He who revolts from Christ, revolts from GOD ; ch. iii. 12-19. Chiasmus.
ver.
13- -17
13. 'EOWTOVS, yourselves) Let every one exhort himself and another ; so far ought you to be from instigating and provok ing one another [to unbelief]. — ^spav, e^spov, daily, to-day) Conjugates ; ch. iv. 7. — uyjtc, o5, whilst) as long as. This to day will not continue for ever. — ro) the relative. —
is called) while that psalm is heard and read. — iva ng, that no one be hardened) This is repeated from ver. 8. — anarri, through the deceitfulness) This corresponds to ^Xavwvra/, they err, ver. 10. — rye a/j,a,priag, of sin) aT/tfr/a, a/jt,apria, unbelief and sin, which are much the same thing, John xvi. 9 ; Neh. vi. 13 : where «?r/<rr/a and a/^apria are mentioned together, they differ as species and genus ; and unbelief, as the principal species of sin, has in its nature something more sad and destruc tive. But if sin be put by itself, the genus a^apria is contracted into this particular species, namely, unbelief: as a/tapria is properly, when the main aim is missed, which is a result pro duced in the greatest degree through unbelief, a^icriav, in con sequence of the grace of God having been neglected.
14. MSTO^OI XptfroZ, partakers of Christ) ver. 1, 6. So /jt,sro%oi, "partakers of the Holy Ghost," ch. vi. 4. — apxftv — pe^pi r'sXovg, the beginning — to the end) comp. ch. vi. 11, xii. 2. A Christian, so long as he is not made perfect, considers himself as a beginner. — ry$ vKoffrdatug, of our solid confidence) [lit. substance'], xi. 1 ; 2 Cor. ix. 4, note. — fafSaiav, stedfast) A word of frequent occur rence in this epistle, with its synonyms,
15. 'Ev rSj XeyeffQai, while it is said) The connection is with ver. 13, in reference to KapaxafaTre. Even in the psalm the Divine exhortation (paraclesis) precedes, viz. O come ye. Comp. DVn, Ps. xcv. 7, taking into consideration the preceding Athnach, which is a subdistinctive of the latter hemistich [in the Hebrew] ; i.e. it entirely depends on you that this may not only be a mere invitation and offer, in the first instance, but