Hebrews 10:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;

NIV: For, "In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay."

NASB: FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.

CSB: For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

NLT: 'For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

KJV: For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

NKJV: “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.

The prior two verses summarize the overall theme of the book of Hebrews. God has made it clear that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of His plan to save us from our own sin. With that confidence in hand, we ought to "hold fast" to our faith, even in the face of persecution. That summary came as part of the writer's encouragement, reminding his readers—persecuted Jewish Christians of the early church—that they'd already overcome hardships in the past. That encouragement was itself a follow-up to this letter's most strongly-worded warning about the consequences of apostasy and disobedience.

In verses 37 and 38, the writer quotes freely from the Old Testament, paraphrasing and combining statements made in the Scriptures in order to make a concise point. The earlier part of this quotation comes from Isaiah 26:21, the latter from Habakkuk 2:3–4. Both seem to follow the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament completed around 200 years prior to the birth of Christ. Neither is quoted absolutely, since the writer is more interested in explaining his point than in making an explicit scriptural reference.

The reference to "the coming one" and the fact that He "will not delay" is part of the writer's encouragement. Past persecutions are over, and the current persecution cannot last forever. Christ will return, at some point in the future, and make all things right.

Hebrews 10:26–39 contains the letter's most dire warning against apostasy. This passage should be understood in the same context as earlier references to Israel's punishment in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:12–19) and the dangers of a shallow faith (Hebrews 6:1–8). The concern here is not a loss of salvation, but of God's punishment on those who willingly rebel against His will. Since the new covenant is superior to the old covenant, we can expect those who ''profane'' the new covenant to suffer greater consequences for disobedience. This is followed by a word of encouragement and reassurance to those who have already survived hardship and persecution.

God's own words, found in the Old Testament Scriptures, declare His intention to replace the old covenant with a new covenant. Jesus fulfills all of these prophecies, and all of the symbolism found in the system of priests, the tabernacle, and animal sacrifices. Knowing that Jesus Christ is, undoubtedly, God's remedy for our sin, we should be encouraged in holding on to our faith in the face of persecution. However, that same confidence means dire spiritual consequences for those who know Christ's salvation, but choose to act in defiance of His will.

Chapter 10 completes the long, detailed explanation of why the new covenant is superior to the old covenant. Starting in chapter 7, the writer gave various arguments and Scriptures to support this idea. The theme of these points is that God had always intended to send Jesus, as the real fulfillment of the old covenant's symbolism. The second half of this chapter transitions into more practical ideas, including an extremely dire warning about the dangers of apostasy.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.