Hebrews 12:23 BSB — MannaFest

Hebrews 12:23

in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

KJV

To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

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Commentary

1 voice

Philoxenus of Mabbug

13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 3 -- On Faith (523)

The temples of our houses of prayer are of the world because the buildings thereof are derived from the world and constructed therein; but they are spiritual things above the world, because they are types of that Church of the firstborn, whose names are inscribed …

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Bunyan

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666)

This great glory did not continue upon me until morning, yet the twelfth of the Author to the Hebrews, Heb. xii. 22, 23, was a blessed scripture to me for many days together after this.

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

And church - The whole body of true believers, whether on earth or in paradise. Of the first-born-The first-born of Israel were enrolled by Moses; but these are enrolled in heaven, as citizens there. It is observable, that in this beautiful gradation, these first-born are placed nearer to God than the angels.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

To the general assembly - see the notes on Heb 12:22. And church of the first-born - That is, you are united with the church of the first-born. They who were first-born among the Hebrews enjoyed special privileges, and especially pre-eminence of rank; see the notes on Col 1:15. The reference here is, evidently, to those saints who had been distinguished for their piety, and who may be supposed to be exalted to special honors in heaven - such as the patriarchs, prophets, martyrs.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

14 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἐκκλησίᾳ	ekklēsia	to [the] church	G1577 →
πρωτοτόκων	prōtotokōn	of [the] firstborn	G4416 →
ἀπογεγραμμένων	apogegrammenōn	enrolled	G583 →
ἐν	en	in	G1722 →
οὐρανοῖς	ouranois	[the] heavens	G3772 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
κριτῇ	kritēa	to [the] judge	G2923 →
θεῷ	theō	God	G2316 →
πάντων	pantōn	of all	G3956 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
πνεύμασιν	pneumasin	to [the] spirits	G4151 →
δικαίων	dikaiōn	of [the] righteous	G1342 →
τετελειωμένων	teteleiōmenōn	perfected	G5048 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
James 1:18
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
leads to
- Romans 8:29–31
  For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
- 1 Peter 1:23
  For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
- John 3:3–5
  Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
- John 1:13
  children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
Through
Luke 10:20
Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
leads to
- Revelation 20:15
  And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
- Matthew 7:22–23
  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
- Revelation 20:12
  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their…
- Revelation 21:27
  But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

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On Hebrews 12:23

The Firstborn

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The General Epistles

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Eternal Security, and the Five Warnings of Hebrews

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Fire

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The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22–23 names a singular fruit (karpos, not fruits) with nine visible facets. Gifts are distributed; fruit is unified. Every believer bears the whole fruit. The grammar is the theology.

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The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek (Rubens)

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Hebrews, the Study Guide

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About Hebrews

Christ Presented to the People — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Hebrews: the study guide →Read chapter 12 →The featured study →

Continue: Hebrews 12 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Hebrews

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Hebrews