Hebrews 4:8 (YLT)

Passage

for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not concerning another day have spoken after these things;

Nearby Context

Hebrews 4:6 since then, it remaineth for certain to enter into it, and those who did first hear good news entered not in because of unbelief--

Hebrews 4:7 again He doth limit a certain day, `To-day,' (in David saying, after so long a time,) as it hath been said, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear, ye may not harden your hearts,'

Hebrews 4:8 for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not concerning another day have spoken after these things;

Hebrews 4:9 there doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God,

Hebrews 4:10 for he who did enter into his rest, he also rested from his works, as God from His own.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "joshua", "given", "rest", "concerning", "another", "spoken", "after", and "things". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "joshua" and "given", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "again He doth limit a certain day..." into verse 9's "there doth remain then a sabbatic rest...", so "joshua" and "given" 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 "joshua" and "given" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.