Secondly, As to the Hebrews in particular, he had, as it were, so overwhelmed them with that flood of divine testimonies which he had poured out in the beginning of his epistle, and that heavenly, glorious declaration which he had made of the person of the Mos- siah, that he thought it needful to give them time to consider what was the tendency of that sublime discourse, and what was their especial concernment therein,
Thirdly, The apostle interposeth his exhortation in this place, as to be an application of what was before delivered, so to lead them on thereby unto the consideration of arguments of another nature (though of the same use and tendency), taken from the sacerdotal or priestly office of Christ, and the works or effects thereof, And herein doth a great part of the apostolical wisdom, in the various intertexture of doctrines and exhortations, in this epistle consist, that as every exhortation flows naturally from the doctrine that doth precede it, so always the principal matter of it leads directly unto some other ‘doctrinal argument, which he intends nextly to insist wpon, And this wo shall see evidenced in the transition that he makes from the exhortation laid down in the beginning of this chapter, unto the sacerdotal office of Christ, verses 6—9,
The first verses, then, of this chapter are purely parenctical o hortatory, with a mixture of some considerations serving to sali the exhortation weighty and cogent.
Verse 1.
The first verse contains the exhortation itself intended by tho apostle, those following the especial enforcements of it.
Ver. 1.— Aid rotro de? wepioooripag huts mpooiyew rig dxouadeer, h- wore wapuppudiner
Ilepiooortpas, “ abundantius,’” V.L., Arias, “more abundantly ;” ed am- plius,” Beza, “so much the more;” MTN, Syr., “magis,” “the rather ; “ut magis,” “ut abundantius,”’—“ as the rather,” “as more abuadanting? “summa attentione,” Arab., “with all attention.” The word denotes some-
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258 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
what more than ordinary in the act it relates unto, or the persons to whom it is applied. And diligence being especially required in attention unto any thing, or in those that attend, which extends itself unto the whole deportment of the mind in that work (if that be respected herein, which we shall consider), it may be not unmeetly rendered “ more diligently,” directly ; “ more abundantly.”
Tlpostyes, “ observare,” WV. L., “ to observe,”’—improperly ; “adhibere,” Ar. M.: a word of an imperfect sense, unless supplied with owr minds, or un- derstandings, or diligence,—“ adhibere animum,” “adhibere diligentiam;” but immediately affecting the object, as “adhibere auditis,” it gives no perfect sense. “ Attendere,” Beza, “to attend unto,” “to give heed;” ) TO! S¥3, “ simus cauti, attenti,” Syr., “that we be wary,” or “heedful.” TIpoéy@ is usually in other authors, when it refers to persons, “ ausculto,” or “ obtempero,” to hear- ken, attend, and give heed to any one with an observant or obedient mind, And sometimes it signifies to hope, or place trust or confidence in him that is attended unto. It is also used for to assent, to agree, or subscribe unto what is spoken by another. In the New Testament it is principally used in two senses:—1. To beware, or look to ourselves, as to things or persons that might hurt us; and then it is attended with éz¢ or ézi, as Matt. vii. 15, x. 17, xvi. 6, 11, 12; Luke xii. 1;—or so to beware as to look diligently unto our own concernments absolutely, Luke xvii. 3, xxi. 34; Matt. vi. 1; Acts xx. 28. 2. To attend with diligence and submission of mind unto the words of another, or unto any business that we are employed in, Acts viii. 6, xvi. 14; 1 Tim. i. 4, iv. 1,13; Titus i. 14. So it is said of the Samaritans, that they much heeded Simon Magus: IIpocsixov aire wevrec, Acts viii. 10. And it is the same word whereby the reverential obedience of that people unto the preaching of Philip is expressed, verse 6. An attendance, then, with a mind ready for obedience is that which the word imports.
Tois adxovedbsios, “ auditis,” “to the things heard ;” pees awa, Syr., “in eo quod audivimus,” “in that which we have heard,”—to the things heard, that is by us, who are required to attend unto them.
Ilapagévauev. This word is nowhere else used in the New Testament. In other authors it is as much as “ preeterfluo,” “to run by.” So Kenoph. Cyro- peed., lib. iv., Lseiv dare rod rapapitovros roramov,—* to drink of the river running by.” “ Pereffluamus,” V. L., “ne forte pereffluamus,” “lest perhaps we should run out.” Mazore, “ne forte,” “lest perhaps,” improperly; it respects times and seasons,—* lest at any time;” DB: 827, “ne forte cadamus,” “ decidamus,” “lest we fall,” “fall down,” that is, “ perish.” So is the word also interpreted by Chrysostom, Myxore rapappvaey, rovréots po) drorameda, my exrréoapeev,—* that we perish not,” “that we fall not.” And he confirms this sense from that saying in the Proverbs, chap. iii. 21, Lie «4 rexpasiviic, “My Son, fall not.” So he interprets the word. In the original it is, ¥77--8, “Let them not depart,” the word re- specting not the person spoken unto, but the things spoken of. Nor do the LXX, in any other place render > by rapepééw, but by éxAs/xw, as in the next chapter, verse 21, and words of the like signification, “ to decline,” “ draw back,” “ give over,” by negligence or weariness. | Other ancient translations read, “ ne decida- mus ab honestate,” “that we fall not from honesty,” and, “et nequaquam rejicias,” “and by no means to reject.” What sense of the word is most proper to the place we shall afterwards consider."