“But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls — the plural exhortation affirms the community's resolve: they are not apostates but believers who persevere. Preserve souls (peripoieō psychē) means to maintain life in God's covenant community through faithful endurance.
Church Fathers on Hebrews 10:39
Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just” (he says) “shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.” This is a great encouragement when one shows that they have succeeded in the whole matter and are losing it through a little indolence. Hebrews 10:39 “But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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