Hebrews 11:21 (DBY)

Passage

By faith Jacob [when] dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped on the top of his staff.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 11:19 counting that God [was] able to raise [him] even from among [the] dead, whence also he received him in a figure.

Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob [when] dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped on the top of his staff.

Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph [when] dying called to mind the going forth of the sons of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones.

Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, being born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw the child beautiful; and they did not fear the injunction of the king.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "jacob", "dying", "blessed", "each", "sons", "joseph", and "worshipped". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "jacob", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau..." into verse 22's "By faith Joseph when dying called to...", so "faith" and "jacob" 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 "jacob" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.