358
4 f , a - λογήσαντες ὅτι ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδηµοί εἰσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 14. οἱ γὰρ ο , - τοιαῦτα λέγοντες, ἐμφανίζουσιν ὅτι πατρίδα ἐπιζητοῦσι. 15. καὶ εἰ
1 Exod. iii. 6; Matt. Xxli. 32; I Acts vii. 32.
m Gen. XXii. 2, etc.; Eccl. xliv. 20.
γὰρ αὐτοῖς πόλιν.
μὲν ἐκείνης ἐμνημόνευον ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἐξῆλθον," εἶχον ἂν καιρὸν ἀνακάμψαι - , 6. ‘vuvl? δὲ κρείττονος ὀρέγονται, τουτέστιν émoupaviou: διὸ οὐκ 3 , > ‘ ς Ν ‘ > ο) 2A ς ιά ἐπαισχύνεται αὐτοὺς ὃ Θεὸς, Θεὸς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν: ἡτοίμασε ,
17. ''Πίστει προσενήνοχεν ABpadp τὸν ᾿Ισαὰκ
la ΔΝ Ν » , ς οὖ > , > πειραζόμενος, καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ προσέφερεν ὃ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀνα-
1T.R. in QcDcE**KL; εξεβησαν in ΝΑΡΓ"ΕΣΕ, 17, 73. 2 T.R. in minusculis; νυν in ΑΌΕΚΙ,Ρ.
tamia) and which they had abandoned, (ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἐξέβησαν) is also evident, because had they cherished fond memories of it they would have had opportunity (εἶχον ἂν καιρὸν, cf. Acts xxiv. 25; 1 Macc. xv. 34. The imperfects indicate that this was continuous) to return (ἀνακάμψαι, Mat. ii. 12; Luke x. 6; Acts xviii. 21; frequent in LXX). νῦν δὲ, ‘‘ but as the case actually stands” (viii. 6, ix. 26; 1 Cor. xv. 20, etc.) putting aside this idea that it might be their old home they were seeking, κρείττονος ὀρέγονται, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἐπουρανίου, it is a better, that is, a heavenly they aspire after. That which in point of fact provoked in the patriarchs the sense of exile was that their hearts were set on a better country and firmer settlement than could be found anywhere, but in heaven. And because they thus proved that they were giving to God credit for meaning by His promises more than the letter indicated, because they measured His promises by the spirit of the promises rather than by the thing pro- mised, He is not ashamed of them, not ashamed to be called their God; and the proof that He is not ashamed of them is, that He prepared for them a city. The patriarchs showed that they understood that in giving these promises God be- came their God; therefore God was not ashamed of them, and this showed itself especially in His naming Himself “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Exod. iii. 15). Cf. with this verse, viii. 10 and Mat. xxii. 31, 32. And that He was truly their God He showed by preparing for them a city which should justify the expectations which they had based upon His power and goodness.
Ver.17. Πίστει προσενήνοχεν ᾿Αβραὰμ. . . . ‘By faith Abraham when tried offered up Isaac, yea he who had accepted the promises, to whom it had been said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called, offered his only son.” The perfect . προσενήνοχεν, Blass (Gram., 200) says
‘can only be understood as referring to the abiding example offered to us”. Similarly Alford, Westcott, Weiss, etc. Surely it 1s better to have regard to Bur- ton’s statement, ‘‘ The Perfect Indicative is sometimes used in the N.T. of a simple past fact where it is scarcely possible to suppose that the thought of existing result was inthe writer’s mind”. Andin Jebb’s Appendix to Vincent and Dickson’s Gram. of Mod. Greek (p. 327, 8) it is demonstrated that ‘‘later Greek shows some clear traces of a tendency to use the Perfect as an Aorist”. τὸν is probably here intended not merely to indicate the case of the indeclinable *loaa« (Vaughan), cf. vv. 18, 20, but to call attention to the importance of Isaac; and this is further accomplished in the succeeding clause which brings out the full signific- ance of the sacrifice. It was his only son whom Abraham was offering (προσέφερε imperfect in its proper sense of an un- finished transaction) and therefore the sole link between himself and the fulfil- ment of the promises to which he had given hospitable entertainment (ἀναδεξά- μενος, 2 Macc. vi. το). ‘‘ The sole link,”’ because, irrespective of any other children Abraham had had or might have, it had been said to him (πρὸς ὃν, denoting Abra- ham not Isaac), In Isaac shall a seed be named to thee (Gen. xxi. 12); that is to say, it is Isaac and his descendants who. shall be knownas Abraham’s seed. Others. are proud to count themselves the-des- cendants of Abraham but the true ‘“‘seed’”’ (κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα, cf. Gal. iii. 16, 29) to whom along with Abraham the promises were given was the race that sprang from Isaac, the heir of the pro- mise. No trial (πειραζόμενος as in Gen. xxii. 1, 6 Θεὸς ἐπείρασε τὸν ᾿Αβραὰμ and cf. Gen. xxii. 12) could have been more severe. After long waiting the heir had at last been given, and now after his hope had for several years rooted itself in this one life, he is required to sacrifice