Hebrews 4:15-16
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse emphasizes that Jesus' ability to sympathize with our weaknesses isn't just about understanding them intellectually, but about experiencing them through genuine temptation, yet remaining free from sin. This crucial distinction means His empathy stems not from shared flaws, but from shared struggle and ultimate victory.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The author is building a case for why believers should hold fast to their confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Having just spoken of Christ's triumphant entry into God's presence, the writer anticipates a potential objection: that such a lofty High Priest might be too removed from human experience to truly understand our struggles. This verse directly counters that idea by emphasizing Jesus' profound connection to human weakness and temptation.
Ever felt like no one truly gets what you're going through? Like your struggles are too unique, too messy, too… weak? The Bible says our High Priest gets it.
The verse opens by stating we have a High Priest who "cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." This isn't a cold detachment, but the opposite!
Deep Empathy, Not Just Knowledge
The original language suggests a profound, shared experience. It’s more than just knowing about our struggles; it’s feeling them because He’s been there.
This means when you feel weak, when you stumble, when you face difficult circumstances, Jesus doesn't turn away. He’s intimately acquainted with what it’s like.
We all face temptations, and sometimes they feel overwhelming. What if I told you our High Priest faced them too – every kind – yet never gave in?
The second part of Hebrews 4:15 highlights the extent of Jesus' temptation: "in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."
Ask a follow-up
The Scope of Temptation
This wasn't a superficial trial. "In every respect" means He faced the full spectrum of human temptation:
The Crucial Distinction: "Yet Without Sin"
This is the key! While Jesus experienced the likeness of our temptations – the pressure, the allure, the struggle – He never succumbed. He never sinned.
This sinless victory is what qualifies Him to help us overcome our own temptations. He knows the battle, and He’s already won.
Understand the original words
sympatheō · Greek Verb
The act of identifying with another's suffering or state; implies having compassion and being able to empathize based on shared experience.
astheneia · Greek Noun
Moral, physical, or spiritual limitations and frailties inherent in human nature; often used in the context of our dependence on God's grace.
peirazō · Greek Verb
Any solicitation, test, or enticement to act in opposition to God's moral will.
hamartia · Greek Noun
A transgression or missing the mark; the condition or act of failing to live in accordance with God's holy standard.
parrhesia · Greek Noun
The quality of being bold, courageous, or outspoken; in a theological context, it refers to the freedom of speech and boldness believers have in prayer because of Christ's finished work.
proserchometha · Greek Verb
To approach or move toward someone or something; in worship, it signifies entering into God's presence, made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
thronon · Greek Noun
The royal seat of God; it represents His sovereign authority, ruling power, and the place from which He governs the universe and dispenses His divine favor.
charitos · Greek Noun
God’s unmerited favor toward the undeserving; it is the active power of God that enables, sustains, and transforms the believer, separate from human merit.
eleos · Greek Noun
Compassion or kindness shown toward someone who is in a miserable or needy state, specifically the withholding of the judgment that is deserved.
eukairon · Greek Adjective
The appropriate or opportune time for something to occur; in a spiritual sense, it refers to the critical moments when a believer is faced with struggle or temptation and requires divine intervention.
This passage highlights Jesus' humility in taking on human likeness and experiencing suffering, underscoring his deep connection to human weakness and temptation, just as Hebrews 4:15 describes.
Isaiah 53:3This prophecy foretells a suffering servant who would be despised and acquainted with sorrows, mirroring the human experience of suffering and temptation that Jesus, our High Priest, fully understands.
2 Corinthians 5:21This verse emphasizes that the one who knew no sin was made sin for us, which speaks to Jesus' sinless nature even while experiencing the burdens and temptations that human sin brings.
Matthew 4:1-11The account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness directly illustrates the 'tempted in every respect' aspect of Hebrews 4:15, showing Jesus facing the same kinds of temptations we do.
Hebrews 2:18This verse provides a direct parallel, stating that because Jesus himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are now being tempted.
wesleyHebrews 4:15: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
4:15 He sympathizes with us even in our innocent infirmities, wants, weaknesses, miseries, dangers. Yet without sin - And, therefore, is indisputably able to preserve us from it in all our temptations.
vincentHebrews 4:15: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
We have not an high priest who cannot, etc.Whatever may be thought to the contrary; whatever contrary conclusion may be drawn from the character of the Levitical priests, or from Christ's exalted dignity and purity.Touched with the feeling (συνπαθῆσαι)Only here and Hebrews 10:34. This is more than knowledge of human infirmity…
The verse emphasizes that Jesus' ability to sympathize with our weaknesses isn't just about understanding them intellectually, but about experiencing them through genuine temptation, yet remaining free from sin. This crucial distinction means His empathy stems not from shared flaws, but from shared struggle and ultimate victory.
The author is building a case for why believers should hold fast to their confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Having just spoken of Christ's triumphant entry into God's presence, the writer anticipates a potential objection: that such a lofty High Priest might be too removed from human experience to truly understand our struggles. This verse directly counters that idea by emphasizing Jesus' profound connection to human weakness and temptation.
The author is building a case for why believers should hold fast to their confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Having just spoken of Christ's triumphant entry into God's presence, the writer anticipates a potential objection: that such a lofty High Priest might be too removed from human experience to truly understand our struggles. This verse directly counters that idea by emphasizing Jesus' profound connection to human weakness and temptation.
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive m…" — The verse emphasizes that Jesus' ability to sympathize with our weaknesses isn't just about understanding them intellectually, but about experiencing them through genuine temptation, *yet remaining f…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
