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But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.
Hebrews 3:6 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB but Christ is faithful as a Son over his house; whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the glorying of our hope firm to the end.
  • KJV But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
  • NKJV but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
  • NASB but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the boast of our hope.
  • NLT But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

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

Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house, and believers are that house if they hold firmly to their confidence and hope. Perseverance evidences genuine belonging to Christ.

Overview

Unlike Moses the servant, Christ is the Son who rules over the household, and believers themselves are that house. The conditional 'if we hold fast' stresses that genuine faith perseveres to the end. Christians have long understood this not as earning salvation but as the necessary mark of those who truly belong to Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 35

  • 2 Cor 6:16What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
  • 1 Cor 3:16Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
  • Heb 10:35So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward.
  • 1 Pet 2:5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
  • Heb 6:11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.
  • 1 Cor 6:19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
  • Heb 4:11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.
  • Heb 3:14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.
  • Heb 10:23Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
  • Heb 4:14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.
  • Heb 10:38–39But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”
  • 1 Tim 3:15in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
  • Matt 10:22You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
  • 1 Pet 1:3–6Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  • 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.
  • Rev 3:11I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
  • Col 1:23if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
  • Rom 15:13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • Matt 24:13But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
  • 1 Th 5:16Rejoice at all times.
  • 2 Th 2:16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,
  • Ps 2:12Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
  • Rev 2:18To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.
  • Rev 2:25Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come.
  • Rom 11:22Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
  • Heb 3:2–3He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.
  • 1 Pet 1:8Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
  • Gal 6:9Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
  • Rom 5:2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
  • Eph 2:21–22In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
  • Rom 12:12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
  • Isa 9:6–7For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  • Ps 2:6–7“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
  • John 3:35–36The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
  • Matt 16:18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

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 3:6YouTube · 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 3:6 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.