Hebrews 13:9

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by God’s grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which have not benefited those who have followed them.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Διδαχαῖς ποικίλαις καὶ ξέναις μὴ περιφέρεσθε. Καλὸν γὰρ χάριτι βεβαιοῦσθαι τὴν καρδίαν· οὐ βρώμασιν, ἐν οἷς οὐκ ὠφελήθησαν οἱ περιπατήσαντες.

Transliteration

Didachais poikilais kai xenais mē peripheresthe. Kalon gar by chariti bebaiousthai the kardian; ou by brōmasin, in which ouk ōphelēthēsan the ones having peripatēsantes.

Grammar Details

• *didachais*: dative, feminine, plural - teachings/doctrines
• *poikilais*: dative, feminine, plural, adjective - various/diverse
• *kai*: conjunction - and
• *xenais*: dative, feminine, plural, adjective - strange/foreign
• *mē*: negative particle with imperative - not
• *peripheresthe*: imperative, present, passive, 2nd person, plural - be carried about/led astray
• *kalon*: nominative, neuter, singular, adjective - good/excellent
• *gar*: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• *chariti*: dative, feminine, singular - grace/favor
• *bebaiousthai*: present, passive, infinitive - to be established/strengthened
• *kardian*: accusative, feminine, singular - heart
• *ou*: negative particle - not
• *brōmasin*: dative, neuter, plural - foods/meats
• *ouk*: negative particle - not
• *ōphelēthēsan*: aorist, passive, indicative, 3rd person, plural - were benefited/profited
• *peripatēsantes*: aorist, active, participle, nominative, masculine, plural - having walked/lived

Word Meanings

• *didachais*: teachings/doctrines/instructions
• *poikilais*: various/diverse/different kinds
• *xenais*: strange/foreign/unfamiliar
• *peripheresthe*: be carried about/led astray/tossed to and fro
• *kalon*: good/excellent/beneficial
• *chariti*: grace/favor/kindness
• *bebaiousthai*: be established/strengthened/confirmed/made firm
• *kardian*: heart/mind/inner self
• *brōmasin*: foods/meats/dietary rules
• *ōphelēthēsan*: were benefited/profited/helped
• *peripatēsantes*: having walked/lived/conducted themselves

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Be not carried away by divers and strange teachings: for it is good that the heart be established by grace; not by meats, wherein {G1722} they that occupied themselves were not profited.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Be not caryed aboute with divers and straunge learnynge. For it is a good thynge that the herte be stablisshed with grace and not with meates which have not proffeted them that have had their pastyme in them.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Be not caried aboute wt dyuerse and straunge lernynges: for it is a good thinge that the herte be stablysshed with grace, and not with meates, which haue not profited them, that haue had their pastyme in them.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Be not caried about with diuers & strange doctrines: for it is a good thing that the heart be stablished with grace, and not with meates, which haue not profited them that haue bene occupied therein.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Be not caryed about with diuers & strange doctrines: For it is a good thing that the heart be stablisshed with grace, & not with meates, which haue not profited the that haue ben occupied therin.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For [it is] a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Don't be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  with teachings manifold and strange be not carried about, for `it is' good that by grace the heart be confirmed, not with meats, in which they who were occupied were not profited;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Be not carried away by divers and strange teachings: for it is good that the heart be established by grace; not by meats, wherein they that occupied themselves were not profited.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Be not carried away by divers and strange teachings: for it is good that the heart be established by grace; not by meats, wherein they that occupied themselves were not profited.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Do not be turned away by different strange teachings, because it is good for your hearts to be made strong by grace, and not by meats, which were of no profit to those who took so much trouble over them.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Don't be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never benefited those who participated in them.

Referenced Verses

• Eph 4:14 : 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.
• Rom 14:6 : 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
• Eph 5:6 : 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
• 2 Cor 1:21 : 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
• Acts 20:30 : 30 Even from among your own group, men will rise up, speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples to follow them.
• Heb 9:9-9 : 9 This is a symbol for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered cannot perfect the worshiper in conscience. 10 They are only regulations concerning food and drink and various ceremonial washings, external ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
• Jude 1:12 : 12 These are hidden reefs in your love feasts, feasting with you fearlessly, shepherding only themselves. They are waterless clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted.
• 1 John 4:1 : 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
• Jude 1:3 : 3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write to you about our common salvation, I felt it necessary instead to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
• Acts 20:32 : 32 And now, I entrust you, brothers, to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.
• Rom 14:2 : 2 One person believes they may eat anything, while someone who is weak eats only vegetables.
• 2 Cor 11:11-15 : 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing, so that I can cut off the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded as our equals in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their deeds.
• Gal 1:6-9 : 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the One who called you by the grace of Christ to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed!
• Gal 6:1 : 1 Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit. Watch yourself, so that you too might not be tempted.
• Col 2:4 : 4 I say this so that no one may deceive you with persuasive arguments.
• Col 2:7-8 : 7 Be rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, based on human tradition and the elemental principles of the world rather than on Christ.
• Col 2:16-20 : 16 Therefore, let no one judge you in regard to food and drink or regarding a festival, a new moon, or Sabbaths. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you by delighting in false humility and the worship of angels, dwelling on things he has not seen, being puffed up without reason by his fleshly mind. 19 Such a person does not hold fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that comes from God. 20 If you died with Christ to the elemental principles of the world, why, as though still living in the world, do you submit to its decrees?
• 2 Thess 2:2 : 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or disturbed, either by a spirit, a message, or a letter seeming to come from us, claiming that the day of the Lord has already come.
• 2 Thess 2:17 : 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
• 1 Tim 4:1-5 : 1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons. 2 They will speak lies with hypocrisy, and their consciences will be seared as with a hot iron. 3 They will forbid marriage and require abstinence from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. 5 It is sanctified by the word of God and by prayer.
• 1 Tim 6:3-5 : 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments about words, which result in envy, strife, slander, and evil suspicions. 5 These lead to constant friction among people who are corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means to profit. Stay away from such people.
• 1 Tim 6:20 : 20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is falsely called knowledge.
• 2 Tim 2:1-2 : 1 So then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 What you have heard from me through many witnesses, entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.
• Titus 1:14-15 : 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and human commandments that turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; rather, both their mind and conscience are defiled.
• Rom 14:17 : 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
• Rom 16:17-18 : 17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
• 1 Cor 6:13 : 13 Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy both one and the other. The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
• 1 Cor 8:8 : 8 Food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
• Lev 11:1-9 : 1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are the living creatures that you may eat among all the animals on the earth: 3 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof, one completely split, and that chews the cud. 4 But among those that chew the cud or have a divided hoof, you must not eat the camel. Though it chews the cud, it does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. 5 The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. 6 The hare, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. 7 And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, completely split, it does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you. 8 You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. 9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that have fins and scales, whether in the seas or the rivers. 10 But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales, all the swarming creatures in the water, and all the living creatures in it, you are to regard as detestable. 11 You must regard them as detestable; you must not eat their meat, and you must detest their carcasses. 12 Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you. 13 These are the birds you are to regard as detestable and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the kite and any kind of falcon or hawk, 15 any kind of raven. 16 Also the ostrich, the night hawk, the seagull, and any kind of hawk. 17 The little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl. 18 The white owl, the pelican, and the vulture. 19 The stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 20 All winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21 However, you may eat the following kinds of winged insects that walk on all fours: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. 22 Of them you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. 23 But all other winged insects that have four legs are detestable to you. 24 By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until the evening. 25 Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes and will be unclean until the evening. 26 Every animal that has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud is unclean to you; whoever touches them will become unclean. 27 All animals that walk on their paws among the creatures that walk on all fours are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until the evening. 28 Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes and will be unclean until the evening. These animals are unclean to you. 29 These are the unclean creatures that swarm on the ground: the mole, the mouse, and any kind of large lizard. 30 The gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon are unclean to you. 31 These are the unclean creatures that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until the evening. 32 Any object upon which one of their dead bodies falls will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, leather, or sackcloth. Whatever is used to do work must be put into water; it will remain unclean until the evening, then it will be clean. 33 If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. 34 Any food that could be eaten but has water from such a pot on it will be unclean, and any drink that could be drunk from such a pot will be unclean. 35 Anything on which one of their carcasses falls will become unclean; an oven or cooking stove must be broken. They are unclean, and they will remain unclean to you. 36 But a spring or a cistern containing water will remain clean, though anyone who touches one of their carcasses will become unclean. 37 If one of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be planted, it is clean. 38 But if water has been put on the seed and one of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean to you. 39 If any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening. 40 Anyone who eats from its carcass must wash their clothes and will be unclean until the evening. Anyone who carries its carcass must wash their clothes and will be unclean until the evening. 41 Every swarming creature that moves along the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat any creature that moves on its belly, or walks on four legs, or has many feet. All these swarming creatures that move along the ground are detestable. 43 Do not make yourselves detestable by eating any swarming creature that moves along the ground. Do not defile yourselves with them, for you will become unclean through them. 44 For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not defile yourselves with any of the swarming creatures that move along the ground. 45 For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore, be holy, because I am holy. 46 These are the laws regarding animals, birds, every living creature that moves in the water, and every creature that moves along the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
• Deut 14:3-9 : 3 You shall not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat; 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animal that has divided hooves completely split and chews the cud. 7 But of those that chew the cud or have divided hooves, you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because although they chew the cud, they do not have divided hooves; they are unclean for you. 8 And the pig, though it has divided hooves, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses. 9 You may eat anything in the waters that has fins and scales. 10 But anything in the waters that does not have fins and scales, you are not to eat; it is unclean for you. 11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But of these you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture; 13 the red kite, the black kite, and any kind of falcon; 14 every raven of any kind; 15 the ostrich, the night hawk, the sea gull, and any kind of hawk; 16 the little owl, the great owl, and the white owl; 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, and the cormorant; 18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 19 Every swarming winged creature is unclean for you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean flying creature. 21 You shall not eat anything that dies naturally. You may give it to the foreigner living in your towns so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people set apart for the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
• Matt 24:4 : 4 Jesus answered them, 'Watch out that no one deceives you.'
• Matt 24:24 : 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
• Acts 10:14-16 : 14 But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.' 15 Again, the voice came to him a second time, saying, 'What God has made clean, you must not call common.' 16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.