and faithful High Priest, in the passage before us. II. HE- WAS CALLED a High Priest at the time when He was made perfect ; ch. v. 10. III. He was MADE High Priest when He entered into that which is within the veil ; ch. vi. 20 ; and when this entrance was made once for all, He always, as a Priest for us, presents Himself before the face of God ; ch. ix. 24. — sXs^uv, merciful) This word, as well as cr/croc, faithful, is construed W7ith ap^ispsi/c;, high priest; ch. iv. 15, v. 2. He was made merciful to the people labouring under sins : TT/OTO?, faithful, so far as GOD is concerned. There is a Chiasmus here.1 We have the Priest and the High Priest, who has the right of drawing near and of bringing men to GOD. The word faithful is treated of, ch. iii. 2, writh the addition of the practical application : the word IXs^awv, merciful, ch. iv. 14, etc., with the practical application also added : the word ap^ispsvg, fligh Priest, is treated of, ch. v. 4, 5, vii. 1, 2? with the practical application added, ch. x. 19. The proposition or statement of many things at Rom. i. 16 (where see the note), very much resembles this. Of these three points, one, sXs^uv, merciful, is put before fysvrirat, that He might become, because it is deduced from what was previously said. The other two are properly connected together, because they come to be treated of afterwards along with the first. But the word merciful, and, conjointly with it, faithful High Priest, elegantly have in this proposition a rather absolute signification, because again (in turn) the subsequent discussion contemplates faithfulness without the priesthood in the case of Moses, and mercy with the priesthood in the case of Aaron. First, Jesus is merciful. No one can suppose that Jesus had more mercy before He suffered, and that now He has more severity. Only let us now flee (escape) from the wrath of the Lamb, which is even yet to come. — ' Apxispzvc) High Priest. The Latin Pontifex was so called from the fact, that he built a bridge at Rome, or sacrificed on a bridge ; and the pontifex, hpsvs, was either alone or with others ; but the apxizptiic, high priest (pontifex mcucimus), was exalted above the others, over whom he presided. In the Evangelists and Acts, where the Jewish high priests are frequently men-
(1) referring to A#o£ (4) : and 7r/oW<(2) to fytov (3). — ED.