Chapter Iii.

1. "ofav, ivhence) An urgent particle. From those very things which have been said in ch. ii., consideration ought to flow. — • dfaxpol, brethren) He now for the first time addresses those to whom he is writing. And the title, brethren, from ch. ii. 11, has in it the idea of sanctity. — d-ytoi, holy) There is a Chiasmus in this verse. — xXfaeus sxoupaviw, of the heavenly calling) made by the Lord from heaven, and bringing them on to that place, whence it was made, ch. xii. 25, of the calling of God from above (r^g aw xXfasuc), as Paul says, Phil. iii. 14. The correlative of calling is 6/aoXoy/a, confession ; concerning which the writer treats presently : so Paul in 1 Tim. vi. 12. — i^royjn, partakers) There is the same word, ver. 14, ch. vi. 4, i. 9, xii. 8. — rbv uvroffroXov, the apostle) the Ambassador of God the Father; Him who pleads the cause of God with us. Thence we are said to be partakers of the heavenly calling. — xai ap^ief'sct, and High Priest) who pleads our cause with GOD. On this account we are called holy. This Apostleship and High Priesthood are in cluded in the one term Mediator. He compares Jesus as an apostle to Moses, and as a priest (and this appellation is taken up again, iv. 14) to Aaron, and at the same time prefers Him to both ; He alone holds both dignities united, and in a more eminent degree, which those two brothers [the duumvirate of brothers] held apart. Here He is called in a relative sense cr/«rr6g, faithful, as «X?j^j, true, John v. 31, unverwerflich, a testimony which cannot be refused. — rye o^oXoyfag, of our con fession or profession) The confession or profession is intended, not that which is made to men, but that which is made to GOD. This word admirably expresses the nature of faith, which is borne with a ready response towards (in respect to) the promise : GOD, who sent His Son and gave Him as a priest to us, Xeysi, speaks : man opoXoye?, declares his agreement, assents, subscribes. So ch. iv. 14, x. 23. They did that most solemnly in baptism. The opposite is avr/Xcy/a, contradiction, ch. xii. 3.