Hebrews 5 · Verse 8

Hebrews 5:8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Hebrews 5:8, King James Version

Hebrews 5:8 in other translations

BSBAlthough He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered.
WEBthough he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
ASVthough he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered;
YLTthrough being a Son, did learn by the things which he suffered--the obedience,
DARBYthough he were Son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered;
BBEAnd though he was a Son, through the pain which he underwent, the knowledge came to him of what it was to be under God's orders;
WebsterThough he was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered;

What does Hebrews 5:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
8. Though He WAS (so it ought to be translated: a positive admitted fact: not a mere supposition as were would imply) God's divine Son (whence, even in His agony, He so lovingly and often cried, Father, Mt 26:39), yet He learned His (so the Greek) obedience, not from His Sonship, but from His sufferings. As the Son, He was always obedient to the Father's will; but the special obedience needed to qualify Him as our High Priest, He learned experimentally in practical suffering. Compare Php 2:6-8, "equal with God, but ... took upon Him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death," &c. He was obedient already before His passion, but He stooped to a still more humiliating and trying form of obedience then. The Greek adage is, "Pathemata mathemata," "sufferings, disciplinings." Praying and obeying, as in Christ's case, ought to go hand in hand.

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 8. Though he were a Son. Though the Son of God. Though he sustained this exalted rank, and was conscious of it, yet he was willing to learn experimentally what is meant by obedience in the midst of sufferings.

Yet learned he obedience. That is, he learned experimentally and practically. It cannot be supposed that he did not know what obedience was; or that he was indisposed to obey God before he suffered; or that he had, as we have, perversities of nature, leading to rebellion, which required to be subdued by suffering;--but that he was willing to test the power of obedience in sufferings; to become personally and practically acquainted with the nature of such obedience in the midst of protracted woes. Comp. Php 2:8. The object here is, to show how well fitted the Lord Jesus was to be a Saviour for man-kind; and the argument is, that he has set us an example, and has shown that the most perfect obedience may be manifested in the deepest sorrows of the body and the soul. Learn hence, that one of the objects of affliction is to lead us to obey God. In prosperity we forget it. We become self-confident and rebellious. Then God lays his hand upon us; breaks up our plans; crushes our hopes; takes away our health; and teaches us that we must be submissive to his will. Some of the most valuable lessons of obedience are learned in the furnace of affliction; and many of the most submissive children of the Almighty have been made so, as the result of protracted woes.

(a) "obedience" Php 2:3

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 Though he were a Son - See the whole of the preceding note.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hebrews 5:1-10

The High Priest must be a man, a partaker of our nature. This shows that man had sinned. For God would not suffer sinful man to come to him alone. But every one is welcome to God, that comes to him by this High Priest; and as we value acceptance with God, and pardon, we must apply by faith to this our great High Priest Christ Jesus, who can intercede for those that are out of the way of truth, duty, and happiness…

Read the full comment on Hebrews 5:1-10 →

Hebrews 5:8 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.

καίπερkaiperthoughG2539
ὢνōnbeingG1510
υἱός,huiosa Son,G5207
ἔμαθενemathenHe learnedG3129
ἀφ᾽aph᾽fromG575
ὧνhōn[the] thingsG3739
ἔπαθενepathenHe sufferedG3958
τὴνtēn<the>G3588
ὑπακοήν,hupakoēnobedience,G5218

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

Cross references for Hebrews 5:8

  • Philippians 2:8

    And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

  • Hebrews 10:5-9

    Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; …

  • John 4:34

    Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

  • Isaiah 50:5-6

    The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

  • John 15:10

    If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

  • John 6:38

    For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

  • 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.

  • Matthew 3:15

    And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

  • Hebrews 1:5

    For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

  • Hebrews 1:8

    But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
he were.
1:5,8; 3:6
yet.
10:5-9; Isa 50:5,6; Mt 3:15; Joh 4:34; 6:38; 15:10; Php 2:8

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

Context

  • Hebrews 5:7

    Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

  • Hebrews 5:8

    Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

  • Hebrews 5:9

    And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Read all of Hebrews 5

Hebrews 5:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y aunque era Hijo, por lo que padeció aprendió la obediencia;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		quoiqu’il fût Fils, a appris l’obéissance par les choses qu’il a souffertes;
German
Elberfelder 1871		obwohl er Sohn war, an dem, was er litt, den Gehorsam lernte;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et quidem cum esset Filius Dei, didicit ex iis, quæ passus est, obedientiam: