Hebrews 13:9 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 13:7 Remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you the word of God; and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and to-day, [yea] and for ever.

Hebrews 13:9 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.

Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat that serve the tabernacle.

Hebrews 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest [as an offering] for sin, are burned without the camp.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "carried", "away", "divers", "strange", "teachings", "good", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "carried", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and..." into verse 10's "We have an altar whereof they have...", so "grace" and "carried" 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 "grace" and "carried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.