You have majored on a minor point above, IN MY OPINION. I deal with the difference in the Greek word used for "receive", which you have not mentioned. The Greek word for "receive" in Heb 11:3 is not DECOMAI, it is LAMBANO. [@lambano] And no one in this 'Faith list' ever had the chance to LAMBANO/receive those promises FROM God. Why? Because they had never been given to the OT or the OLD COVENANT. For the NT promises were a fulfillment available for the NT generation ,which would be under the NEW COVENANT.
The New Covenant through Christ was ordained in heaven from before the foundation of the world. That's when God provided HIMSELF the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. All the promises of God are 'yes' and 'amen', so according to promise whosoever from the beginning of creation to the sounding of the last trumpet believe on Messiah, The Christ promised by God belong to the New Covenant through the blood of the Lamb.
The first New Covenant promise given to mankind is found in Genesis.
Genesis 3:15 (KJV) And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
These words have been appropriately called the "Protevangelium," the first gospel. This passage tells us that though mankind, because of sin, will be burdened and persecuted by the great adversary of mankind, the seed of evil (Satan), the Seed (Christ) of life shall come and through Him the curse of death might come to all who believe on Him.
Why is Christ the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world if God had not prepared and ordained before creation the way/means for which mankind might be eternally saved through the Lamb slain?
Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV) And these all, having obtained a good report through faith,
received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
The promise the Old Covenant saints had not received was a place, eternal in heaven. They weren't looking for an eternal home in the land of promise on this earth. They sought something far better! They died in faith waiting to receive the promises they knew of and were persuaded of them, and embraced them understanding the promises would not be found on this earth of which they saw themselves as strangers and pilgrims. The place they desired and had not yet received is an heavenly place where God hath prepared for them the holy city, New Jerusalem unto mount Sion the city of the living God. They believed and patiently waited to be the general assembly and church of the firstborn, being spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant which speak of better things that that of Abel.
Hebrews 11:9-10 (KJV) By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as
in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Hebrews 11:13-16 (KJV) These
all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 12:22-24 (KJV) But
ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.