Hebrews 11:9-10
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Abraham wasn't just visiting Canaan; he was living there as an alien, a foreigner, in tents with Isaac and Jacob, because his faith recognized this land as a temporary stop on the way to an eternal home. This highlights that "sojourning" wasn't just about physical dwelling but a mindset rooted in a heavenly citizenship.
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The author of Hebrews is walking through the lives of faithful ancestors, highlighting their trust in God's promises even when circumstances suggested otherwise. This verse focuses on Abraham, who, by faith, obeyed God's call to leave his homeland for an unknown destination, a land God promised to give him and his descendants. Abraham's life in Canaan wasn't one of settled ownership but of temporary dwelling in tents, a reality he embraced with faith, a faith also seen in his son Isaac and grandson Jacob who continued this transient lifestyle as fellow heirs of the same divine promise.
Abraham didn't just visit the promised land; he lived there. But not like he owned it. How can you live in a place you don't fully possess?
The verse highlights Abraham's life in Canaan as a 'sojourner' (παρῴκησεν, parōikēsen). This isn't just a casual visit; it describes someone living among a people but not fully belonging to them, lacking citizenship rights. It was a deliberate choice, a 'dwelling beside' or 'among.'
A Foreign Land
Abraham lived in tents, not permanent houses, a clear sign of a temporary resident. This was despite God promising him the land. He was a foreigner in the very place God designated as his future inheritance. This wasn't a sign of failure, but a testament to his faith.
Faith's Foundation
His willingness to live as a foreigner, in tents, wasn't about accepting defeat. It was rooted in his trust that God's promise of a permanent, true home was more real and lasting than any temporary dwelling or land ownership in Canaan.
Abraham wasn't alone in this faith journey. He shared his temporary home and eternal hope with his descendants. What does this say about legacy and faith?
The text specifically mentions Isaac and Jacob living alongside Abraham, 'heirs with him of the same promise.' This emphasizes continuity and inheritance.
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A Family of Faith
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob represent a lineage of faith. They didn't live in the same tent at the exact same time, but they all shared the same experience of sojourning in the land of promise, holding onto the same divine assurance.
The Promise Endures
This shared inheritance wasn't about owning land right then. It was about being co-heirs to God's unfolding plan. Their faith looked beyond the immediate circumstances to the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise, which was passed down through generations.
Understand the original words
epangelia · Greek Noun
A divine declaration or pledge of future blessing and provision. A promise in Scripture is anchored in the character of God, who cannot lie, and serves as a ground for the believer's hope.
polis · Greek Noun
A place of stable, permanent divine governance and security. It often symbolizes the eternal reality of God's kingdom and the heavenly home awaiting the faithful, as opposed to the temporary nature of earthly dwellings.
This verse highlights that the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived their entire lives in the promised land as temporary residents, not citizens. Their faith wasn't in possessing the land immediately, but in the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise through their descendants.
c. 2100 BC
God calls Abraham from Ur
God calls Abram (later Abraham) from his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans to go to a land God will show him. This begins Abraham's journey of faith.
c. 2090 BC
Abraham enters the land of Canaan
Abraham, obeying God's call, enters the land of Canaan. He is a nomad, living in tents and moving from place to place.
c. 2090-1900 BC— this verse
Patriarchal Sojourning in Canaan
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob live as semi-nomadic tent-dwellers in Canaan, a land not yet possessed by their descendants. They rely on faith in God's promise of inheritance.
c. 2080 BC
Promise reiterated to Abraham
God appears to Abraham and reaffirms the promise that his descendants will inherit the land of Canaan. Abraham purchases a burial site, acknowledging his temporary status.
c. 2060 BC
Birth of Isaac
Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah, fulfilling God's promise of a son through whom the covenant lineage will continue.
c. 1880 BC
Jacob receives the promise
Jacob deceives his brother Esau to receive the patriarchal blessing. Later, God appears to Jacob, reaffirming the promise of the land and descendants.
c. 1870 BC
Joseph taken to Egypt
Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt, setting the stage for the Israelites' eventual sojourn there.
This passage shows God's initial call to Abraham, commanding him to leave his home and go to a land God would show him, laying the foundation for Abraham's faith-filled journey as a sojourner.
Genesis 17:8Here, God reiterates the promise of the land to Abraham and his descendants, reinforcing the idea that it was a 'land of promise' and that Abraham's future generations would inherit it, aligning with the 'heirs with him of the same promise' in Hebrews.
Acts 7:5-6Stephen's speech recounts Abraham's story and highlights how God gave him no inheritance in the land, not even a foot of ground, but promised to give it to him and his offspring, underscoring the 'stranger' and 'sojourner' aspect of Abraham's life by faith.
Hebrews 11:13This verse directly follows the mention of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, stating that these patriarchs 'died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar.' This connects their temporary dwelling in tents to their eternal perspective and faith in unseen promises.
Philippians 3:20This New Testament passage speaks of believers having their 'citizenship in heaven,' which parallels Abraham's mindset as a sojourner on earth, looking for a permanent home not of this world, the 'city with foundations' mentioned later in Hebrews 11.
vincentHebrews 11:9: "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:"
He sojourned in (παρῴκησεν εἰς)The verb lit. to dwell beside or among. Πάροικος, a foreigner dwelling in a state without rights of citizenship. In Class. only in the sense of neighbor. See on Luke 24:18. The verb of rest with the preposition of motion (only here) signifies that he went into the land and dwelt there. Usua…
calvinHebrews 11:8-12: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."
- By faith Abraham, etc. He comes now to Abraham, who is the chief father of God's church on earth, and in whose name the Jews gloried, as though by the distinction of being the holy race of Abraham alone, they were removed from the common order of men. But he now reminds them of what they ought to possess as the…
Abraham wasn't just visiting Canaan; he was living there as an alien, a foreigner, in tents with Isaac and Jacob, because his faith recognized this land as a temporary stop on the way to an eternal home. This highlights that "sojourning" wasn't just about physical dwelling but a mindset rooted in a heavenly citizenship.
The author of Hebrews is walking through the lives of faithful ancestors, highlighting their trust in God's promises even when circumstances suggested otherwise. This verse focuses on Abraham, who, by faith, obeyed God's call to leave his homeland for an unknown destination, a land God promised to give him and his descendants. Abraham's life in Canaan wasn't one of settled ownership but of temporary dwelling in tents, a reality he embraced with faith, a faith also seen in his son Isaac and grandson Jacob who continued this transient lifestyle as fellow heirs of the same divine promise.
The author of Hebrews is walking through the lives of faithful ancestors, highlighting their trust in God's promises even when circumstances suggested otherwise. This verse focuses on Abraham, who, by faith, obeyed God's call to leave his homeland for an unknown destination, a land God promised to give him and his descendants. Abraham's life in Canaan wasn't one of settled ownership but of temporary dwelling in tents, a reality he embraced with faith, a faith also seen in his son Isaac and grandson Jacob who continued this transient lifestyle as fellow heirs of the same divine promise.
"By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." — Abraham wasn't just visiting Canaan; he was living there as an alien, a foreigner, in tents with Isaac and Jacob, because his faith recognized this land as a temporary stop on the way to an eternal h…
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Last reviewed October 2026
