God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.
Parallel translations
- WEB God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
- KJV God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
- NKJV God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
- NASB because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
- NLT For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
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
God had planned something better for us, so that the saints of old would be made complete only together with us. Old and new covenant believers share one salvation, perfected in Christ.
Overview
The Old Testament faithful are not made perfect apart from new covenant believers, because God's better provision—the finished work of Christ—belongs to both. Their perfection awaited the redemption Christ would accomplish. Thus all of God's people across the ages form one body, brought to completion together through the one Mediator, Jesus, uniting the testaments in a single plan of grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Rev 6:11Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.
- Heb 10:11–14Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
- Heb 8:6Now, however, Jesus has received a much more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is better and is founded on better promises.
- Heb 7:19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
- Heb 5:9And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
- Heb 9:23So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
- Heb 9:8–15By this arrangement the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.
- Rom 3:25–26God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
- Heb 12:23–24in 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,
- Heb 7:22Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 11:40 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.