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By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Hebrews 11:27 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
  • BSB By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.
  • NKJV By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
  • NASB By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen.
  • NLT It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

By faith Moses left Egypt without fearing the king's anger, sustained by seeing the invisible God. Faith perseveres by keeping its gaze on God himself.

Overview

This refers to Moses' departure from Egypt, carried out in faith rather than fear of Pharaoh. He endured "as seeing him who is invisible," his steadfastness rooted in awareness of God's presence. Faith that fixes on the unseen God outlasts every earthly threat, a perseverance later urged on the readers as they look to Jesus (12:1–2).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 26

  • 2 Cor 4:18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
  • Heb 11:13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
  • Heb 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
  • Exod 2:14–15And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
  • Exod 10:28–29And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.
  • Jas 5:11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
  • Exod 4:19And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
  • Exod 14:10–13And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
  • 1 Pet 1:8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
  • Heb 10:32But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
  • Exod 11:8And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.
  • Exod 12:11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.
  • Matt 10:22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
  • 1 Cor 13:7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
  • 1 Tim 1:17Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
  • Acts 2:25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
  • Matt 24:13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
  • Mark 13:13And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
  • Heb 12:2–3Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
  • 1 Tim 6:16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
  • Ps 16:8I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
  • Exod 12:37–42And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
  • Exod 12:50Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
  • Mark 4:17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
  • Exod 13:17–21And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
  • Heb 6:15And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Hebrews videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Hebrews 11:27YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HebrewsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.

How Hebrews 11:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.