Hebrews 11:40 · Bible study
Hebrews 11:40 Commentary: A Better Thing for All Believers
Greek · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Discover what 'the better thing' means in Hebrews 11:40, how OT and NT saints are perfected together, and the profound unity of God's people through faith.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God provided the Gospel age for NT believers so that OT saints would join them in final perfection, the whole church is perfected together.
- Key words: kreitton (better), comparative showing superiority of NT privileges; problepsamenou (having provided/foreseen), God's eternal planning; teleiothōsin (may be made perfect), complete, consummated.
- Main debate: Whether 'better thing' refers primarily to the Gospel blessings in this life (Barnes, Gill) or to heavenly glory (Wesley, JFB). Both see the corporate perfection of all saints as the ultimate point.
- Theological theme: Corporate salvation, the unity of God's people across redemptive history; the necessity of the whole church for the culmination of God's plan.
- Best use: Teaching on perseverance, the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and the privilege of living in the age of fulfillment.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.
WEB World English Bible 2000
God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
KJV King James Version 1769
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
God having provided some better thing concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
God for us something better having provided, that apart from us they might not be made perfect.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
God having foreseen some better thing for us, that they should not be made perfect without us.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
God providing some better thing for us, that they should not be perfected without us.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Proveyendo Dios alguna cosa mejor para nosotros, para que no fuesen perfeccionados sin nosotros.
pois Deus havia preparado algo melhor para nós, para que, sem nós, eles não fossem aperfeiçoados.
Dieu ayant en vue quelque chose de meilleur pour nous, afin qu’ ils ne parvinssent pas sans nous à la perfection.
darum daß Gott etwas Besseres für uns zuvor ersehen hat, daß sie nicht ohne uns vollendet würden.
Alzo God wat beters over ons voorzien had, opdat zij zonder ons niet zouden volmaakt worden.
perché Iddio aveva in vista per noi qualcosa di meglio, ond’essi non giungessero alla perfezione senza di noi.
Przeto, że Bóg o nas coś lepszego przejrzał, aby oni bez nas nie stali się doskonałymi.
потому что Бог предусмотрел о нас нечто лучшее, дабы они не без нас достигли совершенства.
因為 神 給 我們 預備了 更美的 事，叫 他們若不與 我們同得，就不能 完全。
Because God had kept some better thing for us, so that it was not possible for them to become complete without us.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Hebrews 11:40
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree that Hebrews 11:40 expresses God's wise plan to bring Old and New Testament believers together into one perfected people. The 'better thing' God provided for New Testament believers is the fulfillment of the promises, the coming of Christ, the Gospel dispensation, and the new covenant. Barnes describes it as 'the privilege of seeing those promises fulfilled in the Messiah; the blessings resulting from the atonement; the more expanded views which they have under the gospel.' Clarke identifies it as the Gospel dispensation itself, 'with all the privileges and advantages it confers.' Gill specifies Christ exhibited in the flesh: 'they had Christ in the promise, we have him himself that was promised.' The Greek verb problepsamenou (having provided/foreseen) points to God's eternal plan and foreordination. All agree that the perfection of Old Testament saints ('they should not be made perfect') includes their being joined with New Testament believers. This does not mean their personal salvation was incomplete, but that the full consummation of God's redemptive purpose, the uniting of all saints in one Church, required the inclusion of believers from every age. As Wesley notes, 'that we might all be perfected together in heaven.'
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Gospel dispensation view: Clarke: 'the dispensation of the Gospel, with all the privileges and advantages it confers.'
- Christ's coming view: Gill: 'Christ, as now exhibited in the flesh'; Barnes: seeing the fulfillment of promises in the Messiah.
- Heavenly glory view: Wesley: 'everlasting glory.' JFB and Chrysostom also incline to the final perfection of all saints in body and soul.
What is clear: God provided something superior for NT believers, and OT saints are not perfected apart from them – indicating a corporate, shared consummation of God's redemptive plan.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'better thing' | It refers to the superior privileges of the New Covenant: the coming of Christ, the Gospel, and the full revelation of salvation. | Some (Barnes, Gill) stress the present blessings of Christ's coming and the clearer revelation; others (Wesley, Chrysostom) emphasize the ultimate heavenly glory that awaits all believers. |
| Nature of OT saints' perfection | OT saints were personally saved and righteous through faith, but their final consummation (bodily resurrection and full glory) awaited the completion of the whole Church. | Some view 'perfected' as entering heaven after Christ's ascension (JFB, Alford), while others see it as the final resurrection and restoration of all things (Poole, Clarke). |
| Role of NT believers in OT saints' perfection | OT saints are not made perfect independently, their perfection includes the gathering of all God's people from every age. | A few (Estius, cited by JFB) argue the OT saints are still waiting until the elect are all gathered; others (Gill) see them as already perfected in soul but awaiting bodily perfection together with NT believers. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians facing pressure to return to Judaism. The author argues at length that Christ is superior to angels, Moses, the priesthood, and the old covenant. Chapter 11 presents a hall of faith, Old Testament men and women who trusted God without seeing the fulfillment of His promises (v.13, v.39). This verse concludes that chapter with a crucial perspective: God's plan spans all of history. These ancient believers did not receive the promise (the Messiah's coming) because God withheld that 'better thing' for those of us who would live after Christ's arrival (v.40). Literary context shows the author building a case for perseverance. If the saints of old endured without seeing the culmination, how much more should Christians, who have seen the fulfillment in Christ, hold fast? The word 'better' (kreitton) echoes throughout Hebrews, a better hope (7:19), a better covenant (7:22, 8:6), better promises (8:6). The corporate perfection of believers is tied to the new covenant mediated by Christ's death (He 9:15). Historically, the early church understood this as the gathering of all saints from every era into one body. The reference in He 12:23 'the spirits of just men made perfect' suggests that OT saints have now, through Christ, entered a state of completion, yet the full consummation awaits the resurrection of all believers together. This verse prevents any notion of spiritual elitism: neither the Old Testament fathers nor New Testament Christians can boast independently, God's design requires both.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Hebrews 11:40. The earliest manuscripts (P46, Vaticanus, Sinaiticus) all support the reading reflected in the major translations. The phrase 'God having provided some better thing concerning us' is stable across the tradition.
Reception History
Early church fathers, including Chrysostom, understood this verse as referring to the future perfection of all saints together at the resurrection. They saw the 'better thing' as Christ's atoning work that opened heaven. In the medieval period, the verse was used to support the communion of saints, the living and the dead forming one body. The Reformers such as Calvin and Luther emphasized the corporate righteousness of Christ imputed to all believers across both testaments. The Puritans (notably John Owen) developed the theme of the one covenant of grace administered in different dispensations. Modern scholarship, as represented in the commentaries above, continues to affirm the unity of God's people across redemptive history. The verse is frequently cited in funeral liturgies and ecumenical conversations as a reminder that the Church is not complete until all God's children are gathered.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God's Eternal Forethought: The verb problepsamenou (having foreseen/provided) shows God planned from eternity to give something better to NT believers. This comforts us that our place in salvation history was no afterthought.
- The Better Thing Now Ours: Christians enjoy Christ incarnate, his finished work, and the full revelation of the Gospel. As Barnes says, we witness 'the perfection of the system' they only hoped for.
- One Church, One Perfection: OT saints are not perfected apart from us. The Church is a single family across ages; its complete glorification happens only when all members are gathered. This unites us with every believer who ever lived.
Five-point outline
- The context: Hebrews 11 shows faith without the promise fulfilled (v.39).
- God provided 'some better thing for us', the Gospel age and its blessings.
- This better thing was part of God's eternal plan (problepsamenou).
- Result: OT saints are not perfected 'apart from us', the consummation is corporate.
- Application: We stand in a privileged position; we should persevere with gratitude and live aware that we complete what they began.
Illustration hooks
- A relay race: The earlier runners carry the baton but only the final runner crosses the finish line for the whole team. Without every runner, the race is incomplete.
- A family reunion: The celebration is missing something if one branch is absent, the joy of being together is complete only when all are present.
- Building a cathedral: Those who laid the foundation never saw the spires, but the builders would say the structure is not finished until every stone is in place.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If Old Testament saints were saved by faith, why does the author say they were not 'made perfect' until we came along?
- Does this verse mean that Christians today have a better salvation than believers in the Old Testament?
- How does knowing that our faith completes something the patriarchs began affect our daily perseverance?
Leading a Discussion
Hebrews 11:40 rounds out the great cloud of witnesses by showing that our story and theirs are woven together. God planned for his people from every age to reach perfection as one body. This small group study will help you see your place in that larger plan and respond with hope.
Discussion questions
- Read Hebrews 11:39-40. What does it mean that the Old Testament saints 'received not the promise'?
- The Greek verb problepsamenou means 'having foreseen' or 'having provided.' How does this shape your understanding of God's long-range plan?
- What 'better thing' did God provide for us? Share specific NT blessings we enjoy that the patriarchs could only anticipate.
- Why do you think God arranged salvation history so that OT saints would not be perfected 'apart from us'? What does this reveal about his character?
- How does this verse connect to the image of the church as one body (1 Cor 12:12-27) or one family (Eph 3:14-15)?
- In what ways does knowing that you are part of completing God's ancient purposes encourage you in your current trials?
- How might this truth change the way you view Christians from other traditions or eras?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Romans 3:25 | whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; |
| Romans 3:26 | to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time, that he might himself be just and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus. |
| Hebrews 5:9 | Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation, |
| Hebrews 7:19 | (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. |
| Hebrews 7:22 | By so much, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. |
| Hebrews 8:6 | But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law. |
| Hebrews 9:8 | The Holy Spirit is indicating this, that the way into the Holy Place wasn’t yet revealed while the first tabernacle was still standing. |
| Hebrews 9:15 | For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees the better thing provided for Christians as the privilege of witnessing the fulfillment of promises the patriarchs only received in faith. The system of revelation required both parts: the promises to the ancients and the completion in Christ. Their perseverance under mere promise becomes a stronger argument for Christians to persevere now that fulfillment has come.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The point is that Old Testament saints could not be brought to their full completion until Christ came, and that delay was part of God's plan so we could be included. In the end, both they and we will share equally in the benefits of Christ's redemption.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that God purposely delayed the perfection of Old Testament saints so that they would not reach it apart from New Testament believers. Both groups are made complete together in Christ, not separately. God arranged for a shared, not sequential, perfection.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the "better thing" for New Testament believers is not a happier state but Christ himself now revealed in the flesh. Old Testament saints had him in promise, type, and shadow; we have him in reality. Their perfection is not without ours, since all are justified together by the same sacrifice and righteousness.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that Old Testament believers had to wait for the full revelation of salvation actually accomplished in Christ, which we now enjoy. They are not perfected without us, but rather we are perfected together with them when Christ’s death finally opened heaven for the faithful.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry observes that the apostle, acting like a skilled speaker, deliberately cuts his list short. The rhetorical question "What shall I more say?" signals that the subject is inexhaustible, so he offers only a summary, trusting readers to fill in the details from their knowledge of Scripture.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies the "better thing" God provided as everlasting glory. He explains that the saints of old were not to be perfected without believers today, meaning both groups will reach final perfection together in heaven, not separately.