Hebrews 11:4 (DBY)

Passage

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained testimony of being righteous, God bearing testimony to his gifts, and by it, having died, he yet speaks.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 11:2 For in [the power of] this the elders have obtained testimony.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we apprehend that the worlds were framed by [the] word of God, so that that which is seen should not take its origin from things which appear.

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained testimony of being righteous, God bearing testimony to his gifts, and by it, having died, he yet speaks.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before [his] translation he has the testimony that he had pleased God.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]. For he that draws near to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them who seek him out.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "abel", "offered", "excellent", "sacrifice", "than", "cain", and "obtained". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "abel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "By faith we apprehend that the worlds..." into verse 5's "By faith Enoch was translated that he...", so "faith" and "abel" 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 "abel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.