The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 56

aometohere) testifi.ed, saying. The phrase High Priest. What ii man, that thou art does not imply uncertainty &e to the passage mindful of him 1 or the aon of man, that thou cited. It is one used by Philo when exact viaitest him 1 In the psalm this exclama- reference is not necesse.ry. It is equivalent tion comes after a contemplation of the to "but we do find the following testimony starry heavens, which ho.d impressed the with :egard to man." We say to man; for psalmist's mind with e. sense of God's trans- the eighth psalm, from which the citation cendent glory. In contrast with this glory, comes, e,idently refers to man generally; man's insignificance and unworthiness occur not primll.rily or distincti,ely to the Messiah. to him, e.s they have similarly occurred to Nor does it e.ppea.r to have been ranked by many; but, e.t the same time, he. thought of the Jews among the Messianic psalms. It the high position assigned to man in the would be arbitrary interpretation to assign account of the creation, on which position he to it (as some have done) e.n original mean- next enlo.rges. He asks how it co.n be that ing of which it contains no signs. This being man, being whe.t he is now, can be of such the case, how a.re we t,o explain its appli- high estate. Thus the Epistle carries out cation to Christ, which is not confined to this truly the idea of the psalm, which is that passage, but is found also in 1 Cor. xv. 27? mo.n's appointed position in the sea.le of There is no real difficulty. True, the psalm things is beyond what he seems now to speaks of man only; but it is of man re- realize. garded according to the ideal position as- Ver. 7.-Thou me.dest him a little lower signed to him in Gen. i., &e God's vicegerent. than the angels, Here the LXX. takes Elo- Man as he now is (says the writer of this him (being e. plural form) to mean" angels;" Epistle) does not fulfil this ideal ; but as also in Ps. xcvii. 7 and cxxxviii. 1. The Christ, the Son of me.n, and the Exalter of more correct rendering of the Hebrew me.y humanity, does. Therefore in him we find be, "thon me.dest him e. little short of God," the complete fulfilment of the meaning of with reference to his having been me.de "in the psalm. If it be still objected the.t the God's image," "after God's likeness," and application (in which sovereignty over e.11 ho.ving dominion over creation given him. created things is inferred) transcends the But, if so, Elohirn must be understood in its meaning of the pee.Im, which refers to this abstract sense of "Divinity" (so Gesenius), earth only-1rd11Ta in ver. 6. of the psalm rather than as denoting the Supreme Being. being taken in e. wider sense than seems Otherwise, "thyself" would have been the justified by the following verses, which more appropriate expression, the psalm be- confine the e.pplico.tion to earthly creatures, ing addressed to God. The argument is it me.y be replied (1) that the idea. of the not affected by the difference of translation. pee.I.mist is to be gathered, not only from Indeed, the latter rendering enhances still Gen. i. 28, which he quotes, but, further, more the position assigned to man. Thou from the whole purport of Gen. i., of which crowned.et him with glory and worship, and the psalm is a lyrical expression, including didst set him over the works of thy hands. the conception of me.n having been me.de in The latter clause of this sentence, which is God's image, and invested with e. sovereignty found in the LXX., but not in the Hebrew, is little short of Divine; (2) that, if the omitted in several codices. It-is not wanted application does transcend the scope of the for the purpose of the argument. psalm, it was open to a.n inspired writer of Ver. 8.-Thou hast pnt a.ll things in sub- the New Testament thus to extend its jeotion under hiB feet. For in that ho put meaning, ns seen in the new light from all things in aubjeotion under him, etc. llcro Christ. Taking the latter view, we have the argument from the psalm begins. It is but to put the argument thus, in order to to the following effect: For the subjection see its force and legitima.oy: In Ps. viii. of all things, in the Cree.tor's design, to mo.n (read in connection with Gen. i., on which leaves nothing exempted from his sove- it is founded) e. position is assigned to man reignty. But we do not see me.n, &e he is which at present he does not realize; but upon earth now, occupying this implied its whole idea is fulfilled, and more than • position of complete sovereignty. ThereforB fulfilled, in Christ. It is to be observed the full idea. of the psalm a.we.its fulfilment. that the original reference of the pse.lm to And we Christians find its complete fulfil- man generally is not only evident in itself, ment in him who, having become a me.n but also essential to the writer's argument. like us, and is me.de with us "o. little lower For he is now passing from the view set than the e.ngels," is now, e.s man, o.nd for forth in eh. i., of what the SON is in himself, mo.n,"crowned with glory and honour," o.t the to the further view of his participation in right hand of the Majesty on high. Or we humanity, in order to exalt hnme.nity to the m11y put it thus : In the present 0l11:011µ.l"'II position forfeited through sin; and thus (as me.n 1s not supreme over" e.11 things'' in the hns been shown in the foregoing summary) sense denoted; but in the ai11:011µ.in1 to come to lead np to the idea of his being our great "of which we spee.k," with it11 far wider OH, II, 1-18.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 47