Hebrews 12:15 (KJV)

Passage

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Nearby Context

Hebrews 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Hebrews 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Hebrews 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "looking", "diligently", "lest", "fail", "root", and "bitterness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "looking", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Follow peace with all men and holiness..." into verse 16's "Lest there be any fornicator or profane...", so "grace" and "looking" 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 "grace" and "looking" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.