Hebrews 11:10 (DRB)

Passage

For he looked for a city that hath foundations: whose builder and maker is God.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 11:8 By faith he that is called Abraham obeyed to go out into a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Hebrews 11:9 By faith he abode in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in cottages, with Isaac and Jacob, the co-heirs of the same promise.

Hebrews 11:10 For he looked for a city that hath foundations: whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:11 By faith also Sara herself, being barren, received strength to conceive seed, even past the time of age: because she believed that he was faithful who had promised,

Hebrews 11:12 For which cause there sprung even from one (and him as good as dead) as the stars of heaven in multitude and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "looked", "city", "hath", "foundations", "whose", "builder", and "maker". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "looked" and "city", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "By faith he abode in the land..." into verse 11's "By faith also Sara herself being barren...", so "looked" and "city" 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 "looked" and "city" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.