# Hebrews 10.38 **Book:** [Hebrews](/codex/hebrews/) · ASV ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 36. For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise. 37. For yet a very little while, He that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry. > > **38. But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him.** > > 39. But we are not of them that shrink back unto perdition; but of them that have faith unto the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:36-39, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 36. For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise. 37. “In a very little while, he who comes will come, and will not wait. > > **38. But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”** > > 39. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:36-39, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 36. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. > > **38. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.** > > 39. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:36-39, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 36. for of patience ye have need, that the will of God having done, ye may receive the promise, 37. for yet a very very little, He who is coming will come, and will not tarry; > > **38. and 'the righteous by faith shall live,' and 'if he may draw back, My soul hath no pleasure in him,'** > > 39. and we are not of those drawing back to destruction, but of those believing to a preserving of soul. (Hebrews 10:36-39, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** the anonymous author of Hebrews - **Audience:** Jewish Christian community tempted to return to Temple-Judaism under persecution - **Location:** uncertain (possibly Rome or Italy) - **Time period:** c. AD 60-70 ## Theological reading Hebrews 10:38 is the third of the NT's three deployments of [Hab 2:4](/codex/habakkuk-2-4/), joining [Rom 1:17](/codex/romans-1-17/) and [Gal 3:11](/codex/galatians-3-11/) in the OT-anchored doctrine of *living by faith*. The author of Hebrews deploys the verse in a *perseverance* register, the context (vv. 32-39) is a warning passage urging the audience not to *shrink back* under the pressure of persecution. The exegesis is significant: Hebrews preserves both halves of Hab 2:3-4 (the *coming one will come, will not tarry* of v. 3 alongside *the righteous will live by faith* of v. 4), reading the verses as a unified eschatological-perseverance promise. The believer's [*emunah*](/codex/h0530-emunah/) is the disposition that holds firm until the appointed time arrives. Together with Rom 1:17 and Gal 3:11, the verse fills out the threefold Pauline-Hebraic deployment of Habakkuk's covenantal-fidelity theology, justification by faith (Rom), against works-righteousness (Gal), and persevering faith (Heb). ## Key words - [G4102 - pistis](/codex/g4102-pistis/), *pistis*, OT-rooted in *emunah* ## See also - [H0530 - emunah](/codex/h0530-emunah/) - [Habakkuk 2.4](/codex/habakkuk-2-4/), the verse the author quotes - [Romans 1.17](/codex/romans-1-17/); [Galatians 3.11](/codex/galatians-3-11/), Pauline-Hebraic parallels - [Justification by Faith](/codex/justification-by-faith/) - [Hebrews](/codex/hebrews/) ## Quoted in **Concepts:** - [Justification by Faith](/codex/justification-by-faith/) **Lexicon:** - [G1342 - dikaios](/codex/g1342-dikaios/) - [G4102 - pistis](/codex/g4102-pistis/) - [H0530 - emunah](/codex/h0530-emunah/) - [H0539 - aman](/codex/h0539-aman/) - [H4191 - mut](/codex/h4191-mut/) **Passages:** - [Galatians 3.11](/codex/galatians-3-11/) - [Habakkuk 2.4](/codex/habakkuk-2-4/) - [Psalms 40.9-10](/codex/psalms-40-9-10/) ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.