Hebrews 11:13 (ASV)

Passage

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 11:11 By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised:

Hebrews 11:12 wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable.

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Hebrews 11:14 For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own.

Hebrews 11:15 And if indeed they had been mindful of that [country] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "died", "having", "received", "promises", "seen", and "greeted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "died", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "wherefore also there sprang of one and..." into verse 14's "For they that say such things make...", so "faith" and "died" belong inside that flow. In Hebrews context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "died" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.