Devine Scripture

Hebrews 3:10

What does Hebrews 3:10 mean?

A plain-English look at Hebrews 3:10 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Hebrews 3:10 means

God declares displeasure with that generation, diagnosing the root issue: a heart that continually goes astray. Their problem was not ignorance of facts but an inner refusal to “know” God’s ways—His character, paths, and purposes. To know God’s ways is to walk in them; they would not. This frames unbelief as a deep-seated disposition, not a momentary lapse. The warning is sobering: patterns of wandering harden into a settled course. Divine displeasure arises when people persistently resist God’s revealed will despite His works and words set before them.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

Wherefore I was displeased with this generation, And said, They do always err in their heart: But they did not know my ways;

KJV

King James Version · 1611

Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

Wherefore I was displeased with this generation, And said, They do always err in their heart: But they did not know my ways;

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

So that I was angry with this generation, and I said, Their hearts are in error at all times, and they have no knowledge of my ways;

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, Always do they go astray in heart, and these have not known My ways;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

Forty years: for which cause I was offended with this generation, and I said: They always err in heart. And they have not known my ways.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

Wherefore I was wroth with this generation, and said, They always err in heart; and they have not known my ways;

Context

This is the climax of the Psalm’s indictment, moving from what Israel did (provoked, tested) to God’s verdict on their hearts. It sets up the oath in verse 11 that they would not enter His rest. The pair (verses 10–11) forms the theological hinge of the warning: persistent heart-error meets divine judgment. After finishing the quotation, the author will apply it to the readers in verses 12–14, translating the ancient diagnosis into present exhortation—watchfulness against unbelief and mutual encouragement to prevent hardening by sin’s deceit.

v.9Where your fathers triedmeby proving me, And saw my works forty years.

v.10This passage

v.11As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Hebrews 3:12

    Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God:

  • 2 Thessalonians 2:10

    and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

  • Psalms 78:40

    How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, And grieve him in the desert!

  • John 3:19

    And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

  • Ephesians 4:30

    And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.

  • Psalms 67:2

    That thy way may be known upon earth, Thy salvation among all nations.

Related questions readers ask

Keep reading

Want to dig deeper? Explore Hebrews 3

Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on Hebrews 3.

Keep exploring

Follow this verse across Scripture

Topics, devotionals, original-language word studies, and figures connected to Hebrews 3:10.

Browse every hub

BibleTopicsBible answersDevotionalsFamous passagesWord studiesPeoplePlacesVerses for…Reading plansCommentary