Hebrews 11:2 says that the people of faith in the Old Testament were commended, or given a good testimony, because of their faith. The verse is a short bridge: it explains that the stories about to be told are about real people whose trust in God was seen and approved. The author of Hebrews wrote this letter to Christians, likely Jewish believers facing pressure to hold on to their confidence in Christ, and he points them back to the faithful examples of Israel’s past to encourage them to persevere.
For by this, the elders obtained testimony.
Hebrews 11:2 (WEB)
What Hebrews 11:2 Means
The phrase “by this” points backward to the definition of faith given in the previous verse, that faith is assurance about what we hope for and proof of what we cannot yet see. The author is saying that it was through this kind of faith that the people of the past were approved. Faith is the thread running through the whole chapter, and this verse names the result of that thread.
The word “elders” refers to the ancestors, the earlier generations of God’s people whose lives are recorded in Scripture. The word “testimony” here means a good report or an approving witness, the sense that God himself looked on these people and affirmed them. The verse does not promise that faith will make life easy or guarantee a particular outcome. It says that trust in God is the way the faithful were recognized by God, and the rest of the chapter shows what that looked like in practice.
The Context of Hebrews 11:2
Hebrews is an anonymous letter, traditionally though not certainly attributed to Paul, and it was written to a community that knew the Jewish Scriptures well and was tempted to drift away from Christ under hardship. Chapter 11 is a catalogue of faithful people, and the verse sits right at its opening. Just before it, verse 1 gives the definition of faith. Just after it, verses 3 through 5 begin the examples: the creation of the universe by God’s word, Abel’s sacrifice, and Enoch who was taken up without seeing death.
Read in this setting, the verse is less a standalone statement and more a doorway. It tells the reader that each story that follows is an instance of the approval it describes. This helps explain why the chapter is so encouraging to a suffering congregation: the faithful of old were not spared hardship either, yet they were still counted as pleasing to God because they kept trusting him.
Key Phrases in Hebrews 11:2
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.
(WEB)
This verse gives the definition of faith that the elders’ testimony depends on. Reading it alongside verse 2 shows that the approval came through a particular kind of trust, one that holds to what is hoped for and unseen.
Hebrews 11:6
Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
(WEB)
This verse explains that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that those who draw near must believe he exists and rewards those who seek him. It deepens the connection between faith and God’s pleasure that the elders’ testimony points toward.
A Short Prayer From Hebrews 11:2
Lord, you have not forgotten the people who trusted you before us, and you have not overlooked the trust I am trying to live out today. Help me to keep my eyes on what you have promised rather than on what I can see right now. When I feel discouraged or unseen, remind me that you bear witness to faithfulness. Give me steady confidence in your character, so that my life may honor you as the faithful of old did. Amen.
