Hebrews Chapter 3 – A Commentary & Bible Study Greek Hebrew Meanings
Hebrews 3, I almost feel like the pages themselves smell like old desert wind, like sand stuck in the folds of a tent flap somewhere near Sinai. It’s a chapter that feels dry and sharp and warm all at once. Maybe because it keeps talking about hard hearts, wilderness wandering, the stubbornness of people who saw God’s works but somehow… still missed Him. And honestly, I feel that in my own chest sometimes, like there’s a stony place in me that God has to keep knocking on.
Hebrews 3 is where the writer, whoever exactly he was (Paul? maybe, maybe not… scholars fight over this like kids tugging a rope), really leans into comparing Jesus and Moses, but in a way that doesn’t disrespect Moses. It’s more like showing Moses was faithful, yes, deeply faithful, but Jesus is the builder of the whole house Moses served in. Big difference. Big glory shift.
And the Greek text here has this sharp brightness to it, like a blade. The Hebrew echoes (even though Hebrews was written in Greek originally) sit quietly behind the words, like ancient shadows.
Hebrews 3:1 — “Consider Jesus”
Greek phrase:
Κατανοήσατε τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν, Ἰησοῦν.
Katanoēsate = “fix deeply your mind upon, observe carefully.”
That Greek verb doesn’t mean just “think about Jesus” casually the way I might think, “hmm, what will I eat for lunch?” No, it’s more like stare, ponder, turn the jewel around under different lights. It’s almost a tasting word. Like you hold Jesus in the mouth of your thoughts for a while.
The writer calls Him ἀπόστολος (apostolos) — “sent one.”
And ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus) — “high priest.”
Moses was a sent one too, sort of, but Jesus is sent from above, not from the burning bush of earth.
In Hebrew thought, a “sent one” reminds us of the word שָׁלִיחַ (shalíach), a representative who carries full authority of the sender. So the writer is quietly saying: Jesus is God’s true emissary, the one who fully reveals the Sender.
I imagine the early Christians reading this and feeling both awe and confusion. They had grown up honoring Moses—the lawgiver, the deliverer from Egypt, the one whose face glowed. And now they’re told: lift your eyes higher. Consider Jesus more deeply.
Sometimes I forget to “consider Jesus.” Sometimes I consider my problems more. This verse hits like a soft rebuke.
Hebrews 3:2 — Faithfulness of Jesus Compared With Moses
Greek word:
πιστός (pistos) — “faithful, trustworthy, loyal.”
It says Jesus was faithful “to the one who appointed him,” just like Moses was faithful in all God’s house. There’s no insult to Moses here. The writer isn’t doing some modern competitive comparison. It’s more like: Moses was faithful as a servant; Jesus is faithful as a Son.
If you look at the Hebrew background, Moses is called נֶאֱמָן (ne'eman) — “faithful, reliable” — in Numbers 12:7.
The writer of Hebrews is echoing that intentionally.
You can almost feel the respect.
I picture Moses here, tired in the wilderness, beard dusty, staff leaning against a rock, trying to lead a people who complain about everything (the smell of roasting manna probably stuck to their clothes—honestly, I always imagine manna sometimes tasting like warm milk bread with honey, something slightly sweet, slightly airy). Moses was faithful in a hard place.
And Jesus? Faithful under heavier weight—sin, death, the cross, betrayal, loneliness. The Greek pistos feels like someone steady under pressure, like someone who doesn’t crack even when life hits too hard.
Hebrews 3:3–4 — Jesus Worthy of Greater Glory
This part always reads like a soft crescendo.
It says Jesus is worthy of more δόξα (dóxa) — “glory, splendor”—than Moses because He’s the builder of the house.
A house-builder is greater than the house.
The Hebrew parallel concept would be כָּבוֹד (kavód), which means not just “glory” but “weight,” “heaviness,” “substance.” The glory of Jesus outweighs Moses the way the architect outranks the stones.
Verse 4 adds, “Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of all things.” You can almost feel the logic tightening. Jesus builds God’s house. God builds all things. So… who exactly is Jesus? You feel the implication.
My fingers always slow down when I read this, like the page becomes a bit heavier. Because Hebrews keeps hinting at the divinity of Jesus without shouting it. And that quiet tone somehow feels more powerful.
Hebrews 3:5–6 — Moses a Servant, Christ a Son
Verse 5 calls Moses a θεράπων (therapōn) — a servant, but a special word for a servant of honor, a noble caretaker.
The Hebrew thinking behind it would be like עֶבֶד (eved), which can mean “servant,” “minister,” sometimes even “slave,” but with high respect when used of Moses.
But Christ? The Greek uses υἱός (huios) — “Son.”
A Son belongs to the house as heir.
Verse 6 says:
“We are his house, if indeed we hold fast…”
I sometimes stop there and let that sit.
We are His house.
Not a building. Not a temple of stone. But a living house, breathing, stumbling, learning, complaining sometimes, but His.
That “if we hold fast” can feel scary, like a condition. But the Greek κατάσχωμεν (kataschōmen) means “to cling, to grip tightly, to not let go.”
I imagine someone clinging in a storm, wind in the ears, breath shaky, but not letting go of faith in Christ. Not perfect, just holding fast.
Sometimes that’s all you can do.
Hebrews 3:7–11 — The Holy Spirit Speaks: “Today, if you hear His voice…”
This is a quotation from Psalm 95, and Hebrews says the Holy Spirit is the one speaking. The Greek text begins:
Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε…
“Today, if you hear His voice…”
That word Σήμερον (Sēmeron) — “today”—feels urgent. Not yesterday, not next week. Today. Right now. As long as breath warms your lungs.
The Hebrew of Psalm 95 says:
הַיּוֹם אִם־בְּקֹלוֹ תִשְׁמָעוּ (hayom im-beqolo tishma'u)
Literally: “Today, if in His voice you will listen.”
The Hebrew word for “listen” involves obedience. Not just sound waves.
Verse 8 says: “Do not harden your hearts.”
Greek: σκληρύνητε (sklērynēte) — from sklērō, meaning “to become stiff, inflexible, like hardened clay.”
You can almost feel that word in the jaw.
The Hebrew concept is קָשָׁה (qashah) — to make hard, severe, stubborn.
And this is where the chapter starts smelling like wilderness dust again. It talks about “the rebellion” — τῇ παραπικρασμῷ (tē parapikrasmō) — a very spicy Greek word that means “the embittering,” like the moment when Israel soured against God.
The Hebrew behind that is מְרִיבָה (Merivah) — “quarreling, contention,” and מַסָּה (Massah) — “testing, trial.”
Names that tasted bitter in Israel’s history.
God says, “They always go astray in their hearts.” The Greek πλανῶνται (planōntai) means “to wander like a planet drifting off orbit.”
Their hearts drifted.
I’ve felt that drift. The mind wanders slowly away from God when you’re tired or disappointed or angry at something you don’t want to admit. It’s scary how silent that drift can be.
God says they “did not know my ways.”
Hebrew דְּרָכַי (derakhai) — “my paths, my manner, my movement.”
Not knowing God’s ways isn’t an intellectual ignorance. It’s relational — like they didn’t want to walk with Him.
Hebrews 3:12 — Warning Against an Evil Heart of Unbelief
This verse hits hard.
“Take care, brothers and sisters, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart.”
Greek word for “evil”: πονηρὰ (ponēra), meaning not cartoonish evil, but something hurtful, harmful, decaying.
The word for unbelieving is ἀπιστίας (apistias) — “a lack of faith, a refusal to trust.”
In Hebrew thought, unbelief is connected with חֲסַר־אֱמוּנָה (chasar emunah) — “lacking faithfulness.”
It’s not about doubt. Doubts come like wind gusts.
It’s about refusing to trust God when you know His track record.
I think the writer is basically saying:
“Don’t be like those who saw miracles and still turned away.”
The warning feels sharp, like a slap of cold water. But sometimes we need that.
Hebrews 3:13 — Encourage One Another Daily
This is one of the warmest verses in the chapter.
“But encourage one another daily…”
Greek: παρακαλεῖτε (parakaleite) — “call alongside, comfort, strengthen.”
The Hebrew idea behind encouragement is tied to חָזַק (chazaq) — “to strengthen, to make firm,” and נִחַם (nicham) — “comfort.”
Encouragement is not cheerleading. It’s reinforcement. It’s like adding wood to someone else’s fire because their coals are dimming.
It says to do this “while it is called ‘Today.’” Again, Σήμερον.
There’s urgency. Tomorrow hearts get harder.
Sin, it says, is deceitful — ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας (apatē tēs hamartias).
Sin lies. It sells illusions like street vendors shouting fake promises.
I’ve felt that too — sin promising sweetness but leaving a metallic aftertaste in the soul.
Hebrews 3:14 — Hold Firm to the End
It repeats the “holding fast” idea.
“We have become partakers of Christ if we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”
Greek for “partakers”:
μέτοχοι (metochoi) — “companions, sharers in a thing.”
The Hebrew concept would be חֶבֶר (chever), a companion or partner.
To be a sharer in Christ is an intimate phrase, like sitting at His table, eating His bread, drinking His cup, learning His heartbeat.
But again there is that “if.”
Not to make salvation fragile, but to remind us faith must endure, must breathe, must cling.
Hebrews 3:15–19 — The Echo of Rebellion & the Danger of Unbelief
Verse 15 repeats Psalm 95 again, like a drumbeat. Scripture does that when it really wants something to land.
It asks three rhetorical questions:
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Who rebelled?
— Those who came out of Egypt.
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Who angered God for 40 years?
— Those who sinned and whose bodies fell in the wilderness.
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Who failed to enter rest?
— Those who were disobedient.
The Greek for “rebelled” is παρεπίκραναν (parepikranan) — again that bitter flavor.
For “disobedient”: ἀπειθήσασιν (apeithēsasin) — unwilling to be persuaded.
The Hebrew background:
מרו (maru) — “they rebelled,” from מָרָה (marah) — “to be contentious.”
לא שמעו (lo shama'u) — “they did not listen.”
Verse 19 concludes:
“They were not able to enter because of unbelief.”
It’s like the chapter ends with a heavy sigh.
Not anger.
Sorrow.
Unbelief kept them out. Not lack of miracles. Not lack of knowledge. Not lack of experiences.
Unbelief.
Reflection
Sometimes when I read Hebrews 3, I feel frustrated — like why were those Israelites so stubborn? They literally saw seas splitting and bread falling from heaven and water bursting out of rocks. And still they doubted?
But then I think about myself.
I’ve seen God answer prayers in quiet ways — not splitting seas, but splitting my fear sometimes, splitting my anxiety just enough for light to sneak through. I’ve tasted mercy. I’ve heard His whispers in the strangest moments, like at midnight when the world feels too big and my chest too small.
And yet I wander too. My heart stiffens, slowly, like clay left in the sun.
So Hebrews 3 becomes not a history lesson but a heart check.
There’s also something here about community — that encouragement must be daily. I guess because sin whispers daily too. And faith leaks if it isn’t refilled. Like a jar with a crack in the side.
Sometimes the Bible feels like an old leather book. Sometimes it feels like a mirror. Hebrews 3 feels like both to me.
Greek & Hebrew Word Summary
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Κατανοήσατε (katanoēsate) — “consider deeply.”
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ἀπόστολος (apostolos) — “sent one.”
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ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus) — “high priest.”
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πιστός (pistos) / Hebrew נֶאֱמָן (ne’eman) — faithful.
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δόξα (doxa) / Hebrew כָּבוֹד (kavod) — glory, weight.
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θεράπων (therapōn) — honored servant.
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υἱός (huios) — son.
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Σήμερον (sēmeron) / Hebrew הַיּוֹם (hayom) — today.
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σκληρύνῃτε (sklērýnēte) / Hebrew קָשָׁה (qashah) — harden.
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παρακαλεῖτε (parakaleite) — encourage, comfort.
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ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας (apatē tēs hamartias) — deceitfulness of sin.
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μέτοχοι (metochoi) — partakers, companions.
Closing Thought
“Don’t miss the voice of God today. Keep your heart soft. Encourage someone. Hold on. Don’t drift.”
I think I need that. Maybe you do too.
Some days my faith feels like a strong rope, other days like a thin thread.
But Hebrews says hold fast — not perfectly, just honestly.
And that’s enough.
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