What does worlds mean in hebrews 11 3
What does it mean that the worlds were framed by the word of God (Hebrews 11:3)?
Answer
Faithis the undeniable theme of Hebrews 11. As Christians, we are called to live by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Building on his previous teaching about the necessity of faith to endure (Hebrews 10:39), the author begins the chapter by describing the nature and quality of faith (Hebrews 11:1–3). One foundational quality of faith is a firm conviction about invisible, non-tangible realities. For example, one must have faith to believe God created the world out of nothing: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3, NKJV).
Not only did God form the entire world and everything in it from nothing (Romans 4:17), but He did it by merely speaking. He commanded all things into existence, forming and shaping them through His authoritative, creative word. Seventeenth-century Bible translators penned, “The worlds were framed by the word of God” (KJV). In the original language, the term translated as “worlds” speaks of “everything that exists anywhere.” Framedmeans “created,
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
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EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(3) Through faith.—Rather, By faith, as in the following verses. The first place is not given to “the elders,” for the writer’s object is to set forth the achievements of faith.With these, he would say, the Scripture record is filled. Even where there is no mention of this principle we must trace it in the lives of God’s servants; even where there is no history of menHebrews 11:3
ESVBy faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
NIVBy faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
NASBBy faith we perceive that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.
CSBBy faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
NLTBy faith we perceive that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
KJVThrough faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
NKJVBy faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:3
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the
word of God
The celestial world, with its inhabitants, the angels; the starry and ethereal worlds, with all that is in them, the sun, moon, stars, and fowls of the air; the terrestrial world, with all upon it, men, beasts and the watery world, the sea, and all that is therein: perhaps some respect may be had to the distinction of worlds among the Jews; (See Gill on Hebrews 1:2), though the apostle can scarce be thought to have any regard to their extravagant notions of vast numbers of worlds being created: they often speak of three hundred and ten worlds, in all which, they say, there are heavens, earth, stars, planets F6; and sometimes of eighteen thousand F7; but these notions are rightly charged by Philo F8 with ignorance and folly. However, as many worlds as there are, they are made "by the Word of God"; by Christ, the essential Word of God, to whom the creation of all things is ascribed in ( John 1:1-3 ) . And this agrees with the sentiments of the Jews, who ascribe the creation of all things to the Word of God, as do the Targumists F9, and Philo the Jew F11. An
What does "worlds framed by God's Word" mean?
Definition and Background
In Hebrews 11:3, we read in part, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command…” This passage has often been cited, translated, or paraphrased as “the worlds were framed by the word of God.” The phrase seeks to convey that all of creation, including the cosmos in its entirety, came into being through the very utterance and authority of the Creator. The word “worlds” can be understood broadly as the totality of all realms-physical, spiritual, and everything in existence.
When Scripture speaks of things being “framed” or “formed,” it highlights both the intentional design and the sustaining power of God’s Word. This concept stands in contrast to the notion that the universe arose from mere chance or an impersonal force. Rather, it emphasizes a personal, divine act of creative power in which things were brought into existence “so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:3, latter phrase).
Biblical Context of “Framed by God’s Word”
One of the fou