By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Parallel translations
- WEB By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.
- KJV Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
- NKJV By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
- NASB By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.
- NLT By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
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 we grasp that God created the universe by his word, calling the visible world into being from nothing. Creation itself is an article of faith, not something we observe.
Overview
The chapter's first example of faith is the believer's own confession about origins: God spoke and the cosmos came to be (Genesis 1). "What is seen" did not arise from pre-existing visible material but from God's powerful word. This grounds faith in the Creator who is sovereign over all, and the same word by which God made the world is the word incarnate in Christ, through whom all things were made (John 1:3).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 33:6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
- John 1:3Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
- 2 Pet 3:5But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
- Rom 4:17As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.
- Acts 17:24The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
- Rev 4:11“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”
- Heb 1:2But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.
- Rom 1:19–21For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
- Jer 10:11Thus you are to tell them: “These gods, who have made neither the heavens nor the earth, will perish from this earth and from under these heavens.”
- Gen 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- Isa 40:26Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
- Acts 14:15“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.
- Jer 10:16The Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance—the LORD of Hosts is His name.
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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 11:3 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.