Hebrews 11:2 (DRB)

Passage

For by this the ancients obtained a testimony.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 11:1 Now, faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not.

Hebrews 11:2 For by this the ancients obtained a testimony.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the world was framed by the word of God: that from invisible things visible things might be made.

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice exceeding that of Cain, by which he obtained a testimony that he was just, God giving testimony to his gifts. And by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ancients", "obtained", and "testimony". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ancients" and "obtained", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Now faith is the substance of things..." into verse 3's "By faith we understand that the world...", so "ancients" and "obtained" 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 "ancients" and "obtained" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.