Bible Strands
Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The writer addresses a Christian community facing persecution and spiritual fatigue, placing this command directly after instructions to strengthen weary hands and make straight paths for the feet.
The words — διώκετε (diōkete) translates literally as "do pursue," taking both εἰρήνην (eirēnēn) "peace" and ἁγιασμόν (hagiasmon) "holiness" as direct objects. The text states that pursuing peace with everyone alongside holiness is the explicit condition for seeing the Lord.
The thread — The holiness imperative runs parallel to 1 Peter 1:15 and 1 Thessalonians 4:7, while the warning against defilement mirrors 2 Corinthians 7:1. The surrounding verses in Hebrews 12:13–15 frame this pursuit as the practical means for communal healing and protection from bitterness.
Why it lands — The text requires active, continuous effort toward reconciliation and moral purity as a non-negotiable prerequisite for divine encounter. Readers must accept that spiritual perception is contingent on disciplined pursuit rather than passive assent.
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
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
- 1 Peter 1:15 But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do,
- 1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.
- Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
- Romans 12:18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.
- 1 Peter 3:11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
- Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.
- Romans 14:19 So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
- Psalms 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
- Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life.