Written by Paul J Bucknell on February, 15, 2023

Hebrews 12:1 The “Cloud of Witnesses” - Who are the witnesses in Hebrews 12:1?

The Question

“Who are the witnesses in Hebrews 12:1? I suppose these were the early fathers of the faith mentioned Hebrews 11.”

Hebrews 12:1

Let me start by introducing four different versions for Hebrews 12:1.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1 KJV).

“So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up” (Heb 12:1 CEB).

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1 NASB1995).

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb 12:1 NIV).

Discussion on Hebrews 12:1

Although many are interested in identifying the “cloud of witnesses,” let’s not forget the main purpose of Hebrews 12:1. He calls all believers to throw off sin’s influence and stay on track, to endure all sorts of hardship, setting them forward to complete their Christian life race.

I’ll introduce three possible identities of the “cloud of witnesses.”

Angels watching the saints
The faithful saints of Hebrews 11
All the dead saints watching the race of the living

(1) The angels

I begin by dismissing the angels as a possible answer. It is theologically possible for the angels, used twelve times in the Book of Hebrews, to watch God’s people. They actively witness our activities and are also seen as high, hovering among the clouds, possibly alluded to in "cloud of witnesses.”

The sense would be that because of the angels, that support and oversee Christians on their race, we should all the more put aside our sin and complete the race. In a general sense, angels are a sign of God’s presence.

But because of the context of chapter eleven, and the connecting “therefore” that begins Hebrews 12:1, we prefer another interpretation.

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(2) The faithful saints of Hebrews 11

This interpretation of saints listed in Hebrews 11 is probably correct due to its specific examples of faithful saints that have gone on ahead of us. They are all Jews. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Samson, etc., each testifies to the reward of living a life of faith.

In this sense, 12:1 means, “Having such saints of old that have faithfully lived their lives” watching us and cheering us on, we ought to also put away sin and live a life of godliness.

Chapter 11 presents an excellent summary of their faith-filled lives, giving us an example, just as if we were viewing a race— the race that is set before us.”

Besides, the last two verses, unfold a common race motif, giving us a sense that they (and we) are in the same race.

³⁹ And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect” (Heb 11:39-40).

Note how verse 39 with “All these” turns into “us” in verse 40. Their success is related to our success; therefore, as in a marathon where we work as a team, we complete the race together.

(3) All the dead saints who have gone before

Lastly, the “cloud of witness” could refer to all the believers who have died and gone on before us. We have no reason to choose this generic version when the context so brilliantly presents the saints of Hebrews 11.

In a sense, starting at 11:32 the author begins to speak about all the brave saints of old, and in that sense, this becomes a possible interpretation. However, the very fact that the recipients of this Hebrews letter all suffered and had to endure trials similar to these tested saints in Hebrews 11, and that they knew of the very stories of these old saints, recorded in the Scriptures, it behooves us to choose the second interpretation and the specific examples they knew about to encourage them on the way.