• Hebrews Study Notes—Chapter 13
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 13:4

      Let marriage be honorable among all: Christians were to hold marriage in high esteem, to view it as precious. The Greek word rendered “honorable” is also used at 1Pe 1:19 to describe the “precious” blood of Christ.

      the marriage bed: Here the Greek expression is literally “the bed,” but in this context it refers to sexual relations within marriage. The Greek term so rendered is also used by Jewish writer Josephus (Jewish Antiquities, II, 55 [iv, 5]) in describing the occasion when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of having attempted to defile his master’s marriage bed.

      sexually immoral people: See Glossary, “Sexual immorality.”

      adulterers: The term “adulterers” refers to those who are sexually unfaithful to their marriage mate. It is more specific than the general expression “sexually immoral people,” which can apply both to single and to married people.​—See Glossary, “Adultery”; “Sexual immorality”; and study note on 1Co 6:9.