as the translation of ἽΞ9. The only
instance in which it is followed by an accusative of the sin, as here, is Ps. Ixiv. (Ixv.) 3, Tas ἀσεβείας ἡμῶν ov ἱλάσῃ. In the N.T., besides the present passage, it only occurs in Luke xviii. 13, in the passive form ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ' ἁμαρτωλῷ, cf. 2 Kings v. 18: The compound form ἐξιλάσκομαι, although it does not occur in N.T., is more fre- quently used in the LXX than the simple
270
‘piv. 15,16. τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ.
a lv. 14, et vi. 20, et Vili. 1, et ἄχ. το Rom. xv.
III. τ. "ὍΘΕΝ, ἀδελφοὶ
II. r8—III. 1.
18. Σἐν @ γὰρ πέπονθεν αὐτὸς πειρα- σθεὶς, δύναται τοῖς πειραζομένοις βοηθῆσαι.
ἅγιοι, κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι,
8; Phil. κατανοήσατε τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν Χρισ-
ill. 14.
verb, and from its construction some- thing may be learnt. As in profane Greek, it is followed by an accusative of the person propitiated, as in Gen. xxxii. 20, where Jacob says of Esau ἐξιλάσομαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς δώροις κ.τ.λ.; Zech. vii. 2, ἐξιλάσασθαι τὸν Κύριον, and viii. 22, τὸ πρόσωπον Κυρίου, also Matt. i. 9. It is however also followed by an accusative of the thing on account of which propitiation is needed or which requires by some rite ‘Or process to be rendered acceptable to God, as in Ecclus. iii. 3, iii. 30, v. 6, xx. 28, εἴς,, where it is followed by ἀδικίαν, and ἁμαρτίας ; and in Lev. xvi. 16, 20, 33, where it is followed by τὸ ἅγιον, τὸ θυσιαστήριον, and in Ezek. xly. 20 by τὸν οἶκον. At least thirty-two times in Leviticus alone it is followed by περί, defining the persons for whom propitia- tion is made, περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐξιλάσεται ὁ ἱερεύς Or περὶ πάσης συναγωγῆς, Or περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν. is apparent a transition from the idea of propitiating God (which still survives in the passive ἱλάσθητι) to the idea of exerting some influence on that which was offensive to God and which must be removed or cleansed in order to com- plete entrance into His favour. In the present passage it is τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ which stand in the way of the full expression of God’s favour, and upon those therefore the propitiatory influence of Christ is to be exerted. In what manner precisely this is to be accom- plished is not yet said. ‘The present infinitive ἱλάσκεσθαι must be noticed. The one (eternal) act of Christ (c. x. 12 — 14) is here regarded in its continuous present application to men (cf. ο. v. I, 2),” Westcott. (See further on ἱλάσκεσθαι in Blass, Gram., p. 88; Deissmann’s Neue Bibelstud., p. 52; and Westcott’s Epistle of St. Fohn, pp. 83-85.) τοῦ λαοῦ the historical people of God, Abraham’s seed; cf. Matt. i. 21; Heb. iv. 9, xiii, 12.
Ver. 18. ἐν ᾧ γὰρ πέπονθεν. . . . He concludes this part of his argument by explaining the process by which Christ’s becoming man has answered the pur- pose of making Him a merciful and faithful High Priest. The explanation dis ‘‘non ignara mali miseris succurrere
In this usage there -
disco”. ἐν ᾧ is by some interpreters resolved into ἐν τούτῳ ὅτι = whereas ; by others into ἐν τούτῳ 6 = wherein; the se- cond construction has certainly the ampler warrant, see 1 Pet. ii. 12; Gal.i.8; Rom. xiv. 22; but the former gives the better sense. It is also contested whether the words mean, that Christ suffered by being tempted, or that He was tempted by His sutferings. Both statements of course are true; but it is not easy to determine which is here intended. Are the temptations the cause of the suffer- ings, or the sufferings the cause of the temptations? The A.V. andthe R.V., also Westcott and others, prefer the former; and from the relation of the participial πειρασθείς to the main verb πέπονθεν, which naturally indicates the suffering as the result of the temptation, this would seem to be the correct in- terpretation. Bleek, Delitzsch, Alford and Davidson, however, prefer the other sense, Alford translating: ‘‘ For He Himself, having been tempted, in that which He hath suffered, He is able to succour them that are (now) tempted”. Davidson says: ‘“ These sufferings at every point crossed the innocent human instinct to evade them; but being laid on Him by the will of God and in pur- suance of His-high vocation, they thus became temptations”. Dr. Bruce says: “Christ, having experienced temptation to be unfaithful to His vocation in con- nection with the sufferings arising out of it, is able to succour those who, like the Hebrew Christians, were tempted in similar ways to be unfaithful to their Christian calling ”. The interpretation has much to recommend it, but as it limits the temptations of Christ to those which arose out of His sufferings, it seems scarcely to fall in so thoroughly with the course of thought, especially with v. 17. δύναται, cf. iv. 15, ν. 2. CuapTerR III. 1.-CHapter IV. 13.— Chapters iii. and iv. as far as ver. 13, form one paragraph. The purpose of the writer in this passage, asin the whole Epistle, is}. to encourage his readers in their allegiance to Christ and to save them from apostacy by exhibiting Christ as the final mediator. This purpose he has in the first two chapters sought to achieve by compar-