Hebrews 3:18

Hebrews 3:18. Believed not, or disbelieved, is the sense rather than disobeyed. The word ‘unbelief,' in Hebrews 3:19, may be used alike of those who have or have not heard the truth; the word, in Hebrews 3:18, of those only who have heard the Gospel and will not be persuaded to accept. The word in Hebrews 3:18 means also to disobey as well as to disbelieve, and here the two ideas are combined; they did not obey the command that bade them to believe. Unbelief is as much disobedience as the breaking of any other Divine law. See John 3:46, where both words are used and are translated ‘believe;' 1 Peter 2:7-8, where both are used, and are translated ‘believe' and ‘be disobedient' respectively; and Acts 14:2; Acts 19:9, where the word is the same as in Hebrews 3:17, rendered ‘disobedient,' and is yet translated in both places, in the Authorised Version, ‘unbelief.' It is no doubt true, however, that the Israelites were disobedient and rebellious (see Deuteronomy 1:26, etc.); but even when they are thus described, their acts of disobedience were generally owing to disbelief of Divine announcements. So it is in this Epistle. The Hebrews were not tempted to disobey what they regarded as a Divine command, but to doubt and disbelieve the divineness of the commands they had been obeying. Their dancer was not so much inconsistency in not obeying what they believed, as the rejection of the Gospel itself.

They shall not enter into my rest; see on Hebrews 4:1.