Bible Strands
Hebrews 11:20
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The author of Hebrews addresses a community of believers documenting historical figures who acted on divine trust, and records Isaac’s declaration regarding his two sons prior to his death.
The words — Πίστει (Pistei) translates literally as “by faith,” while μελλόντων (mellontōn) means “[the things] coming,” indicating the blessings targeted events not yet realized.
The thread — The text’s reference to Isaac’s blessings aligns with Genesis 27:27 and Genesis 28:2, where patriarchal pronouncements explicitly address future prosperity and covenant succession.
Why it lands — The verse requires readers to treat spoken blessings as concrete declarations of future reality rather than mere wishes, demanding trust in God’s timing over immediate evidence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Cross-references
- Genesis 27:27 So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.
- Genesis 28:2 “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.