Hebrews 12:16 (DBY)

Passage

lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one meal sold his birthright;

Nearby Context

Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord:

Hebrews 12:15 watching lest [there be] any one who lacks the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and many be defiled by it;

Hebrews 12:16 lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one meal sold his birthright;

Hebrews 12:17 for ye know that also afterwards, desiring to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, (for he found no place for repentance) although he sought it earnestly with tears.

Hebrews 12:18 For ye have not come to [the mount] that might be touched and was all on fire, and to obscurity, and darkness, and tempest,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lest", "fornicator", "profane", "person", "esau", "meal", "sold", and "birthright". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lest" and "fornicator", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "watching lest there be any one who..." into verse 17's "for ye know that also afterwards desiring...", so "lest" and "fornicator" 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 "lest" and "fornicator" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.