Matt. xiv. 31. If the apostle were speaking of the very incar nation of the Son of GOD, there would be in the antithesis the singular number ay/IXoy, an angel, or the angelic nature ; as it is, since ayy'sXuv occurs in the plural, ^p^nrog, seed, is taken as a collective noun.1 — G^sp^ccToc^AjSfaa^seed of Abraham) So he calls the whole human race, but by Synecdoche, because the refer ence is to Genesis; and there the promise is found which was given to Abraham, and which belonged especially to his descendants : and Christ was born of the race of Abraham. It is to be added to these observations, that the apostle is writing here to the descendants of Abraham, and it was not suitable to say, <$KI?IL&- rog 'Ada/*, of the seed of Adam, because the first and second Adam are opposed. And yet the Gentiles are not excluded ; for " the seed of Abraham " is not opposed to them, but to " the angels ;" and all believers are the seed of Abraham. [See ver. 12, respecting "the great congregation ;" comp. Ps. xxii. 23, 26, 28. — V. g.] I think the omission of the article before ffn'swuros corresponds to the construct state of the Hebrew. The omis sion of the article would not so much include the Gentiles, as exclude the carnal Jews.
17. °o8sv) The particle Uw occurs six times in this epistle, but never in the epistles to which the apostle has affixed his name ; and yet it occurs in Paul's speech, Acts xxvi. 19. — wp£/Xs, it behoved Him) A grand expression, ch. v. 3. It behoved Him from the relationship of consanguinity, and because He had un dertaken it in the Old Testament, ver. 12, 13. He now exhibits greater confidence in the tone of his speaking ; comp. ver. 11, He is not ashamed. — Kara, -ravra, in all things) in all sufferings and temptations. — ro% adsXpo%, to His brethren) ver. 11. — opoiudrivai, to be made like) This is a recapitulation of those things which precede. The sum of those which follow is im mediately added. — /Voc, that) The apostle thrice glances at the High Priesthood, till he comes to its full discussion, ch. vii. He touches upon it in three successive steps. I. He ought to be made like to His brethren, THAT He might BECOME a merciful
Of, as a collective noun, expresses not the seed or nature which He assumed, but the whole race which He, as it were, takes by the hand to help. Thus ffTreppstroi;, collective, is a just antithesis to the plural, d