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Hebrews 11:34

ESV quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
NIV quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
NASB quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
CSB quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
NLT quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.
KJV Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
NKJV quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

What does Hebrews 11:34 mean?

This verse continues a list of feats achieved by the faithful heroes of the Old Testament. According to this passage in Hebrews, these accomplishments were the result of faith in God. That "faith" was defined as trust, looking forward, and despite doubts or fears (Hebrews 11:1–3). Legendary names such as Gideon and Samson were listed here for their success—not resulting from their moral perfection, but because they were enabled by faith in God (Hebrews 11:32–33). The prior verse began a list of deeds which become more and more impressive, peaking in verse 35 with a reference to resurrection from death.

The prior verse ended with a reference to rescue from the jaws of lions, as in the incident where Daniel survived a night in the lions' den (Daniel 6:19–23). This verse opens with another reference from Daniel, where three faithful believers were saved from death in a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:24–30).

Other incidents mentioned here echo events which happened in the Old Testament, all given to prove that God's people could count on Him to be faithful to His promises (Genesis 17:6–8). These include rescue from certain death (Jeremiah 39:16–18), victory against impossible odds (2 Kings 19:32–35), success in conquest over a wicked Canaanite people (Joshua 6:20–21), and victory over foreign invaders (Judges 7:19–23).

Verse 35 will cap off this list of incredible occurrences, then transition into an important part of the writer's intent: to encourage believers not to give up in the face of hardships.
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