Read Verse Keyword Strong's
Prev

Hebrews 8:11

Next

And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

And {G2532} they shall {G1321} not {G3364} teach {G1321} every man {G1538} his {G846} neighbour {G4139}, and {G2532} every man {G1538} his {G846} brother {G80}, saying {G3004}, Know {G1097} the Lord {G2962}: for {G3754} all {G3956} shall know {G1492} me {G3165}, from {G575} the least {G3398}{G846} to {G2193} the greatest {G3173}{G846}.

“‘None of them will teach his fellow-citizen
or his brother, saying, “Know Adonai!”
For all will know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,

No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.

And they shall not teach every man his fellow-citizen, And every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For all shall know me, From the least to the greatest of them.

Commentary

Context

Hebrews 8:11 is a pivotal verse within a larger argument in the book of Hebrews, which asserts the superiority of Jesus Christ's priesthood and the new covenant He inaugurated over the old Mosaic covenant. This verse is a direct quotation from the prophet Jeremiah's prophecy of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), which the author of Hebrews uses to demonstrate that God Himself foretold a time when the relationship with humanity would be fundamentally different. The immediate context in Hebrews 8 focuses on the promises of this new covenant, emphasizing its inward and personal nature.

Key Themes

  • Direct Knowledge of God: The central promise of this verse is that under the new covenant, the knowledge of God will be direct and personal. Unlike the old covenant, where knowledge was often mediated through priests, prophets, or ritual, the new covenant enables every believer to "know the Lord" intimately.
  • Universality and Inclusivity: The phrase "all shall know me, from the least to the greatest" highlights that this direct access to God is not exclusive to a select few, but extends to everyone who enters into this new relationship, regardless of their social standing, age, or prior religious instruction.
  • Inward Transformation: This knowing is linked to God's promise to write His laws on their hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10), signifying an internal transformation that produces an intuitive and personal understanding of His will and character.
  • Covenant Superiority: The verse implicitly underscores the superiority of the new covenant because it resolves the limitations of the old, which could not fully bring people into this deep, personal knowledge of God.

Linguistic Insights

The Greek word for "know" in this context is ginōskō (γινώσκω), which signifies more than mere intellectual understanding. It implies an experiential, relational, and intimate knowledge – a deep personal acquaintance. This is crucial for understanding the promise: it's not just about knowing facts about God, but about entering into a living, personal relationship with Him, enabled by the Holy Spirit.

Practical Application

For believers today, Hebrews 8:11 offers immense encouragement and challenge:

  • Personal Relationship: It affirms that every follower of Christ has direct access to God through Jesus, without the need for human intermediaries to facilitate fundamental knowledge of Him. This empowers individual prayer, worship, and study of God's Word.
  • Empowered by the Spirit: The fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament era is largely attributed to the indwelling Holy Spirit, who teaches and guides believers into all truth, enabling them to know God personally.
  • Responsibility to Seek: While God promises this direct knowledge, it doesn't negate the importance of teaching or discipleship. Rather, it means that the foundation of knowing God is laid by Him, and believers are responsible to cultivate that relationship, seeking Him through His Word and prayer.
  • Unity in Knowledge: The promise that "all shall know me" fosters a sense of unity and shared experience among believers, as their knowledge of God stems from the same divine source.
Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash (May 20, 2025) using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Jeremiah 31:34 (18 votes)

    And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

  • Isaiah 54:13 (15 votes)

    And all thy children [shall be] taught of the LORD; and great [shall be] the peace of thy children.

  • John 6:45 (14 votes)

    It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

  • 1 John 2:27 (9 votes)

    But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

  • Jeremiah 24:7 (9 votes)

    And I will give them an heart to know me, that I [am] the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

  • 1 John 5:20 (6 votes)

    And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

  • 1 Chronicles 28:9 (5 votes)

    And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.