Hebrews 3 · Verse 5

Hebrews 3:5

And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

Hebrews 3:5, King James Version

Hebrews 3:5 in other translations

BSB	Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later.
WEB	Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken,
ASV	And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken;
YLT	and Moses indeed was stedfast in all his house, as an attendant, for a testimony of those things that were to be spoken,
DARBY	And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house, as a ministering servant, for a testimony of the things to be spoken after;
BBE	And Moses certainly kept faith as a servant, in all his house, and as a witness of those things which were to be said later;
Webster	And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterwards to be spoken.

What does Hebrews 3:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

5. faithful in all his house--that is in all God's house (He 3:4). servant--not here the Greek for "slave," but "a ministering attendant"; marking the high office of Moses towards God, though inferior to Christ, a kind of steward. for a testimony of, &c.--in order that he might in his typical institutions give "testimony" to Israel "of the things" of the Gospel "which were to be spoken afterwards" by Christ (He 8:5; 9:8, 23; 10:1).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 5. Moses was faithful--as a servant. Not as the head of the dispensation; not as having originated it; but as in the employ and under the direction of its great Founder and Author--the Messiah. As such a servant he deserves all the honour for fidelity which has ever been claimed for him, but it cannot be the honour which is due to him who is at the head of the family or house. Paul assumed that Moses was a servant, and argued on that supposition, without attempting to prove it, because it was so often affirmed in the Old Testament, and must have been conceded by all the Jews. In numerous instances he is spoken of as "THE servant of the Lord." See Josh 1:1,2, 9:24 1Chr 6:49; 2Chr 24:9, Neh 10:29, Dan 9:11, Ex 14:31, 1Kgs 8:56, Ps 105:26. As this point was undisputed, it was only necessary to show that the Messiah was superior to a servant, in order to make the argument clear.

For a testimony. To bear witness to those truths which were to be revealed; that is, he was the instrument of the Divine communications to the people, or the medium by which God made his will known. He did not originate the truths himself; but he was the mere medium by which God made known his truth to his people--a servant whom he employed to make his will known. The word "after" here is not necessary in order to a just translation of this passage, and obscures the sense. It does not mean that he was a witness of those truths which were to be spoken subsequently to his time, under another dispensation; nor those truths which the apostle proposed to consider in another part of the epistle, as Doddridge supposes; but it means merely that Moses stood forth as a public witness of the truths which God designed to reveal, or which were to be spoken. God did not speak to his people directly, and face to face, but he spoke through Moses, as an organ or medium. The sense is, Moses was a mere servant of God to communicate his will to man.

(a) "Moses, verily" Nu 12:7 (b) "servant" Josh 1:2 (c) "of those things" De 18:15-19

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 5 As a servant - The fidelity of Moses was the fidelity of a servant; he was not the framer of that Church or house; he was employed, under God, to arrange and order it: he was steward to the Builder and Owner. For a testimony of those things - Every ordinance under the law was typical; every thing bore a testimony to the things which were to be spoken after; i.e. to Jesus Christ, his suffering, death, and the glory which should follow; and to his Gospel in all its parts. The faithfulness of Moses consisted in his scrupulous attention to every ordinance of God; his framing every thing according to the pattern showed him by the Lord; and his referring all to that Christ of whom he spoke as the prophet who should come after him, and should be raised up from among themselves; whom they should attentively hear and obey, on pain of being cut off from being the people of the Lord. Hence our Lord told the Jews, Joh 5:46 : If ye had believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me; "namely;" says Dr. Macknight, "in the figures, but especially in the prophecies, of the law, where the Gospel dispensation, the coming of its Author, and his character as Messiah, are all described with a precision which adds the greatest lustre of evidence to Jesus and to his Gospel."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hebrews 3:1-6

Christ is to be considered as the Apostle of our profession, the Messenger sent by God to men, the great Revealer of that faith which we profess to hold, and of that hope which we profess to have. As Christ, the Messiah, anointed for the office both of Apostle and High Priest. As Jesus, our Saviour, our Healer, the great Physician of souls. Consider him thus. Consider what he is in himself, what he is to us, and…

Read the full comment on Hebrews 3:1-6 →

Hebrews 3:5 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532

ΜωϋσῆςMōusēsMosesG3475

μὲνmenindeedG3303

πιστὸςpistos[was] faithfulG4103

ἐνeninG1722

ὅλῳholōallG3650

τῷtōtheG3588

οἴκῳoikōhouseG3624

αὐτοῦautouof HimG846

ὡςhōsasG5613

θεράπωνtherapōna servantG2324

εἰςeisuntoG1519

μαρτύριονmarturiona testimonyG3142

τῶνtōnof the [things]G3588

λαληθησομένων,lalēthēsomenōnto be spoken,G2980

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Hebrews 3:5

Numbers 12:7
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Hebrews 3:2
Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
Exodus 14:31
And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.
Psalms 105:26
He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.
Acts 28:23
And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Deuteronomy 18:15-19
The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. …
Joshua 1:2
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 34:5
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
Hebrews 8:5
Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
1 Timothy 1:12
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
Hebrews 9:24
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Romans 3:21
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

faithful.
2; Nu 12:7; Mt 24:45; 25:21; Lu 12:42; 16:10-12; 1Co 4:2; 1Ti 1:12
as.
Ex 14:31; De 3:24; 34:5; Jos 1:2,7,15; 8:31,33; Ne 9:14; Ps 105:26
for.
8:5; 9:8-13,24; De 18:15-19; Lu 24:27,44; Joh 5:39,46,47
Ac 3:22,23; 7:37; 28:23; Ro 3:21; 1Pe 1:10-12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Hebrews 3:4
For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
Hebrews 3:5
And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
Hebrews 3:6
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Read all of Hebrews 3

Hebrews 3:5 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y Moisés á la verdad fué fiel sobre toda su casa, como siervo, para testificar lo que se había de decir;
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et Moïse a bien été fidèle dans toute sa maison, comme serviteur, en témoignage des choses qui devaient être dites;
German Elberfelder 1871	Und Moses zwar war treu in seinem ganzen Hause als Diener, zum Zeugnis von dem, was hernach geredet werden sollte;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et Moyses quidem fidelis erat in tota domo ejus tamquam famulus, in testimonium eorum, quæ dicenda erant: