Hebrews 11:4 (YLT)

Passage

by faith a better sacrifice did Abel offer to God than Cain, through which he was testified to be righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and through it, he being dead, doth yet speak.

Nearby Context

Hebrews 11:2 for in this were the elders testified of;

Hebrews 11:3 by faith we understand the ages to have been prepared by a saying of God, in regard to the things seen not having come out of things appearing;

Hebrews 11:4 by faith a better sacrifice did Abel offer to God than Cain, through which he was testified to be righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and through it, he being dead, doth yet speak.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated--not to see death, and was not found, because God did translate him; for before his translation he had been testified to--that he had pleased God well,

Hebrews 11:6 and apart from faith it is impossible to please well, for it behoveth him who is coming to God to believe that He is, and to those seeking Him He becometh a rewarder.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "better", "sacrifice", "abel", "offer", "than", "cain", and "through". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "better", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "by faith we understand the ages to..." into verse 5's "By faith Enoch was translated--not to see...", so "faith" and "better" 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 "faith" and "better" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.