Hebrews 1:12

New Testament Epistle (General) ASV (1901)

What does Hebrews 1:12 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail.
Hebrews 1:12 — American Standard Version

Context — Hebrews 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
12And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, etc..] In order to lay them aside, and make no use of them in the manner they now are; just as clothes, when they are grown old, or out of fashion, are folded up, and laid aside from use at present, or are put into another form. In the Hebrew text it is, “as a vesture shalt thou change them”; but the sense is the same, for a garment is changed by folding it, or turning it; agreeably to which Jarchi interprets the Hebrew phrase thus, ''as a man turns his garment to put it off;” the Vulgate Latin version reads as the Hebrew does, and one of the manuscripts of New College, Oxford. And they shall be changed; as to their form and use, not as to their…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“vesture--Greek, "an enwrapping cloak." fold them up--So the Septuagint, Psa 102:26; but the Hebrew, "change them." The Spirit, by Paul, treats the Hebrew of the Old Testament, with independence of handling, presenting the divine truth in various aspects; sometimes as here sanctioning the Septuagint (compare Isa 34:4; Rev 6:14); sometimes the Hebrew; sometimes varying from both. changed--as one lays aside a garment to put on another. thou art the same-- (Isa 46:4; Mal 3:6). The same in nature, therefore in covenant faithfulness to Thy people. shall not fail--Hebrew, "shall not end." Israel, in the Babylonian captivity, in the hundred second Psalm, casts her hopes of deliverance on Messiah,…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And as a vesture - A garment; literally something thrown around - περιβόλαιον peribolaion - and denoting properly the outer garment, the cloak or mantle; see notes, Matthew 5:40. “Shalt thou fold them up.” That is, the heavens. They are represented in the Scriptures as an “expanse.” or something spread out (the Hebrew text of Genesis 1:7): as a “curtain,” or “tent” Isaiah 40:22, and as a “scroll” that might be spread out or rolled up like a book or volume, Isaiah 34:4; Revelation 6:14. Here they are represented as a garment or mantle that might be folded up - language borrowed from folding up and laying aside garments that are no longer fit for use. “And they shall be changed.” That is,…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“As a mantle - With all ease. They shall be changed - Into new heavens and a new earth. But thou art eternally the same. Hebrews 1:13”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“but: Heb 13:8; Exo 3:14; Joh 8:58; Jam 1:17 and thy: Psa 90:4 Hebrews 1:13”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification