The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 18

not his Divine nature; "God shed his all along taken by the writer, we shall see hlood" (cf. Phil. ii. 9, etc.). On the right no difficulty in the SoN being so.id to have hand of the Majesty on high. The expres- become better than the u.no-c]s u.t the time of sion ie taken from Ps. ex. 1, afterwards his exaltation, as though l~e had been below cited in this Epistle, and prominently re- them before. Bo he had in respect of his ferred to in like manner by St. Puul. The 11ssumed humanity, and it is to the SoN de- figure is suggested by the custom of Oriental noted in prophecy to be humanly manifested kings, who placed at the right hand of in time that the whole sentence in its main the throne a son whom they associated with purport refers. As such, having been, with themselves in the prerogatives of royalty. us, lower than the angels, he became greater, Occnrring as it does first in a Messianic the interposed references to hie eternal per- psalm, the phrase is never applied to the sonality retaining their foll force notwith- Son's original relation to the Father "before standing. But why should the name of SON the ages," but only to his exaltation as the in itself imply superiority to the angels? Christ (on which see Bleak). The same Angels themselves are, in the Old Testa- idea seems expressed by onr Lord's own ment, called " sons of God." It has been words, "All authority bath been given unto suggested that the writer of the Epistle was me in heaven A.D.d in earth" (Matt. xxviii. not aware of the angels being so designated, 18). But in the end, according to St. Paul since the LXX., from which he invariably (1 Cor. xv. 24, 28), this peculiar "king- quotes, renders c•'.,~ ,•p by J.yyb,01- But ship" of the SoN will cease, the redemptive this is not so invariabiy. In Gen. vi. 1 ; purpose being accomplished. It is to be Ps. xxi:x.1; and lxxxix. 7, we find .,lo( 0eou. observed that, both here and afterwards And, whatever be the application of the (eh. viii. 1), a fine periphrasis is used for words in each of these passages, they o.t any "right hand of God;" "the right hand of rate occur in the LXX. u.s denoting others the Majesty on high" and "the right hand than the Messiah. Nor, in any case, would of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." it be easily supposable that one so versed This may be regarded, not only as character- in biblical lore u.s the writer must have istic of the eloquent style of the Epistle, bnt been had been thus misled in so important also u.s implying u.n u.voidu.n,ie of too local a point of his n.rgument. The fact is that or physical a view of the session spoken of. his argument, properly understood, iB quite It is apparent elsewhere how the writer sees consistent with a full knowledge of the fact in the figures used to denote heavenly things that others u.s well as the Messiah are so only signs, level to our comprehension, of designated. For it is not merely the term corresponding realities beyond our ken. " Son " as applied to the Messiah in pro- Ver. 4.-Hu.vingbeoome by so much better phecy, but the unique manner in which it than the angels as he hu.th inherited a more is so applied, that ie insisted on in what exoellent name than they (fi1a.</)op0>T<po11 ,rap' follows. The form of his commencement abTo~r). (For the same Greek form of com- shows this. He does not say," Whom, ex- parison, see eh. i. 9 ; iii. 3.) " napa ingentem cept the Messiah, did he ever call Son? " prmter croteros excellentiam denotat " (Ben- but, "To which of the angels did he ever gel). This verse, though, in respect of gram- speak u.s follows, Thou art my Son; this matical construction, it is the conclusion of day have I begotten thee?'' In lo.ngunge the exordiu.m, serves as the thesis of the generally the meaning of a word moy de- first section of the argument to follow, the pend very mo.teriu.lly on the context in which drift of which is to show the SoN's superiority it occurs and other determining circum- to the angels. The mention of the angels stances. Indeed, the mere use of the title comes nciturally after the allusion to Ps. ex., in the singular, " my Son," carries with it viewed and quoted u.s it is afterwards in n different idea from its use in the plum! of connection with Ps. viii., in which "a little a class of beings. But this is not u.11. A lower than the angels " is tu.ken to denote series of passages from the Old Testo.ment the state previous to the exaltation; and it is adduced by way of expressly showing is preparatory also for the argument that that the sonship u.ssigned to the Messiah follows. The more distinguished name, ex- carries with it the idoa of a relo.tion to pressing the meo.'!Ul'e of superiority to the God altogether beyond any ever assigned to angels, is (o.s the sequel shows) the name of angels. Such is the position of the writer. SoN, assigned (as nforesaid) to the Messiah We shu.ll see in the sequel how he makes it in prophecy, and so, with all that it implies, good. "inherited" by him in time according to tho Ver. 5-oh. iii. 1.-TITE SoN SUPERIOR Divine purpose. Observe the perfect, "hath TO THE ANGELS. Here the nrgumontntiou inheritea," instead of the aorist u.s hitherto, of the Epistle begins, the thesis of tho first denotes, with the usual force of the Greek section of the arguruent having ken given, tense, the continua.nee of the inhel"itu.nce as aforesaid, in tho preceding verso, thot obtained. If we have entered into the view '' the SoN is superior to the ongols." The  8 TRE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [ou. L 1-H.