The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 23

cording to the most exquisite literal and the here seems at first sight to be, "Dut whenever mystical n.nd principally intended sense" he [i.e. God] sho.11 again bring [or,• bring (T. JacksC\n·s 'Works,' bk. ix. eh. xxxi. 6, 7, back'] the First born iuto the inhnbited world, Oxford edition, ISH, vol. viii. p. 411).] he saith ; " IITav <lirai'd'YJl denoting the in- And again, I will be to him a :Father, and he definiteness of future time, aud the position shall be to me a Son (2 Sam. vii. 14); from of ..-cL\w connecting it most naturally with Nathan's message to David, which has been ,i1rai'd'Yl1· If such be the force of ,rd~w, the spoken of abcwe. The words do not in them- reference must be to the second advent; selves express so unique a sonship as those which, however, is not suggested by the used in the psalm; but, viewed in connection context, in which there hns been no mention with the psalm, wit.h their own context, and of a first advent, but only of the assigna- wi,h subsequent prophecy, they suggest the tion to the l\lessil\h of the name of SoN. so.me meaning. David had formed the design This supposed reference to a second advent of building a temple; Nathan, by the word may be avoided by disconnecting ..-d.>..w in of the LORD, forbids his doing so, but tells sense from •lirai'd'Y!7, and tl\king it (as in the him tllat his "seed" after him should build verse immediotoly preceding, and elsewhere a house for the LoRD's Name, and that the in the Epistle) us only introducing a new LoRD would establish the throne of his king- quotation. And the Greek will bear this dom for ever." Then comes the text," I interpretation, though the order of the will be to him a father, and he shall be to words, taken by themselves, is against it. :De a sou ; ·• followed bv, " If he commit The "Firstborn" ( 1rpr,rroT01<ov) is evidently iniquity, I will chastise him with the rod of the SON previously spoken of; the word is men . . . but my mercy shall not depart so applied (Ps. lx.xx:ix. 27) in a passage un- awav from him . . . . And thine house e.nd 0 doubtedly founded on the text Jo.et quoted, thy kingdom shall be established for ever 'l'he same word is applied in the New before thee : thy throne shall be established Testament to Christ, as "the Firstborn for ever." Now, there can be no doubt that among many brethren," " the Firstbom of there: was e. primary e.nd partie.l fulfilment every creature," "the Firstborn from the of thiB promise in Solomon, who built the dead" (Rom. viii. 29; Col. i. 15, 18). And temple after David's death. He took it to the idea conveyed by these passages may himself, so far as it was applicable to him, hove been in the writer's mind, and intended after hiB completion of the temple (l Kings to be understood by his Christian readers. viii. 17, etc.). But it is equally evident that But for the immediate purpose of his argu- its meaning could not.be exhausted in him. ment ho may be supposed to refer only to The eternity assigned to the throne of the this designation as applied in the Old Testa- kingdom points to a distant as well as on ment to the SoN already spoken of. Thus immediate fuliilment, and the word trans- the meaning may be, "llut, again, with lated "eeed" (Hebrew, Jl:11), though e.p- reference to the time when he shall introduce plice.ble in e. concrete sense to e.n individual this SoY, the Firatborn, into our inhabited offspring (cf. Gen. iv. 25: 1 Se.m. i. 11), ie world, he speaks thus of the angels." Or properly a collective noun, denoting " pos- it may be, "Dut whenever he sho.11 bring o. terity," and thus naturally lerds itself to a second time into the world the Firstbom for-reaching application. The consideration, who has already once appenred, he speaks however, of especial weight in support of thus of the angels." But the first meaning such application is that psalmi.bts and seems more suit11ble to the genere.1 context, prophets cease not to make this original '!'he force of the writer's argument iH the promise the basis of Messianic prophecy. same, whichever view we tn.ke ; the point See, not only Ps. ii, which may or may not being that, at the time of the advent of the refer to it, but also Ps. lxxxix. e.nd cxxxii., SoN, who.tever advent may be meant, the together with other passages which have angels oppenr only ns attendant worshippers. been referred to in connection with the As to the understood nominative to'' saith," second psalm. Thus we may properly apply we may suppose it to be "God," as in ver, to this particular passage the view of the 5. But it is to be observed that Aloy.,, meauing of prophecy which has been set forth without an expressed nomiuativo, is a usual in general terms above, according to which formula for introducing o seripturl\l quota- we must regard Solomon, with respect to the tion. The question remains-What is the sonship assigned to him as well as to his king- text quoted, and how con it be understood doni and the house which he we.a to build, as as bearing the meaning here assigned to it P but a type and imperfect realization of a In the Hebrew Bible we find nothing like grancl ideal to be in due time fulfilled. it, except in Ps. xovii. 7, "Worship him, Vc:r. 6.-And again, when he bringeth in all ye gods," A.V.; where the LXX. hoe the first-begotten into the world, ho saith, ..-polTl<VV~IT<ITI <l~Trjj 7r4V'TfS ol 1';';'EAOI E>•oii. And let all the angels of God worship him. Dut in Dent. xxxii. 43 we find in the The most obviollli translation of the Greek LXX., Ihough not in the M asoretic text, Kcd  CH, I, 1-14.) THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 13