Hebrews 12:14

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Follow	διώκετε diōkete	G1377	compare the base of G1169 (δειλός) and G1249 (διάκονος)) · verb — present active imperative, 2nd person plural
peace	εἰρήνην eirēnēn	G1515	peace (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular feminine
with	μετὰ meta	G3326	properly · preposition
all	πάντων pantōn	G3956	all · adjective — genitive plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
holiness	ἁγιασμόν, hagiasmon	G38	properly · noun — accusative singular masculine
without	χωρὶς chōris	G5565	at a space · preposition
which	οὗ hou	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — genitive singular masculine
man	οὐδεὶς oudeis	G3762	not even one (man · adjective — nominative singular masculine
see	ὄψεται opsetai	G3700	to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes · verb — future middle deponent indicative, 3rd person singular
Lord	κύριον· kurion	G2962	supreme in authority · noun — accusative singular masculine, a title

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness i…
1 Peter 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
Matthew 5:8-9 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
1 Peter 3:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 12:4-17

Here the apostle presses the exhortation to patience and perseverance by an argument taken from the gentle measure and gracious nature of those sufferings which the believing Hebrews endured in their Christian course. I. From the gentle and moderate degree and measure of their sufferings: You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, Heb 12:4. Observe, 1. He owns that they had suffered much, they had been striving to an agony against sin. Here, (1.) The cause of the conflict was sin, and to be engaged against sin is to fight in a good cause, for sin is the worst enemy both to God and man. Our spiritual warfare is both honourable and necessary; for we are only defending ourselve…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 12:14

follow peace with all men--with the brethren especially (Rom 14:19), that so the "lame" among them be not "turned out of the way" (Heb 12:13), and that no one of them "fail of the grace of God" (Heb 12:15). holiness--a distinct Greek word from God's "holiness" (Heb 12:10). Translate here "sanctification." His is absolute holiness: our part is to put on His holiness, becoming "holy as He is holy," by sanctification. While "following peace with all men," we are not so to seek to please them, as to make God's will and our sanctification a secondary object; this latter must be our first aim. (Gal 1:10). without which--Greek, "apart from which." no man shall see the Lord--no man as a son; i…

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Adam Clarke on Hebrews 12:14

Follow peace with all men - Cultivate, as far as you possibly can, a good understanding, both with Jews and Gentiles. Ειρηνην διωκετε, pursue peace with the same care, attention, and diligence, as beasts do their game; follow it through all places; trace it through all winding circumstances; and have it with all men, if you can with a safe conscience. And holiness - Τον ἁγιασμον· That state of continual sanctification, that life of purity and detachment from the world and all its lusts, without which detachment and sanctity no man shall see the Lord - shall never enjoy his presence in the world of blessedness. To see God, in the Hebrew phrase, is to enjoy him; and without holiness of heart…

The Church Fathers

By "holiness" he referred to self-control. It is possible even for those in wedlock to achieve it.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 12

There are many things characteristic of Christianity: but more than all, and better than all, Love towards one another, and Peace. Therefore Christ also saith, "My peace I give unto you." And again, "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye love one another." Therefore Paul too says, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness," that is, purity, "without which no man shall see the Lord."
— John Chrysostom, Homily on Hebrews 31

Many careful precepts have been given us, such as those concerning mutual forgiveness and the encouraging of that peace which is the very condition of our seeing God. One has only to recall the fearsome command given to the servant to pay the debt of ten thousand talents, from which he had been released, because he had not released his fellow servant from the debt that he owed of one hundred pence. When the Lord had proposed this parable, he added the words, "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
— Augustine of Hippo, City of God 15.6

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Alliance And Society With The Enemies Of God · Are ruinous to spiritual interest — Are ruinous to spiritual interest
Conduct, Christian · Living peaceably with all — Living peaceably with all
Holiness · 2:17;5:22-25;6:15; — 2:17;5:22-25;6:15;
Meekness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Peace · 12:18;14:19; — 12:18;14:19;
Perseverance · 1:10,22,23;2:7; — 1:10,22,23;2:7;

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrews 12:14

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 12:4-17

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 12:14

Adam Clarke on Hebrews 12:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Hebrews 12:14

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Hebrews 12:4-17

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hebrews 12:14

Adam Clarke on Hebrews 12:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Hebrews 12:14

John Calvin on Hebrews 12:12-17

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Hebrews 12:14