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Chapter 11
1 Ἡμεῖς οὖν ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ δουλεύσωμεν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐσόμεθα δίκαιοι·
ἐὰν δὲ μὴ δουλεύσωμεν διὰ τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ, ταλαίπωροι ἐσόμεθα. 		Let us therefore serve God with a pure heart, and we will be righteous;
but if we don’t serve Him, because we don’t believe the promise of God, we will be wretched.
2 λέγει γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος·
Ταλαίπωροί εἰσιν οἱ δίψυχοι, οἱ διστάζοντες τῇ καρδίᾳ, οἱ λέγοντες·
Ταῦτα πάλαι ἠκούσαμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας προσδεχόμενοι οὐδὲν τούτων ἑωράκαμεν. 		For the prophetic word also says:
“The double-minded are wretched, who doubt in their heart and say,
‘We heard these things even in the days of our fathers, yet we have waited day after day and have seen none of them.'
3 ἀνόητοι, συμβάλετε ἑαυτοὺς ξύλῳ·
λάβετε ἄμπελον·
πρῶτον μὲν φυλλοροεῖ, εἶτα βλαστὸς γίνεται, μετὰ ταῦτα ὄμφαξ, εἶτα σταφυλὴ παρεστηκυῖα. 		Fools! compare yourselves to a tree;
take a vine.
First it sheds leaves, then a shoot comes, after this a sour grape, then comes a bunch of ripe grapes.
4 οὕτως καὶ ὁ λαός μου ἀκαταστασίας καὶ θλίψεις ἔσχεν·
ἔπειτα ἀπολήψεται τὰ ἀγαθά. 		So also My people had instability and afflictions: but afterward they will receive good things.” {unknown source}
5 ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ διψυχῶμεν, ἀλλὰ ἐλπίσαντες ὑπομείνωμεν, ἵνα καὶ τὸν μισθὸν κομισώμεθα. Therefore my brothers, let us not be double-minded but endure patiently in hope, in order that we may also receive the reward.
6 πιστὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος τὰς ἀντιμισθίας ἀποδιδόναι ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ. For He is faithful who promised to pay to each man the financial satisfaction for his works.
7 ἐὰν οὖν ποιήσωμεν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰσήξομεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ληψόμεθα τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἃς οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν οὐδὲ ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη. If therefore we should do righteousness in the sight of God, we will enter into His kingdom and will receive the promises that ear has not heard nor eye has seen, nor entered into the heart of man.
Summary
In this section, the author addresses the problem of eschatological doubt and delay.

He warns against "double-mindedness" (διψυχία)—a state of internal hesitation caused by questioning whether God's promises will ever come to pass.

Citing an apocryphal prophetic text (also cited in 1 Clement 23), he uses the agricultural metaphor of a growing vine to illustrate that God's plan unfolds in patient, orderly stages; trial and instability are merely preliminary phases before the final harvest of salvation.

The author encourages steadfast endurance (ὑπομονή), assuring believers that God is faithful to reward those who practice righteousness, quoting 1 Corinthians 2:9 / Isaiah 64:4 regarding the transcendent glory awaiting the faithful.
Significant Greek Expressions
ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ ("with a pure heart"): Singleness of devotion and moral integrity are contrasted with the divided state of the double-minded. Serving God (δουλεύσωμεν) requires an undivided, unpolluted inner disposition.

οἱ δίψυχοι ("the double-minded"): From δίψυχος (literally "two-souled" or "divided in mind"). A key ethical concept in early Christian literature (prominent in James 1:8, 4:8 and Hermas). It refers to someone trapped between faith and doubt, hesitating to fully trust God's promises.

οἱ διστάζοντες τῇ καρδίᾳ ("those who doubt in their heart"): From διστάζω (to waver or hesitate). It amplifies δίψυχοι, pointing to spiritual instability rooted in skepticism regarding Christ's parousia or divine retribution.

φυλλοροεῖ... βλαστὸς... ὄμφαξ... σταφυλὴ παρεστηκυῖα ("sheds leaves... shoot... sour grape... ripe cluster"): A detailed, four-stage botanical sequence outlining the growth cycle of a grape vine:

 φυλλοροέω: To shed leaves.

 βλαστός: A new shoot or bud.

 ὄμφαξ: An unripe/sour grape.

 σταφυλὴ παρεστηκυῖα: A fully matured, ripe cluster of grapes. This metaphor emphasizes that spiritual fulfillment requires enduring through visible stages of bareness and slow maturation.

ἀκαταστασίας καὶ θλίψεις ("unsteadiness and afflictions"): Describes the present suffering of the Church. Ἀκαταστασία denotes disorder, instability, or turbulence (cf. 1 Cor 14:33). Present trials are framed as temporary weather before the eschatological harvest.

ἐλπίσαντες ὑπομείνωμεν ("hoping, let us endure"): Pairs active hope (ἐλπίζω) with steadfast endurance (ὑπομένω). Spiritual endurance is not passive resignation, but forward-looking trust anchored in God's fidelity (πιστὸς ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος).

ἅς οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν... ("which ear has not heard..."): A direct echo of 1 Corinthians 2:9 (cf. Isaiah 64:4), highlighting the incomprehensible greatness of the eternal reward awaiting those who preserve their faith.