The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Here, again, we must not draw too broad a distinction between the resurrection of Christ and His ascension to heaven. On the one hand, we must not say that by the words “bringing up from the dead” the Apostle means the ascension; on the other hand, the words do not exclude the ascension. The resurrection and the ascension coalesce in the notion of Christ being living. The only distinction present, we think, to the writer’s mind was that between the shame of Christ’s death without the camp and the offering of His blood by the living Christ in the holiest place. He Who died on the Cross through that death liveth evermore. He lives to be the Shepherd of His people. Therefore to Him must be ascribed the glory for ever and ever.

The Apostle once more begs his readers to bear with the word of exhortation. Let them remember that he has written briefly in order to spare them. He might have said more, but he has refrained.

He hopes to bring Timothy with him, unless his friend tarries long. In that case he will come alone, so great is his anxiety to see them.

He sends his greetings to all the saints, but mentions the leaders. Brethren who have come from Italy are with him. They may have been exiles or fugitives who had sought safety during the first great persecution of the Church in the days of Nero. They too send greetings.

He closes with the Apostolic benediction. For, whoever he was, he was truly an Apostolic man.

1

Rom. x. 6–8.

2

Newman, Arians, p. 182 (ed. 1833).

3

John xiv. 6, 9.

4

John v. 26.

5

John i. 1, 3.

6

Col. i. 16, 17.

7

Rom. i. 20.

8

Col. i. 15, 19.

9

Acts vii. 53.

10

Gal. iii. 19.

11

ἀγαγόντα.

12

Matt. xxv. 31.

13

Luke xxii. 43. The genuineness of the verse is somewhat doubtful.

14

μὴ παραρυῶμεν (ii. 1).

15

Matt. xxi. 33, sqq.

16

Heb. x. 29.

17

Ps. viii. 4.

18

Ps. viii. 2.

19

1 Cor. xv. 27.

20

ἠλάττωσας.

21

Cf. Acts ii. 30.

22

Chap. ii. 4.

23

γεύσηται (ii. 9).

24

John xvii. 5.

25

χάριτι.

26

ἀρχηγόν (ii. 10).

27

δι' ὅν.

28

δι' ὁὖ.

29

Chap. xii. 7.

30

ὁ ἁγιάζων (ii. 11).

31

Ps. xxii. 22.

32

Chap. ii. 13.

33

Isa. viii. 18

34

Chap. ii. 14.

35

Humiliation of Christ, p. 46.

36

Chap. v. 4, 5.

37

ἐπιλαμβάνεται (ii. 16).

38

Chap. iii. 2.

39

1 Cor. iv. 2.

40

Chap. iii. 4.

41

ποιήσαντι.

42

Chap. iii. 5.

43

Ps. xcv. 7, sqq.

44

Chap. ii. 13.

45

τὰ κῶλα. Cf. chap. xii. 12.

46

οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν (iii. 19).

47

εὐηγγελισμένοι (iv. 2).

48

Reading συγκεκερασμένος.

49

Chap. iv. 3.

50

Chap. iv. 8.

51

Ps. xxvii. 4.

52

Gal. vi. 16.

53

Chap. iv. 10.

54

Matt. v. 17, 18.

55

Matt. xxiv. 35.

56

Chap. iv. 12.

57

ἐνεργής.

58

μερισμοῦ.

59

ἁρμῶν.

60

μυελῶν.

61

κριτικός.

62

τετραχηλισμένα (iv. 13).

63

ὁ λόγος.

64

Chap. viii. 4.

65

Chap. ix. 24.

66

Cf. chap. x. 21.

67

Chap. iv. 15.

68

εὔκαιρον (iv. 16).

69

Chap. v. 1, 2.

70

μετριοπαθεῖν.

71

Lev. xvi. 6.

72

Chap. vii. 26.

73

Chap. vii. 28.

74

Chap. v. 10, 11.

75

Chap. v. 7.

76

Luke xxii. 44. The genuineness of the verse is not quite certain.

77

Cf. John x. 18.

78

ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας (v. 7).

79

Chap. v. 4.

80

τιμήν (v. 4); ἐδόξασεν (v. 5).

81

Chap. i. 5.

82

τὴν ὑπακοήν (v. 8).

83

Chap. v. 11.

84

Chap. vi. 1.

85

Chap. v. 12.

86

Acts xv.

87

τινά (v. 12).

88

στοιχεῖα.

89

αἰσθητήρια.

90

γεγυμνασμένα.

91

ἀφέντες (vi. 1).

92

φερώμεθα.

93

τελειότητα.

94

θεμέλιον.

95

Chap. v. 13.

96

Chap. vi. 7.

97

Chap. vi. 8.

98

δι' οὕς.

99

Chap. ii. 3.

100

παραπεσόντας (vi. 6). Cf. παραρυῶμεν (ii. 1).

101

ἑαυτοῖς.

102

Apart from the exigencies of the illustration, the change from the aorist participle to the present participles tells in the same way. It is extremely harsh to consider ἀνασταυροῦντας and παραδειγματίζοντας to be explanatory of παραπεσόντας. The former must be rendered hypothetically: “They cannot be renewed after falling away if they persist in crucifying,” etc.

103

The apostates, or deserters, were not identical with the lapsed, who fell away from fear of martyrdom. Novatian refused to restore either to Church privileges. The Church restored the latter, but not the former. Cf. Cyprian, Ep. lv. ad fin.

104

Chap. vi. 9.

105

Dean Merivale, Romans under the Empire, chap. lix.

106

Compare chap. vi. 4 and chap. vi. 18.

107

Chap. x. 34.

108

σπουδήν (vi. 11).

109

Chap. vi. 13.

110

Chap. xi. 1.

111

Chap. xi. 40.

112

SS. Legg. Alleg., iii., p. 98 (vol. i., p. 127. Mang.). With Philo’s τῇ σπουδαίᾳ ψυχῇ compare the Apostle’s σπουδήν (chap. v. 11).

113

Rom. iii. 3.

114

Chap. vi. 16.

115

περισσότερον.

116

Ps. xxiv. 14.

117

Ps. cx. 4.

118

Matt. xxii. 45.

119

Zech. vi. 11, 13.

120

SS. Legg. Alleg., iii. (vol. i., p. 103. Mang.).

121

Chap. vii. 6–10.

122

ἐπ' αὐτῆς (vii. 11).

123

Cf. chap. vi. 1.

124

Ἀνατέταλκεν. Cf. Zech. vi. 12. Ἀνατολή, dawn. The citation, as usual, is from the Septuagint.

125

Chap. vii. 14.

126

Chap. vii. 16.

127

ἀθέτησις, a setting aside (chap. vii. 18).

128

οὐδεν ἐτελείωσεν (vii. 19).

129

ἐπεισαγωγή.

130

Chap. vii. 20–22.

131

ἔγγυος.

132

ἐμεσίτευσεν (vi. 17)

133

Chap. vii. 23–25.

134

Chap. vii. 25.

135

δύναται, the emphatic word in the passage.

136

Chap. vii. 26.

137

ὅσιος.

138

ἄκακος.

139

ἀμίαντος.

140

Chap. vii. 27.

141

Chap. vii. 28.

142

κεφάλαιον (viii. 1).

143

λειτουργός (viii. 2).

144

Chap. viii. 3.

145

Chap. viii. 4.

146

Chap. viii. 5

147

Chap. viii. 6.

148

Jer. xxxi. 31–34.

149

Lamentations, Preface.

150

John vi. 45.

151

αὐτούς (viii. 8).

152

Chap. viii. 4.

153

Rom. v. 20.

154

Rom. iv. 7.

155

Isa. xliii. 25.

156

Chap. x. 2, 4.

157

Chap. iii. 13.

158

ἐχούσης στάσιν (ix. 8).

159

ἔχουσα (ix. 4).

160

δηλοῦντος (ix. 8).

161

Reading γενομένων (ix. 11).

162

Chap. ix. 11. Cf. chap. ix. 24.

163

Rev. xxi. 3.

164

τελειοτέρας (ix. 11).

165

κοσμικόν (ix. 1).

166

διά (ix. 11).

167

Chap. iv. 14.

168

Chap. vii. 26.

169

Chap. x. 12.

170

Chap. ix. 12.

171

Chap. ix. 13.

172

ἁγιάζει (ix. 13).

173

1 Cor. viii. 7.

174

Chap. ix. 14.

175

λατρεύειν (ix. 14).

176

αἰωνίου (ix. 15).

177

τετηρημένην … φρουρουμένους (1 Pet. i. 4).

178

διαθήκη.

179

To forestall censure for inconsistency, the present writer may be permitted to refer to what he now sees to have been a desperate attempt on his part (in the Expositor) to explain the passage on the supposition that the word διαθήκη means “covenant” throughout. He is bound to admit that the attempt was a failure. If he lives to write retractations, this will be one.

180

αἱματεκχυσίας (ix. 22).

181

Chap. viii. 5.

182

ἀλλοτρίῳ (ix. 25).

183

πάρεσιν (Rom. iii. 25), as contrasted with ἄφεσις.

184

Chap. iv. 3.

185

Chap. ix. 26.

186

προσενεχθείς (ix. 28).

187

εἰς.

188

χωρὶς.

189

ἀπεκδεχομένοις.

190

Chap. viii. 2.

191

Rom. v. 18.

192

Rom. vi. 10.

193

Chap. xiii. 20.

194

Chap. x. 1.

195

Chap. x. 2.

196

Chap. x. 3.

197

Gal. iii. 19–iv. 3.

198

πραγμάτων (x. 1).

199

εἰκόνα.

200

Col. i. 14, 15.

201

Chap. x. 5 sqq.

202

Chap. x. 10.

203

Chap. x. 9.

204

1 Sam. xv. 22.

205

Chap. x. 7.

206

Chap. ix. 14.

207

Chap. x. 10.

208

Chap. x. 11.

209

Chap. x. 13.

210

ἐκδεχόμενος (x. 13).

211

Chaps. ii. 1–5; iii. 1, 6; iv. 11, 16; vi.

212

Chap. x. 19.

213

μετὰ ἀληθινῆς καρδίας (x. 22).

214

μέγαν (x. 21).

215

ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς (x. 22).

216

Lev. viii. 6, 30.

217

Eph. v. 26.

218

Chap. iii. 1.

219

εἰς παροξυσμόν (x. 24).

220

ἔθος (x. 25).

221

Matt. xxiv. 27.

222

ἑκουσίως (x. 26).

223

Chap. x. 29.

224

πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος.

225

See chap. vi. 6.

226

Chap. x. 26.

227

ζῆλος (x. 27).

228

Chap. x. 28.

229

παραδειγματίζοντας (vi. 6).

230

Chap. iii. 12.

231

Chap. xii. 21.

232

ἐμπεσεῖν.

233

Deut. xxxii. 36.

234

Chap. vi. 10.

235

φωτισθέντες (x. 32).

236

ἄθλησιν.

237

πολλήν.

238

οὕτως ἀναστρεφομένων (x. 33).

239

Reading ἑαυτούς (x. 34).

240

εἰς περιποίησιν (x. 39).

241

μὴ ἀποβάλητε.

242

μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον (x. 37).

243

Reading μου (x. 38).

244

περιποίησιν (x. 39).

245

Dean Merivale, Romans under the Empire, chap. lix.

246

Chap. iii. 12.

247

Chaps. iii. 19; iv. 11.

248

Chap. vi. 12.

249

Chap. x. 19.

250

2 Cor. iii. 17; 1 Cor. ii. 16.

251

James ii. 17, 18.

252

παρρησία.

253

πληροφορία.

254

ὑπόστασις.

255

ἔλεγχος.

256

Gen. i. 1, 3.

257

As if μὴ ἐκ φαινομένων were for ἐκ μὴ φαινομένων.

258

1 Peter iii. 20.

259

Chap. xi 8.

260

Chap. xi. 9.

261

Acts vii. 5.

262

Chap. xi. 10.

263

Rev. xxi. 10.

264

τεχνίτης.

265

δημιουργός.

266

ἀσπασάμενοι (xi. 13).

267

Chap. xi. 14.

268

ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι.

269

πατρίδα.

270

Chaps. xi. 16; ii. 11.

271

Gen. iv. 3.

272

1 John iii. 12.

273

James ii. 19.

274

Chap. xii. 24.

275

1 John iii. 19, 20.

276

Gen. xxii. 8.

277

Luke xx. 38.

278

Chap. xi. 12.

279

καὶ ἐν παραβολῇ.

280

John viii. 56.

281

John i. 17.

282

Acts vii. 37.

283

John v. 46.

284

Exod. ii. 2; Acts vii. 20.

285

Acts vii. 22.

286

Exod. ii. 11.

287

After penning the above the writer of these pages saw that, in his view of the purpose of the sojourn in Midian, he had been anticipated by Kurtz (History of the Old Covenant).

288

Gen. xlvi. 2.

289

ἕκαστον (xi. 21).

290

Gen. xlvii. 31.

291

Chap. xi. 30.

292

Chap. xi. 31.

293

Ruth i. 16.

294

Matt. i. 5.

295

Judges iv. and v.

296

Judges vii. 18.

297

Judges xi. 35.

298

Judges xiii. 7; xvi. 28.

299

Robertson, History of the Christian Church, book ii., chap. vii.

300

Chap. xi. 33.

301

Judges vii.

302

Judges xi. 33.

303

2 Sam. v. 25.

304

2 Sam. viii. 2, 6.

305

1 Sam. xii. 23.

306

2 Sam. vii. 28, 29.

307

Dan. vi. 22.

308

Dan. iii. 27, 28.

309

1 Kings xix. 1–3.

310

2 Kings vi. 17.

311

2 Kings xx. 5.

312

1 Macc. v.

313

1 Kings xvii. 22.

314

2 Kings iv. 35.

315

ἐξ (chap. xi. 35).

316

Luke xx. 35.

317

2 Macc. vi. 19.

318

2 Chron. xxiv. 21.

319

Reading ἐπρήσθησαν.

320

Ad Martyras, 2.

321

Chap. ix. 8.

322

Chap. ii. 15.

323

Chap. xi. 40.

324

περί.

325

Eph. iii. 10.

326

mart/yrôn (xii. 1).

327

perike/imenon.

328

Acts i. 8; xxii. 14.

329

ὑπομονή (x. 36).

330

Chap. xii. 14.

331

Chap. xiii. 13.

332

Chap. iv. 3.

333

Chap. ix. 15.

334

Chap. x. 19.

335

ὄγκον (xii. 1).

336

εὐπερίστατον.

337

ἀγῶνα.

338

Chap. xii. 2.

339

ἀρχηγόν (ii. 10).

340

τετελείωκεν (x. 14).

341

πρόδρομος (vi. 20).

342

τετελειωμένον (vii. 28).

343

Reading εἰς ἑαυτούς (xii. 3).

344

ἀναλογίσασθε (xii. 3).

345

Chap. ii. 13.

346

Chap. iii. 2.

347

εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε (xii. 7, where the verb is indicative, not imperative).

348

Num. xvi. 22.

349

Prov. xvi. 7.

350

τὸ χωλόν (xii. 13).

351

Chap. ix. 28.

352

ἐπισπκοποῦντες (xii. 15).

353

ὑστερῶν ἀπό.

354

Deut. xxix. 18.

355

Chap. xiii. 4. Cf. Rom. i. 18 sqq.

356

Gen. xxv. 32.

357

Gen. xxii. 18.

358

Gen. xxvii. 36.

359

ἀδόκιμος (vi. 8).

360

Chap. vi. 6.

361

Chap. iv. 16.

362

Chap. vi. 20.

363

Chap. x. 19.

364

Phil. i. 23.

365

Rev. xxi. 10.

366

John xiv. 3.

367

Gen. vi. 7.

368

Gen. ix. 9, 10.

369

Deut. ix. 16, 19.

370

Reading καὶ μυριάσιν, ἀγγέλων πανηγύρει, καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων (xii. 22, 23). This disconnected use of μυριάς is amply justified by Deut. xxxiii. 2, Dan. vii. 10, and Jude 14. Besides, πανήγυρις is precisely the word to describe the assemblage of angels and distinguish them from the Church.

371

κριτῇ θεῷ πάντων.

372

Chap. viii. 10.

373

τετελειωμένων.

374

Chap. xi. 40.

375

Deut. v. 27, 28.

376

παραιτησάμενοι (xii. 25).

377

Chap. ii. 3.

378

“The Bible finds me,” said Coleridge.

379

Exod. xix. 18. In his citation of this passage our author forsakes the Septuagint, which has “And all the people were greatly amazed.”

380

Haggai ii. 6, 7.

381

2 Pet. iii. 10.

382

Chap. xii. 28.

383

Rev. iii. 21.

384

λατρεύωμεν (xii. 28).

385

Chap. vi. 10.

386

Chap. x. 34.

387

Chap. xiii. 1.

388

1 Tim. v. 10.

389

1 Tim. iii. 2.

390

Christian Charity in the Ancient Church, English Trans., p. 92.

391

Chap. i. 7.

392

Gen. xviii. 2; xix. 1.

393

The legend of Christopher is beautifully told by Oosterzee at the beginning of his book on The Person and Work of the Redeemer, English Trans. (Ed. 1886).

394

Josh. i. 5.

395

Acts xi. 28.

396

μὴ παραφέρεσθε (xiii. 9).

397

Rom. ix. 13.

398

Rendall: The Epistle to the Hebrews, pp. xxv. and 139.

399

Rom. xiv. 15.

400

Rom. xiv. 6–8.

401

καλόν (xiii. 9).

402

χάριτι. The author has chosen a more classical word than that which St. Paul uses.

403

περιπατοῦντες.

404

Chap. xiii. 10.

405

John vi. 51–55.

406

1 Cor. x. 16.

407

Exod. xii.

408

διά.

409

Lev. xvi. 27.

410

So Rendall, loc. cit.

411

2 Cor. vi. 15 sqq.

412

Chap. xiii. 15.

413

κοινωνίας.