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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Hebrews 10:31

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Apostasy;   God Continued...;   Punishment;   Reprobacy;   Wicked (People);   Scofield Reference Index - Apostasy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Living God;   The Topic Concordance - Fear;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Apostates;   Hatred to Christ;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Testament;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Backsliding;   Humanity, humankind;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Backsliding;   Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit;   Sin Unto Death;   Wrath of God;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Atonement;   Covenant;   Peace;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hebrews;   Perseverance;   Sanctification;   Security of the Believer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Anger;   Fear;   Guilt (2);   Hand;   Hebrews Epistle to the;   Living;   Unpardonable Sin;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Christ;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Hand;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Apostasy;   Fear;   Justice;   Punishment, Everlasting;   Wrath (Anger);  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for April 3;   Every Day Light - Devotion for February 25;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
King James Version (1611)
It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God.
King James Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
English Standard Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
New American Standard Bible
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
New Century Version
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Legacy Standard Bible
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Berean Standard Bible
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Complete Jewish Bible
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
Darby Translation
[It is] a fearful thing falling into [the] hands of [the] living God.
Easy-to-Read Version
It is a terrible thing to face punishment from the living God.
Geneva Bible (1587)
It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God.
George Lamsa Translation
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Good News Translation
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
Lexham English Bible
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Literal Translation
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Amplified Bible
It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath].
American Standard Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Bible in Basic English
We may well go in fear of falling into the hands of the living God.
Hebrew Names Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
International Standard Version
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!Luke 12:5;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
How terrible [fn] to fall into the hands of Aloha the Living!
Murdock Translation
It is very terrible, to fall into the hands of the living God.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
It is a fearefull thyng to fall into the handes of the lyuyng God.
English Revised Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
World English Bible
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Weymouth's New Testament
It is an awful thing to fall into the hands of the ever-living God.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
It is ferdful to falle in to the hondis of God lyuynge.
Update Bible Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Webster's Bible Translation
[It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
New English Translation
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
New King James Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
New Living Translation
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
New Life Bible
The very worst thing that can happen to a man is to fall into the hands of the living God!
New Revised Standard
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of a Living God!
Douay-Rheims Bible
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Revised Standard Version
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
It is a fearfull thynge to faule into the hondes of the livynge God.
Young's Literal Translation
fearful [is] the falling into the hands of a living God.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
It is a fearfull thinge to fall in to the handes of the lyuynge God.
Mace New Testament (1729)
it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Listen, you'd better get your heart right. It won't be pretty to fall into the hands of the living God.

Contextual Overview

19 My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place 20 by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself. 21 We have a great high priest who is in charge of God's house. 22 So let's come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let's keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water. 23 We must hold tightly to the hope that we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. 24 We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. 25 Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer. 26 No sacrifices can be made for people who decide to sin after they find out about the truth. 27 They are God's enemies, and all they can look forward to is a terrible judgment and a furious fire. 28 If two or more witnesses accused someone of breaking the Law of Moses, that person could be put to death.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a fearful: Hebrews 10:27, Isaiah 33:14, Luke 21:11

to fall: Hebrews 12:29, Psalms 50:22, Psalms 76:7, Psalms 90:11, Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:24 - my wrath Leviticus 26:16 - terror Deuteronomy 28:58 - fear this glorious Joshua 3:10 - living Joshua 10:2 - they feared 1 Chronicles 21:13 - let me fall Isaiah 47:3 - I will take Jeremiah 10:10 - the living Jeremiah 51:36 - take Ezekiel 22:14 - Thine heart Ezekiel 25:14 - and they shall know Ezekiel 32:32 - General Malachi 3:5 - I will come 1 Corinthians 10:22 - are 2 Corinthians 5:11 - the terror Hebrews 12:22 - of the

Cross-References

Acts 17:26
From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. For this is to be understood not in a good sense; so in general all mankind may be said to fall into, or be in the hands of God, as they are the work of his hands, the care of his providence, and are subject to his sovereignty; and in especial manner, believers, whose times and persons are in God's hand, which bespeaks his great affection for them, their nearness to him, the support they have by him, and protection from him; and they choose to fall into the hands of him as a chastising Father, rather than into the hands of men, and at death commend themselves into his hands: but here it is taken in a bad sense, and signifies to be arrested by justice as a criminal, and be brought to the bar of God, and receive the sentence of condemnation; when such will feel the weight of his hand, and the fierceness of his wrath; and this is "a fearful thing": it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of men, injured and affronted, and that have power, and will show no mercy; it is very tremendous to fall into the hands of God, in the way of his judgments in this world; the apprehensions of a future judgment are terrible before hand; and the apparatus of the judgment, when it comes, will be very striking and surprising; but to stand before the Judge, charged with sin, naked, and without righteousness, speechless, and no one to speak in favour of them; to hear the dreadful sentence pronounced, and feel the wrath of God to the uttermost, how horrible must this be! the aggravations of this are, that it is into the hands "of God" that such fall, and not into the hands of men, or mere creatures; but of God, who is omniscient, and sees through all pretences; omnipotent, and none can rescue out of his hands by force; omnipresent, and so no escaping from him; just and faithful, and not to bribed, inexorable, immutable, and unalterable: and that he is "the living God"; in opposition to the lifeless deities of the Gentiles, and to mortal men; and is expressive of his eternity, and so of the duration of the sinner's punishment, that falls into his hands.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God - There may be an allusion here to the request of David to “fall into the hands of the Lord and not into the hands of men,” when it was submitted to him for the sin of numbering the people, whether he would choose seven years of famine, or flee three months before his enemies, or have three days of pestilence; 2 Samuel 24:0. He preferred “to fall into the hands of the Lord,” and God smote seventy thousand men by the pestilence. The idea here is, that to fall into the hands of the Lord, after having despised his mercy and rejected his salvation, would be terrific; and the fear of this should deter from the commission of the dreadful crime. The phrase “living God” is used in the Scripture in opposition to “idols.” God always lives; his power is capable of being always exerted. He is not like the idols of wood or stone which have no life, and which are not to be dreaded, but he always lives. It is the more fearful to fall into his hands because he will live “forever.” A man who inflicts punishment will die, and the punishment will come to an end; but God will never cease to exist, and the punshment which he is capable of inflicting today he will be capable of inflicting forever and ever. To fall into his hands, therefore, “for the purpose of punishment” - which is the idea here - is fearful:

(1)Because he has all power, and can inflict just what punishment he pleases;

(2)Because he is strictly just, and will inflict the punishment which ought to be inflicted;

(3)Because he lives forever, and can carry on his purpose of punishment to eternal ages; and

(4)Because the actual inflictions of punishment which have occurred show what is to be dreaded.

So it was on the old world; on the cities of the plain; on Babylon, Idumea, Capernaum, and Jerusalem; and so it is in the world of wo - the eternal abodes of despair, where the worm never dies. All people must, in one sense, fall into his hands. They must appear before him. They must be brought to his bar when they die. How unspeakably important it is then now to embrace his offers of salvation, that we may not fall into his hands as a righteous, avenging judge, and sink beneath his uplifted arm forever!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.] To fall into the hands of God is to fall under his displeasure; and he who lives for ever can punish for ever. How dreadful to have the displeasure of an eternal, almighty Being to rest on the soul for ever! Apostates, and all the persecutors and enemies of God's cause and people, may expect the heaviest judgments of an incensed Deity: and these, not for a time, but through eternity.


 
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