Hebrews 12:12 (LSB)

Passage

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

Nearby Context

Hebrews 12:10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our benefit, so that we may share His holiness.

Hebrews 12:11 And all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, but to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

Hebrews 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "strengthen", "hands", "weak", "knees", and "feeble". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "strengthen", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And all discipline for the moment seems..." into verse 13's "and make straight paths for your feet...", so "therefore" and "strengthen" 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 "therefore" and "strengthen" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.