34. Quenched the violence of fire (€oRecav Stvapw rrupds). Rend. “the power of fire.” Reference to the three Hebrews, Dan. iii; comp. 1 Mace. ii. 59.
Edge of the sword (oréuata payalpns). Lit. mouths of the sword. See on ch. iv. 12. The plural edges indicates fre- quent assaults.
Out of weakness (a7 doOevelas). Rend. « From weak- ness.” For the sense of amd from, see L. vy. 15. The mean-
Caz THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 533
ing is not confined to sickness, as in the case of Hezekiah (2 K. xx; Isa. xxxviii). .The main reference is probably to Samson, Judg. xvi. 28 ff.
The armies of the aliens (wapeu@ords addorplav). Omit both the’s in translation. For mrapeuSords see on Acts xxi. 34. Very often in LXX. Aliens, foreign foes or invaders.
35. Women. The recorded raisings from the dead are mostly for women. See 1 K. xvii. 17 ff.; 2 K. iv. 17 ff. Comp. L. vii. 11 ff.; J. xi; Actsix. The reference here is to the first two.
Raised to life again (€& avacrdcews). Rend. “by a resur- rection’; and for the force of é& comp. Rom. i. 4.*
Were tortured (érupravicOncav). N.T.°. LXX once, 1 Sam. xxi. 18. Originally to beat a drum (riprravov). Hence to beat, to cudgel. The A. V. of 1 Sam. xxi. 13, describing the feigned madness of David, renders érupmranev ‘she scrabbled on the doors of the gate,” meaning that he beat the doors like a madman. Tvpzravov means a drum or a drumstick ; hence a cudgel; so Aristoph. Plut. 476, where it is associated with «igor a pillory. Comp. 2 Mace. vi. 19, 28. The meaning here is, were beaten to death with clubs, the word being used to represent cruel torture in general.
Not accepting deliverance (ov rpocdeEduevor TH arroAvTpo- _ gw). For the verb, see on ch. x. 84. The (rv) deliverance offered at the price of denying their faith. See 2 Mace. vi. 21-27.
A better resurrection (xpelrrovos avactdcews). Better than a resurrection like those granted to the women above mentioned, which gave merely a continuation of life on earth. Comp. 2. Mace. vii. 9, 14.
* Not as Westcott: ‘‘ Resurrection, which is the transition from death to life, is that out of which the departed were received.”
534 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. XI.
36. Of cruel mockings (éuraypav). N. T.°, Class. Rare in LXX. Cruel is an insertion of A. V. Rend. “ of mockings.” "Eparavypovn mockery (°LXX, °Class.) is found 2 Pet. ili. 8 (note); and éumatkrns mocker or scoffer, 2 Pet: iii. 3; Jude 18. "Epmaifew to mock is quite frequent in the Synoptic Gospels, and occurs also in LXX.
37. They were stoned (€d:0dcOncav). A characteristic Jewish punishment. See 2 Chron. xxiy. 20; Matt. xxiii. 37; J. x. 31; Acts v. 26; vii. 59; xiv. 19. The verb AcOoBoreiv is also used in Matthew, Luke, and Acts, and once in this epistle, xii. 20.
Were sawn asunder (ézpicOncav). N.T.°. As Isaiah, according to tradition.
Were tempted (érreipdoOncav). If the reading is correct, which seems probable, the reference is probably to induce- ments offered them to abandon their loyalty to God. It has seemed to many out of place, because occurring in the midst of a list of different forms of violent death.*
38. Of whom the world was not worthy (dv ov« jv aos 6 xécpos). This clause falls into the series of participles which precedes it; the form of the relative sentence being adopted because of the lack of a proper participial phrase to express the statement. At the same time it prepares the way for the following clause in which the participial construction isresumed. Rend. “they went about in sheepskins and goat- skins, being destitute, afflicted, evil-entreated, men of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts,” etc. By the world (xéopos) is not meant the corrupt world, as in John and Paul (see on ver. 7), but the world considered as an economy which was unworthy of these, because ruled by sense and not by faith. Their plane of life was higher.