8—15.
> a δι᾿ αὐτῆς γεγυμνασμένοις ἀποδίδωσι δικαιοσύνης. παρειμένας χεῖρας καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε”''
καὶ '' τροχιὰς ὀρθὰς ποιήσατε 1
ἐκτραπῇ, ἰαθῇ δὲ μᾶλλον.
τὸν ἁγιασμὸν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον: 15. ἢ ἐπισκοποῦν-
a A lol 37 τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν,
ῶ
12. ‘Awd '' τὰς { Esa, χχχν.
3. 13. ¢ Matt. v. 3 ως Α 8; Rom. ἵνα μὴ TO χωλὸν xii. 28; 2 Tim.ii22.
14. “Εἰρήνην διώκετε μετὰ πάντων, καὶ hb iii, 12;
Deut. xxix. 18; Acts xvii. 13; 2 Cor. vi.; 1 Gal. v. 12.
1 ποιήσατε in SCADKL ; ποιειτε in $Q*P, 17.
γεγυμνασμένοις, it ne essarily yields, renders as the harvest dle, ἀ π ο- δίδωσιν, as its fruit increased righ- teousness of life. But why ‘ peaceful” εἰρηνικὸν Probably because the re- sult of the conflict (γεγυμνασμένοις) and victory is peace in God and peace of con- science. It is a peace which can only be attained by those who have used their trials as a discipline and have emerged victorious from the conflict.
Ver. 12. διὸ τὰς παρειμένας “ον ‘ Wherefore” introducing the im- mediate application of this encouraging view of trials, “lift up” to renew the conflict, ‘‘the nerveless hands” fallen to your side and “the paralysed knees”. ἀνορθώσατε seems at first sight more ap- propriate to χεῖρας than to γόνατα (Vaughan) but it is here used in the . general sense of “restore,” ‘renew the life of”; as in Soph., O.T., 46-51, ἀσφ- αλείᾳ τήνδ᾽ ἀνόρθωσον πόλιν. It might be rendered ‘‘revive”. Probably the writer had in his mind Isa. xxxv. 3, ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα. In Sir. xxv. 23 the wo- man that does not increase the happiness of her husband is χεῖρες παρειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα, in other words, makes him despair and cease from all effort. So here, the hands hang down in listless consciousness of defeat. καὶ τροχιὰς ὀρθὰς. . . ‘and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way but rather be healed”. The words are quoted from Prov. iv. 26, ὀρθὰς τροχιὰς ποίει σοῖς ποσί, and if ποιήσ- ate is retained they form a hexameter line. The whole verse forms an admoni- tion to the healthier portion of the church to make no deviation from the straight course set before them by the example of Christ, and thus they would offer no temptation to the weaker members [τὸ χωλὸν, the lame and limping] to be turned quite out of the way, but would rather be an encouragement to them and so afford them an opportunity of being healed of their infirmity. [A number of
νο, ἵν:
interpreters take ἐκτραπῇ in the sense of “dislocated”. Thus Davidson, '' The words ‘turned out of the way’ mean in medical writers ‘dislocated,’ and this gives a more vigorous sense and forms a better opposition to ‘be healed’. Incon- sistency and vacillation in the general body of the church would create a way so difficult for the lame, that their lame- ness would become dislocation, and they would perish from the way; on the other hand, the habit of going in a plain path would restore them to soundness.” This is inviting, but there is much against it. (1) The medical use of ἐκτρέπομαι is rare (see Stephanus) and not likely to occur here. (2) When used in a general sense ἰαθῇ is an appropriate antithesis; thus in Niceph. Call. (see Stephanus) occur the words ᾿Ιωάννῃ τῷ Ἱεροσολύμων πατριάρχῃ τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐκτραπεῖσαν ta- ται. (3) The passage in Proverbs from which the former part of the verse is cited goes on thus: “Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left”.] Immedi- ately after these words follows a clause which guides to the interpretation of εἰρήνην διώκετε μετὰ πάντων, “God will make thy ways straight and will guide thy goings in peace”; and a considerable part of the counsels given in the context in Proverbs concerns the maintenance of peaceful relations with others. The circumstances of the He- brews were fitted to excite a quarrelsome spirit, and a feeling of alienation towards those weak members who left the straight path. They must not suffer them to be alienated but must restore them to the unity of the faith, and in endeavouring to reclaim them must use the methods of peace not of anger or disputation. καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν .. . “and the conse- cration without which no one shall see the Lord”. The ἁγιασμός which this Epistle has explained is a drawing near to God with cleansed conscience (x. 14, 22), a true acceptance of Christ’s sacri- fice as bringing the worshipper into fel- lowship with God.