Hebrews 12:15
New International Version
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

New Living Translation
Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

English Standard Version
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Berean Standard Bible
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

Berean Literal Bible
observing lest any be failing of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up should trouble you and by this, the many might be defiled,

King James Bible
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

New King James Version
looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

New American Standard Bible
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

NASB 1995
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

NASB 1977
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

Legacy Standard Bible
seeing to it that no one falls short of the grace of God; that no ROOT OF BITTERNESS SPRINGING UP CAUSES TROUBLE, and by it many be defiled;

Amplified Bible
See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

Christian Standard Bible
Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many.

American Standard Version
looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And be watchful, lest anyone among you be found lacking the grace of God, or lest the root of bitterness produce vines and harm you, and many be defiled by it,

Contemporary English Version
Make sure no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Looking diligently, lest any man be wanting to the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up do hinder, and by it many be defiled.

English Revised Version
looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Make sure that everyone has kindness from God so that bitterness doesn't take root and grow up to cause trouble that corrupts many of you.

Good News Translation
Guard against turning back from the grace of God. Let no one become like a bitter plant that grows up and causes many troubles with its poison.

International Standard Version
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up and causes you trouble, or many of you will become defiled.

Literal Standard Version
observing lest anyone be failing of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up may give trouble, and through this many may be defiled;

Majority Standard Bible
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

New American Bible
See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled,

NET Bible
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up and causing trouble, and through him many become defiled.

New Revised Standard Version
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled.

New Heart English Bible
looking carefully lest there be anyone who falls short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Webster's Bible Translation
Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you, and by it many be defiled;

Weymouth New Testament
Be carefully on your guard lest there be any one who falls back from the grace of God; lest any root bearing bitter fruit spring up and cause trouble among you, and through it the whole brotherhood be defiled;

World English Bible
looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and many be defiled by it,

Young's Literal Translation
looking diligently over lest any one be failing of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up may give trouble, and through this many may be defiled;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Call to Holiness
14Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many. 16See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 29:18
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and bitter fruit,

2 Corinthians 6:1
As God's fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.

Galatians 5:4
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Titus 1:15
To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Hebrews 4:1
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it.


Treasury of Scripture

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Looking.

Hebrews 2:1,2
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip…

Hebrews 3:12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Hebrews 4:1,11
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it…

any man.

Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

1 Corinthians 13:8
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Galatians 5:4
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

fail of.

Galatians 5:4
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

any root.

Hebrews 3:12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Deuteronomy 29:18
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

Deuteronomy 32:32
For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:

trouble.

Joshua 6:18
And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

Joshua 7:25,26
And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones…

Joshua 22:17-20
Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD, …

and thereby.

Exodus 32:21
And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

Jump to Previous
Bearing Behaviour Bitter Bitterness Brotherhood Carefully Cause Defile Defiled Diligently Fail Falls Fear Fruit Grace Grows Guard Misses Obtain Root Short Spring Springing Thereby Trouble Unclean Whole
Jump to Next
Bearing Behaviour Bitter Bitterness Brotherhood Carefully Cause Defile Defiled Diligently Fail Falls Fear Fruit Grace Grows Guard Misses Obtain Root Short Spring Springing Thereby Trouble Unclean Whole
Hebrews 12
1. An exhortation to constant faith, patience, and godliness by Christ's example
22. A commendation of the new covenant.














(15) Lest any man fail.--Rather, whether any one be falling back from the grace of God. The defection of one member of the community brings loss and danger to the whole body. The last words of Hebrews 10:26 will show what is implied in this "falling back from the grace of God."

Any root of bitterness.--It is clear that Deuteronomy 29:18, though not formally quoted, is before the writer's mind. In that chapter Moses had again brought before the people the covenant which, nearly forty years before, had been made and ratified "in Horeb" (see Hebrews 9:18-20). With especial solemnity he sets before them the sin and terrible punishment of idolatry, "Lest there should be among you man or woman . . . whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood." The marginal note on the last words ("poisonful herb") explains their true meaning--that which springs from the root is not merely bitter, it is also poisonous. Again, therefore (see Hebrews 10:27-28; Hebrews 10:30), the apostasy to which the Hebrew Christians were tempted is compared with the sin committed by those who by idolatry fell away from God's ancient covenant; and as one idol-worshipper in a community might bring into it a root of bitter poison, so one apostate from the Christian faith would bring trouble and defilement on the Church. In Acts 8:23 St. Peter makes reference to the same chapter of Deuteronomy as he speaks to Simon Magus, who, above all other men, proved a root of bitter poison in the early Church. . . .

Verse 15. - Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God (i.e. fall short of it; or, ὑστερῶν being here followed by ἀπὸ, the idea may be rather that of falling back from it); lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many (or, according to the more probable reading, the many, i.e. the general community) be defiled. In this, the usual rendering of the verse, is supplied, so as to make μήτις ὑστερῶν mean "lest there be any one that fails." But this is not necessary; the verb ἐνοχλῇ ("trouble you") may be common both to the first μήτις and to μήτις ῤίζα, thus: "Lest any one failing... lest any root... trouble you." The sentence may have been broken off after its first clause in order to bring in the appropriate quotation from Deuteronomy 29:18, which in our A.V. runs thus: "Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood." The Vatican text of the LXX. has Μήτις ἐστὶν ἐν ὑμῖν ῤίζα ἄνω φύουσα ἐν χολῇ καὶ πικρίᾳ: the Alexandrian, which seems to be followed here, has Μήτις ἐστὶν ἐν ὑμῖν δίζα πικοίας ἄνω φύουσα ἐκογλῆ καὶ πικρίᾳ. The reference in the speech of Moses is to the future possibility of any "man, or we man, or family, or tribe" turning from the LORD to go and serve the gods of the nations, and so involving, not only themselves, but even the whole people in a curse. The figure is that of a plant being allowed to grow of such a nature at its root as to bear bitter and pernicious fruit. There is no special allusion in the word "bitterness" to disturbance of "peace" by dissensions; for this is not the idea in the original passage, nor is it carried out in the following verses of the Epistle. (Cf. Acts 8:23, "Thou art in the gall of bitterness (εἰς χολὴν πικρίας)")

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Be careful that
ἐπισκοποῦντες (episkopountes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1983: To exercise oversight, care for, visit. From epi and skopeo; to oversee; by implication, to beware.

no
μή (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

one
τις (tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

falls short
ὑστερῶν (hysterōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5302: From husteros; to be later, i.e. to be inferior; generally, to fall short.

of
ἀπὸ (apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

grace
χάριτος (charitos)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5485: From chairo; graciousness, of manner or act.

of God,
Θεοῦ (Theou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

so that no
μή (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

root
ῥίζα (rhiza)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4491: A root, shoot, source; that which comes from the root, a descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'root'.

of bitterness
πικρίας (pikrias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4088: Bitterness, harshness, hence met: an embittered (resentful) spirit. From pikros; acridity, literally or figuratively.

will spring
φύουσα (phyousa)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5453: To grow, grow up, spring up.

up
ἄνω (anō)
Adverb
Strong's 507: Up, above, up to the top, up to the brim, things above, heaven, the heavenly region. Adverb from anti; upward or on the top.

to cause trouble
ἐνοχλῇ (enochlē)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1776: To disturb, cause tumult, trouble, annoy. From en and ochleo; to crowd in, i.e. to annoy.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

defile
μιανθῶσιν (mianthōsin)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3392: To stain, pollute, defile, corrupt. Perhaps a primary verb; to sully or taint, i.e. Contaminate.

many.
πολλοί (polloi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4183: Much, many; often.


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NT Letters: Hebrews 12:15 Looking carefully lest there be any man (Heb. He. Hb)
Hebrews 12:14
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