Hebrews 10:35 Commentary: The Reward of Boldness

The readers of Hebrews were Jewish Christians who had already endured a “great struggle with sufferings” (v32): public reproach, imprisonment, and the confiscation of their property (v33-34). Now, perhaps facing new pressures to apostatize, the author calls them to hold onto the boldness they had shown. The command “don’t throw away” (μὴ ἀποβάλητε) draws on a vivid military image. Several commentators, including Clarke, Barnes, and Gill, note that among ancient Greeks, casting away one’s shield in battle was a capital crime. The Lacedemonian mothers, as Clarke reports, told their sons: “Either bring this back, or be brought back upon it.” Tacitus records that among the Germans, losing a shield was the deepest dishonor, barring a man from sacrifices and public assemblies.

In the Greco-Roman world, παρρησία originally meant the freedom to speak one’s mind, especially in public life. Under Jewish and Christian influence, it came to mean boldness in prayer and confidence before God, the very opposite of the shame that drove soldiers to throw away their shields. The author reminds them that their suffering was voluntary and joyful because they knew they had “a better possession and an enduring one in the heavens” (v34). That knowledge is the ground for not shrinking back.

The literary context reinforces the call. Just before this, the passage had warned against wilful sin and the fearful judgment of falling into God’s hands (v26-31). Immediately following, verse 36 grounds the exhortation in the need for endurance so they may receive the promise. The quotation from Habakkuk (v37-38) then sets their present struggle within the soon-coming return of Christ. The whole section weaves together warning, encouragement, and eschatological hope.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Hebrews 10:35. The Greek text is stable across the major manuscript traditions. The wording of the verse is uniform in the critical editions.

Hebrews 10:35 has been a source of strength for Christians facing persecution throughout church history. Early church writers like Chrysostom used it to exhort the faithful not to shrink back under trial. During the Reformation, both Catholic and Protestant commentators drew on the soldier’s shield imagery to urge steadfastness in confession. The verse has often been quoted in hymns about perseverance and the coming of Christ. In modern pastoral contexts, it remains a key text for those struggling with doubt or discouragement, reminding them that the reward of bold faith is not earned by human effort but given by a faithful God.

Three-point outline

1. What you already have. The readers possessed “boldness”, real, earned by past suffering and faith. The verb “cast not away” assumes they already hold it. Preaching point: remind the congregation of the grace they have received and the faithful endurance God has already given them.
2. What you are tempted to do. To “throw away” this boldness. The image is a soldier discarding his shield, shameful, self-destructive. The danger is not external force but internal decision. The temptation to shrink back is real, especially under prolonged pressure or disappointment.
3. What you will gain. A “great reward.” Not earned wages, as Calvin stresses, but a generous promise from a faithful God. This reward includes peace now and the full inheritance of salvation at Christ’s coming. The verse reassures: the reward is as certain as the promise itself.

Five-point outline

1. The appeal to remember past endurance (v32-34). The verse opens with “therefore” because it builds on their history of faithful suffering.
2. The nature of boldness: it is both confident access to God in prayer (Clarke, Gill) and a public, fearless confession of Christ (Vincent).
3. The verb “cast away” (ἀποβάλητε) in the second aorist subjunctive: they can throw it away, but no one else can. This highlights personal responsibility and perseverance.
4. The great reward (μεγάλην μισθαποδοσίαν) is a compound noun for recompense. It connects to the “better and enduring substance” of v34 and the promised inheritance of v36.
5. The coming of Christ (v37) as the ground for hope. The reward is not just future; the nearness of the Lord’s return gives present strength.

Illustration hooks

• The shield in battle. Ancient soldiers considered losing their shield a fate worse than death. Ask the congregation: what would it look like to treat their faith with that same fierce loyalty?
• The athlete who quits too soon. A runner who stops before the finish line loses everything, even if they started well. The Christian life requires endurance to the end, holding onto confidence.
• A child’s trust in a parent. A child who keeps reaching for a parent’s hand in a crowd feels safe. The moment they let go, they panic. Our boldness is like holding God’s hand.

Questions your congregation is asking

• “I’ve been a Christian for years, but I feel my confidence slipping. How do I know if I’m about to throw it away?”
• “Is the reward for endurance really grace, or does God reward us because we earned it?”
• “What if my boldness has already weakened? Can I get it back?”

This verse stands as a hinge in Hebrews 10. After warning against apostasy and recalling their past faithfulness, the writer urges the readers not to discard the boldness that carried them through earlier trials. That boldness holds a reward, not a wage we earn, but a gift God promises. In a culture that often prizes comfort over confession, this call is as urgent today as it was then. Consider how this verse speaks to your own walk with Christ.

Discussion questions

1. Read Hebrews 10:32-35 as a group. What specific trials did these Christians face? How did they respond?
2. The word “boldness” (παρρησία) appears earlier in Hebrews (3:6; 4:16). How does this context shape your understanding of what the author means here?
3. What does it mean to “throw away” your boldness? Is this a single act of denial, or a gradual process? What are some ways believers today may be tempted to discard it?
4. How does the promise of a “great reward” sustain hope when following Christ leads to hardship? Where do you see this reward in the surrounding verses (v34, v36, v39)?
5. Calvin and others insist the reward is of grace, not debt. Why is that distinction important? How does it change the way you receive God’s promises?
6. Verse 36 calls for endurance “after you have done the will of God.” How does holding onto boldness enable you to do God’s will even when it costs you?
7. Share a time when you felt your confidence in God tested. What helped you keep holding on? How can the group pray for one another in this area this week?