Hebrews 5:12

Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The anonymous author of Hebrews addresses Jewish Christians who have lingered at the elementary level of the faith long enough that their stagnation is now a liability rather than a grace period.

The words — οφείλοντες (opheilontes), "you ought," is a participle of οφείλω, which carries the sense of a debt or obligation, not a mild suggestion. The author frames their immaturity as something they owe to advance from.

The thread — Paul makes the same infant/spiritual distinction in 1 Corinthians 3:1, and 1 Peter 2:2 inverts the image by urging believers to crave milk so that they may grow past it. Hebrews 6:1 picks up the exact next step: "leave the elementary teachings."

Why it lands — The verse forces a reader to name the gap between their self-image and their actual engagement with the text, and to stop treating that gap as a character flaw rather than a call to do harder work.

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

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Cross-references

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,
1 Corinthians 3:1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.
Isaiah 28:9 Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Psalms 34:11 Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Isaiah 28:13 Then the word of the LORD to them will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!