“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
King James Version (KJV)
4:12 For the word of God - Preached, #Heb 4:2|, and armed with threatenings, #Heb 4:3|. Is living and powerful - Attended with the power of the living God, and conveying either life or death to the hearers. Sharper than any two - edged sword - Penetrating the heart more than this does the body. Piercing - Quite through, and laying open. The soul and spirit, joints and marrow - The inmost recesses of the mind, which the apostle beautifully and strongly expresses by this heap of figurative words. And is a discerner - Not only of the thoughts, but also of the intentions.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God. The Israelites came short because they refused to hear the word of the Lord. If we could enter in, we must take heed to the word. It is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword. Cutting keenly and in all directions. Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. It not only gives life, but slays, as was the case with the Israelites who fell in the wilderness, and pierces to the soul and spirit. It reaches the very fountains of life. A discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It lays bare the thoughts and the intentions.