Hebrews 11:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

NIV: By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

NASB: By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

CSB: By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

NLT: It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

KJV: By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

NKJV: By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

Faith, according to this passage, means trusting God to work in unseen ways, even when we do not completely understand what is happening (Hebrews 11:1–3). This includes remembering that God's perspective is eternal, and so we can look beyond our own earthly lives as part of that faith (Hebrews 11:13–14). Abraham exhibited this faith when given a confusing and challenging command from God (Hebrews 11:17–19; Genesis 22:1–14). Isaac demonstrated godly faith by passing along God's promises and blessings to his children (Hebrews 11:20).

Jacob, for his part, continued this pattern of trusting God by looking to the future. In hindsight, modern readers know that God did, in fact, fulfill those promises. The children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob became a massive throng of people, and those people took possession of the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1–4). But, nearing death, Jacob had not yet seen those promises come true. His faith is exemplified in continuing to pass down the blessings, just as his fathers had (Genesis 48:21).

The expression regarding Jacob's staff seems to imply both his extreme age, and nearness to death, as well as his humility in worshipping God despite his doubts.

Hebrews 11:17–31 makes a subtle shift from the prior verses. Earlier, the writer had given examples of faithful obedience leading to God's blessings. Those cases were mostly general, where a willingness to trust God was weighed against an uncertain future. In this passage, however, we are shown men and women who chose to trust God despite immediate, personal hardships. This, as well, is a crucial aspect of faith, which the writer has already defined as a confident trust in God.

True, godly faith is defined as trust, relying on God when looking to the future, and obeying even when we don't fully understand all details. The great figures of the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, all lived according to this type of faith. Ultimately, that means trusting God's intent to make good on His promises from an eternal perspective. The model of faith presented by those people, in light of the struggles they faced, ought to inspire Christians towards a more confident, purposeful faith.

Up to this point, the book of Hebrews has given extensive evidence proving that Jesus Christ, and the new covenant He brought about, is God's ultimate plan for mankind's salvation. Chapter 10 provided an additional warning about the danger of falling away from this truth. Chapter 11 begins by clarifying the meaning of the word ''faith,'' primarily by listing examples of Old Testament figures who exemplify it. The ultimate application of this knowledge should be a motivation to ''hold fast'' to the gospel, despite hardships. That encouragement is a major theme of chapter 12.

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.