Hebrews 12:12 (ASV)

Passage

Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees;

Nearby Context

Hebrews 12:10 For they indeed for a few days chastened [us] as seemed good to them; but he for [our] profit, that [we] may be partakers of his holiness.

Hebrews 12:11 All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, [even the fruit] of righteousness.

Hebrews 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees;

Hebrews 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed.

Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "lift", "hands", "hang", "down", "palsied", and "knees". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "lift", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "All chastening seemeth for the present to..." into verse 13's "and make straight paths for your feet...", so "wherefore" and "lift" 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 "wherefore" and "lift" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.