Bible Strands
Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — An anonymous author writes to Jewish Christians under pressure to abandon their faith, closing the letter with a rapid series of practical commands (13:1–16). This verse sits between "continue in brotherly love" and "remember those in prison."
The words — ἐπιλανθάνω (epilanthanō) is the verb BSB renders "neglect," but its literal sense is "forget," a stronger charge than mere carelessness. φιλοξενία (philoxenia) compounds φιλ- (love) with ξένος (stranger), so the noun itself carries the idea of loving the foreigner.
The thread — The "angels without knowing it" alludes to Genesis 18:1, where Abraham receives three visitors at Mamre who are the LORD and two angels. 1 Peter 4:9 commands the same practice "without grumbling," and Matthew 25:35 counts the stranger among those identified with Christ.
Why it lands — The command is direct: open your door to people you do not know, at cost to yourself, because you cannot tell who is standing at your threshold. The angel clause is not a reward; it is a warning that the stranger may be more than he appears.
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
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Cross-references
- Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
- Genesis 18:1 Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.
- 1 Peter 4:9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
- Romans 12:13 Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.
- Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
- Matthew 25:40 And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
- Leviticus 19:34 You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.
- 1 Kings 17:10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.”
- Titus 1:8 Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.