The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 192

Mosea epake nothing oonoerning priesthood. for the·weakneBB and. unprofltablencss thoreot (or priests: 1,p,a,v bt>ing a better-suppor;ed (for the Law made nothing perfeot); but r~adiug tha_n _the 'I.'extus Receptus l,p.,- [there is on the other hand] a bringing in uuv,1s). This 1s spokon of as evident (i.e. thereupon of a better hope, through whioh plain to all. ,rp&6r,>..ov), not only bec,mse of we d.raw nigh unto God.. Such is certainly the well-known prophecies that the Messia.h the construction of the sentence (not as in ~as to spring from David, but still more (as the A.V_); o~a.,, -yap, etc., in ver. 19 being ls shown by the perfect o.vaTfraJv«v, point- parenthetical, and i,mua-yarr¾, depending on ing to an accompluohed fe.ct, a.nd by the -ylv,n, in ver. 18. We have here the conclu- ex,,,ession, l> Kvpwr -1,µ.wv) bees.use Jesus, sion of the argument of the vers. 11-18, with recognized by all Christians as the Messiah, a further expression of the inherent insuf- wa.s 1.7lown to have so sprung. For it is to ficiency of the Law, given as the rellSon of Christian believers, -with -whatever Jewish its suporsession; reminding us of similar prejudices, not to unbelieving Jc-ws, tliat views of ,vhat the Law was worth frequent t-he Epistle is addressed. It is important in St. Paul's Epistles (cf. Rom. viii. S; to observe that the Davidic descent. of our Gal. iiL 10, etc.). The final clause, 3,' ~• Lord is spoken of as an a.ck:now ledged fact, lyyl(o,..,v .,.q; e,q,', leads directly up to the not merely as an inference from prophecy. main subject in the writer's view, viz. the "We have here a most signific1mt proof exposition of Christ's eternal priesthood. that the descent of Jesus from the tribe of But two proofs 11.re first to be given of Judah -wa9 a well and univeri!Rlly known Christ's pr:csthood being, unlike the fa.et before th0 destruction of Jerusalem " Aaronic, thus eternally availing to bring us (Ebrard). "Illo igitur tcmpore nulla diffi- near to God. 'I.'hese proofs a.re to be found cult.ate la.borabr,t gcnealogia Jesu Christi, in the Divine oath which established it, et hoe ipwm difficultatibus postea exortis and the expression, " for ever," in Pa. xo., abunde medetur" (Bengel)- The verb o.va- on<'.e more adduced. -rfra>..1e•v may have been specially suggested Vers. 20-22.-And. inumuoh as not with- by the prophetic figure of the Brauch from out an oath [properly, 81Dearing of an oath, the root of J ease ( see Isa. :xi. 1 ; and Zech. op,c.,µoul ...] he was made priest: (for they in- iii. 8; vi. 12, where the LXX. has o.v"'Toll.71 deed. have been mad.11 priests without an oath; for 'Branch:' 'Ava:To,\11 i',vop.,,. ,.irr,;,,1e..i inro,c&. but he with an oath by him tha.t eaith unto .,.,,,9,., auTaii avan>..,,) ; though the figure of him, Thou a.rt a Pr.iest for ever); by 10 the sunrise is more frequently meant by the muoh of a better oonnant hath Jesll8 be- word when applied to Chri,,t's appearance come surety. The significance of the Divino (cf_ Numb. =iv. 17; Isa. lx:_ l • Mal. iv. 2; oath, in connection with the promise to Luke i. 78). Abraham, has been dwelt on above: the Vers. 15-17.-And. it is yet more abun- oath of Ps. ex. is here similarly referred to, dantly evident (i.e. the proposition of ver.'.12), as imitating o. priesthood that rests on no if after the likeness cf Melohizedek there mere temporary ordinance, but on the im- ariseth another Priest, who is made, not afte::: mutable Divine counsels. (Observe the first the law of a ce.rna.l oommand.ment, but after occurrence here of the word 6,aef,,cr,, intro- the power of an endless (indissoluble) life. ducing in the way of hint (as is usual in For it is testified ( of him), Thou art a Priest the Epistle) an ideo. to be afterwards ex- for ever e.f""..er the order of lllelchizedek. panded, as it is in eh. viii. e.nd ix. The Th.is is a resumption of what has been al- meaning of the word will be considered ready seen, put so as to be effective for the below.) present stage of the argument. The old Vera. 28, 2t.-And they indeed. have been priesthood, and consequently the Law, is mad.e priests many in number, beoall8e of ch.o.nged. and superseded, not only because being by death hindered from oontinuing. the Priest of the new order of things is of llut he, beoall8e of his abiding for ever, hath the tribe of Judah, but still more evidently his priesthood m:ohangeable. This second because hie priesthood is witnessed to as point of coI<trast h.o.s already been twice being one of a differen_t ~d, and. of a _kind touched on-vt,r. 8, with :tespect to the claim tio much higher and chvlDer. It 18 evident to tithe; e.nd ver. 16, with respect to the that tbe.A.ntitype ofMelchizedek,"the subject order of priesthood: here it is with especial of the hundred a.ud teuth psalm, rather than reference to the eternal personality, and Melcb.izedek himself, suggests hero the lan- hence ihe perpetual and complete efficiency, guage used. (Observe the contrasts between of our one Priedt. The repetitions are not voµ./,P and 'M,vaµ.w, uap1e,,c71s and a.,caT..>..VTov, tautological, having each time different oVTo>..;,r and (.,;,,. The idea of eh. ix. bearings. The contrast here, as before, is 8-15 is in these few pregnant words briefly between mortal men who succeed each other anticipatf:d, after the manner of the Epistle.) in the office of priesthood, anrl One who ho.a V ers. 18, 19.-For there is verily a dis- the office inherent in himself for ever. The 11.IWulling of the commandment going before word ll:rrap&./3aTOII (tran,Jated •• unohange. en. vu. 1-28.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 187