The Message of Hebrews

The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament

by Raymond Brown

The first-century readers of Hebrews were at a critical point. Many had been exposed to public ridicule, persecution, and imprisonment. Some had already abandoned their commitment to Christ, and others were in danger of compromising or giving up. The letter to the Hebrews brought a profound encouragement and they must keep their eyes on Christ and remain anchored in the truth.

In this Bible Speaks Today volume, Raymond Brown guides readers passage by passage through Hebrews, exploring historical background, key themes, and applications for today. While some find Hebrews one of the most puzzling of the New Testament books—with its references to animal sacrifices and ancient Israelite customs—Brown identifies a timeless message that remains strikingly relevant in each generation. As Hebrews celebrates the uniqueness of Christ, it clarifies Christians' priorities and our only hope for faithful endurance.

This revised edition of a classic Bible Speaks Today volume includes updated language and Scripture quotations and a new interior design.

Genres: Reference, Christian, New Testament, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Biblical Studies

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[David Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A majestic exhortation(s) is found within these pages to persecuted Christians yesterday, today and tomorrow. These words of encouragement meant life or death to some newly ordained Christians and the same applies today to some countries where even the name Christian is meant as insulting. Let the reader grasp these words of love with a harmonious heart toward fellow Christians alike, today & tomorrow. There are some highly thought of Christian~Jews found in this letter, but we must remember too they were the frailest of kinds, persecuted for there behaviour & beliefs, uprooted, and despised.

[Paul Hypki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great commentary on Hebrews. Practical exegesis verse by verse. Touches on original languages, but didn't get bogged down in them.
Excellent work making a very practical teaching clear and applicable to current times.

[Brandon Landis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good balance of explanation and application. I found it helpful in preparation for teaching a Sunday school class.

[Mike Fendrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid exposition of an incredible book. A helpful guide.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect blend of scholarship and spiritual insights making this biblical text relevant to a contemporary Christian.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful guide to the book of Hebrews in the Bible. Before reading this it was a bit of an unknown study so Ramond Brown's notes, although a little detailed were a good guide.

[David Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my sentiment on this book is very similar to Knowing God by Packer. This book was an exposition on Hebrews, which sometimes turned into some rabbit trails that were dry, and tough to tie back to the original scripture. But as with Knowing God, I took a couple hours and went back through all my underlinings and markings, and came away with myriad profound, encouraging, edifying nuggets. This book is so much more than commentary on Hebrews, but like Knowing God is a pretty all-encompassing essay on the nature of God, Faith, our new covenant and status in Christ: our sacrifice, surety, mediator, intercessor, forerunner, guarantor, high priest. This book can stand alone also as a thorough description of the person of God, Christ, Faith, etc. It wasn't the fastest read, and there were some dry parts, but there was plenty of great material that I'm sure to reference again down the road.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but hard to get through. Too much information to absorb!! :) I think this is a book to be read slowly and many times.

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 3 out of 5]

An honest, informative and helpful aid to reading the book of Hebrews.

[Neil Steinwand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent devotional commentary on Hebrews... a little dated at times seeing it was written in 1982.

[Suzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual for this series really helpful background, notes and questions for leading others through a Bible study of Hebrews. Really enjoyed it.