Hebrews 5:13
New International Version
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

New Living Translation
For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.

English Standard Version
for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

Berean Standard Bible
For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.

Berean Literal Bible
For everyone partaking of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

King James Bible
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

New King James Version
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

New American Standard Bible
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

NASB 1995
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

NASB 1977
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

Legacy Standard Bible
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

Amplified Bible
For everyone who lives on milk is [doctrinally inexperienced and] unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a spiritual infant.

Christian Standard Bible
Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.

American Standard Version
For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But every person whose food is milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, because he is an infant.

Contemporary English Version
People who live on milk are like babies who don't really know what is right.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For every one that is a partaker of milk, is unskillful in the word of justice: for he is a little child.

English Revised Version
For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
All those who live on milk lack the experience to talk about what is right. They are still babies.

Good News Translation
Anyone who has to drink milk is still a child, without any experience in the matter of right and wrong.

International Standard Version
For everyone who lives on milk is still a baby and does not yet know the difference between right and wrong.

Literal Standard Version
for everyone who is partaking of milk [is] unskilled in the word of righteousness—for he is an infant,

Majority Standard Bible
For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.

New American Bible
Everyone who lives on milk lacks experience of the word of righteousness, for he is a child.

NET Bible
For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant.

New Revised Standard Version
for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness.

New Heart English Bible
For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby.

Webster's Bible Translation
For every one that useth milk, is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Weymouth New Testament
By people who live on milk I mean those who are imperfectly acquainted with the teaching concerning righteousness.

World English Bible
For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby.

Young's Literal Translation
for every one who is partaking of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness -- for he is an infant,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warning against Drifting Away
12Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.…

Cross References
1 Corinthians 3:1
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly--as infants in Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:20
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

2 John 1:11
Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.


Treasury of Scripture

For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

is unskilful.

Psalm 119:123
Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.

Romans 1:17,18
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith…

Romans 10:5,6
For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them…

he.

Isaiah 28:9
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Mark 10:15
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

Jump to Previous
Accustomed Acquainted Babe Baby Child Experienced Infant Live Mean Milk Partakes Partaketh Partaking Righteousness Teaching Unskilled Useth Word
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Accustomed Acquainted Babe Baby Child Experienced Infant Live Mean Milk Partakes Partaketh Partaking Righteousness Teaching Unskilled Useth Word
Hebrews 5
1. The honor of our Savior's priesthood.
11. Negligence in the knowledge thereof is reproved.














(13) The change of expression from having need of milk to partaking of milk (that is, making it the solo food) is significant. Those who are addressed had lost interest in the deeper truths of Christianity, those truths which alone expressed and explained its proper nature. Their temptation apparently was towards mingling a rudimentary Christian doctrine with the teaching of the synagogue. Yielding to this they would lose all real Knowledge of the very elements of Christian truth, and with this all true knowledge of the Old Testament itself. The connection between this verse and the last may probably be, Ye have come to need milk, for--making it by choice your sole food--ye stand self-confessed as babes.

Unskilful.--Rather, without experience. The "word of righteousness" evidently must signify complete, properly-developed Christian teaching. The only question is, Why is this particular designation chosen? In the Epistle to the Romans such a description would be natural (see especially Romans 1:17; Romans 9:31); but "righteousness" is not the direct and manifest subject of this Epistle. Still, the expressions of which the writer makes use in Hebrews 10:38; Hebrews 11:7, together with the general similarity between his teaching and St. Paul's, go very far towards explaining his choice of this special expression as descriptive of the religion of Christ. In like manner another phrase, "law of liberty," is characteristic of St. James.

Verse 13. - For every one that partaketh of milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. Reason for saying that they are such as have need of milk; for milk is the nourishment of infants, and he that is an infant in respect of spiritual growth is ἄπειρος λόγου δικαιοσύνης: not of necessity unacquainted with it altogether, but still not versed in it; he is but a tyro. "Word of righteousness" may be taken as a general term to denote what we might call religious lore; referring here especially to the gospel, which is eminently the revelation of the "righteousness of God" (Romans 1:17; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:9, ἡ διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης: and 2 Cor 11:15, διάκονοι δικαιοσύνης); but not excluding a more general conception. There is no need to suppose an exclusive reference to the more perfect doctrine in opposition to the elements, since, of the whole subject of religious knowledge, the νήπιος may be said to be ἄπειρος in the sense of being without the matured skill that experience gives. Hence, too, we are certainly not justified in finding in the phrase a specific allusion to the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith only, which is not suggested by the context or by what follows. Still less may we (with Delitzsch) so ignore the notable significance of δικαιοσύνη as to reduce the expression to a synonym for "rightly framed, that is sound and orthodox discourse."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Everyone
πᾶς (pas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

who
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

lives on
μετέχων (metechōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3348: From meta and echo; to share or participate; by implication, belong to, eat.

milk
γάλακτος (galaktos)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 1051: Milk. Of uncertain affinity; milk.

is [still]
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

an infant,
νήπιος (nēpios)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3516: From an obsolete particle ne- and epos; not speaking, i.e. An infant; figuratively, a simple-minded person, an immature Christian.

inexperienced
ἄπειρος (apeiros)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 552: Inexperienced, unskillful, ignorant. Inexperienced, i.e. Ignorant.

in [the] message
λόγου (logou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056: From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.

of righteousness.
δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosynēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1343: From dikaios; equity; specially justification.


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NT Letters: Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk (Heb. He. Hb)
Hebrews 5:12
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