Hebrews 11:38 (WEB)

Passage

(of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 11:36 Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.

Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned.2 Chronicles 24:20-21 They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword.Jeremiah 26:20-23; 1 Kings 19:10 They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

Hebrews 11:38 (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.

Hebrews 11:39 These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn’t receive the promise,

Hebrews 11:40 God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "worthy", "wandering", "deserts", "mountains", "caves", "holes", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "worthy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "They were stoned Chronicles They were sawn..." into verse 39's "These all having had testimony given to...", so "world" and "worthy" 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 "world" and "worthy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.