The Letters · New Testament

Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13: closing instructions, an altar outside the camp, and personal news

General context

The letter closes in short instructions. Brotherly love is to continue; strangers are to be entertained, since some have entertained angels unawares; prisoners are to be remembered as if bound with them, and those who suffer adversity as fellow bodies. Marriage is called honourable and the bed undefiled, with judgment named for whoremongers and adulterers. Conversation is to be without covetousness, content with what they have, on the ground of a quoted promise never to leave or forsake, answered by a second quoted line that the Lord is a helper and man need not be feared. They are to remember those who have the rule over them and have spoken the word of God, and to follow their faith. Jesus Christ is called the same yesterday, today and for ever. They are not to be carried about with strange doctrines, since the heart is established with grace and not with meats. An altar is claimed from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat: as the bodies of sin offerings are burned outside the camp, Jesus suffered outside the gate, so the hearers are told to go out to him bearing his reproach, having no continuing city. Praise, thanks and doing good are named as the sacrifices now offered. They are to obey their rulers, who watch for their souls, and to pray for the writer, who asks to be restored to them sooner. A blessing follows, addressed to the God of peace who brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep. The writer asks them to bear his short letter, reports that Timothy has been set free, sends greetings from those of Italy and ends with grace.

Cited passages: Hebrews 13:1, Hebrews 13:2, Hebrews 13:3, Hebrews 13:4, Hebrews 13:5, Hebrews 13:6, Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:8, Hebrews 13:9, Hebrews 13:10, Hebrews 13:11, Hebrews 13:12, Hebrews 13:13, Hebrews 13:14, Hebrews 13:15, Hebrews 13:16, Hebrews 13:17, Hebrews 13:19, Hebrews 13:20, Hebrews 13:22, Hebrews 13:23, Hebrews 13:24

Hebrews 13 (KJV)

¹Let brotherly love continue.

²Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

³Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

⁴Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

⁵Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

⁶So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

⁷Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

⁸Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

⁹Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

¹⁰We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

¹¹For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.

¹²Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

¹³Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

¹⁴For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

¹⁵By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

¹⁶But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

¹⁷Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

¹⁸Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

¹⁹But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

²⁰Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

²¹Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

²²And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.

²³Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.

²⁴Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.

²⁵Grace be with you all. Amen.

Printed after this letter in the King James Version: Written to the Hebrews from Italy by Timothy.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

This chapter carries most of what the letter says about its own circumstances, and it still names no writer. The writer speaks as one person, asks prayer, hopes "that I may be restored to you the sooner", calls what he has sent "a letter unto you in few words", and reports that "our brother Timothy is set at liberty", hoping to travel with him. Timothy is spoken of in the third person and is not presented as the writer. Greeting is sent with the words "They of Italy salute you", which names where some senders are from rather than where the letter is written. The recipients are still unnamed, described only by their leaders, past and present, at verses 7, 17 and 24. Two quotations are used: verse 5, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee", beside Deuteronomy 31:6, "he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee", and verse 6, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me", beside Psalm 118:6, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?". The printed text of verse 25 carries a closing line after the final Amen, "Written to the Hebrews from Italy by Timothy.", which is not one of the letter's own sentences and does not agree with verse 23, where Timothy is someone the writer expects to meet.

Cited passages: Hebrews 13:19, Hebrews 13:22, Hebrews 13:23, Hebrews 13:24, Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:6, Psalms 118:6, Hebrews 13:25, Hebrews 13:17

Literary context

After twelve chapters of sustained argument the sentences go short. Verse 1 is four words, and the instructions come in ones and twos with no connecting reasoning between them. Two things keep the chapter attached to the rest. One is the word sacrifice, which had belonged to priests and is now given to the hearers as praise and doing good, "for with such sacrifices God is well pleased". The other is a place. Everything since chapter 9 has moved inward, toward the veil and the holiest, and here the movement reverses: the bodies burned "without the camp", Jesus suffering "without the gate", and the hearers told to "go forth therefore unto him without the camp", with no continuing city to return to. The blessing at verses 20 and 21 turns from argument to prayer, and it names the covenant and the shepherd together. The closing notes about Timothy and the greeting from Italy read like the end of an ordinary letter, which is how the book finishes.

Cited passages: Hebrews 13:1, Hebrews 13:15, Hebrews 13:16, Hebrews 13:11, Hebrews 13:12, Hebrews 13:13, Hebrews 13:14, Hebrews 13:20, Hebrews 13:23

Key moments

Angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2). Hospitality to strangers is urged with a reason drawn from past guests.
Remember the prisoners (Hebrews 13:3). The readers are told to think of the bound as if bound themselves.
The same for ever (Hebrews 13:8). A single line states that Jesus Christ does not change.
Suffered without the gate (Hebrews 13:12). The burning of sin offerings outside the camp is applied to Jesus.
No continuing city (Hebrews 13:14). The readers are told they have nowhere settled to return to.
The God of peace (Hebrews 13:20). The letter turns from argument to a blessing over its readers.
Timothy set at liberty (Hebrews 13:23). The closing news reports a release and a hoped-for visit.

For reflection

The argument has spent chapters moving inside the sanctuary, and the last instruction sends the readers outside the camp instead. What does it mean to be told that the place to meet him is outside?