirect. This verse points to the "already but not yet" reality of the New Covenant: While we possess the indwelling Spirit and initial fulfillment of this promise now, its ultimate and universal realization—where no one anywhere needs to teach another about the foundational knowledge of the Lord—will find its complete expression in the consummation of God's kingdom, particularly in the new heavens and new earth, when the knowledge of God's glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Hebrews 8 11 Commentary
Hebrews 8:11 articulates a profound truth about the New Covenant, sourced directly from God's promise in Jeremiah 31. The primary focus is the shift from an external, mediated knowledge of God under the Old Covenant to an internal, immediate, and universal knowledge in the New. This isn't an abolition of all teaching or spiritual instruction, but rather, the eradication of the need to constantly impress upon individuals the basic reality of "Know the Lord." Under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit indwells believers, writing God's laws upon their hearts and minds (Jer 31:33, Heb 10:16). This direct divine teaching cultivates an intrinsic understanding and relationship with God that no longer depends on human-to-human exhortations for this foundational recognition. The scope "from the least to the greatest" signifies that this Spirit-given illumination is not exclusive to spiritual leaders or the exceptionally devout, but it is a universal gift to all truly in covenant with God through Christ. This truth ensures an intimate personal relationship with God for every believer, making salvation an individual, heart-level transaction that bypasses mere ritual or external obedience. However, this verse doesn't negate the necessity of teaching for discipleship, spiritual growth, deeper theological understanding, or for evangelizing those outside the covenant; rather, it highlights a spiritual transformation at the most fundamental level for those within it.