The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 366

le not necessary; the verb l11ox>..ii (" trouble limit of his aims and interests: "Behold, I yo,,,") may he common both to the first µ.-,fT,. am at the point to die : and what profit and to µ.-,fTu pl(a., thus : "Lest any one shall this birthright do to me ? " Later in failing ... lest any root . . . trouble you." life he nevertheless presented himself to ·The sentence mo.y have been broken off' claim the blessing of the firstbom from hiR after its first clause in order to bring in the dying father, but found that he bad been appropriate quotntion from Dent. xxix. 18, forestalled. It does not appear that he had which in our A. V. runs thus : "Lest there mean while changed his mode of life or ma.de should be among you a root that beareth amends for bis former carelessness; still, he gall and wormwood." The Vatican text of felt. now that he h'.'-d lost something worth the LXX. has M-,fT1r lcTTl11 ,,, vµ.'iv p/(a. 11.,,., havmg, and was grieved exceedingly. But ,poouD"a. 111 xo>..fi 1ta.l 'll'11tpla.: tbe Alexandrian, not even his "great and exceeding bitt~r which seems io be followed here, has M11n, cry" availed then to recover what was for- lD"Tlv '" vµ.'iv pi(,. 'll'lltplcis 1/.vo, ,poouD'a. evox>..ii feited. And so neither he nor his seed hnd «al '11'11tpl~. The reference in the speech of part or lot in the Abra.hamic promises : the Moses is to the future possibility of any time of opportunity was gone for ever. There "man, or woman, or family, or tribe" turn- is some doubt with regard to the latter part ing from the Lonn to go and serve the gods of ver. 17, (I) ae to whether" it" (auT1/11) in of the nations, and so involving, not only "he sought it" refers to "repentance" themselves, but even the whole people in a (µ,-ra.volas) o:r to "the blessing'' (T1711 ,u>..o- curse. The figure is that of a plant being -,,la.v); (2) as to what" place of repentance" allowed to grow of such a nature at its root means. U ''it" refers to "repentance," it as to beo.r bitter and pernicious fruit. There is difficult to see how Esau's own repentance is no special allusion in the word "bitter- can be meant; for not only does seeking ness" to disturbance of "peace" by dis- repentance with tears seem in itself to sensions ; for this is not the idea in the imply the capability of it, but also the original pe.ssage, nor is it carried out in the 11 great and exceeding bitter cry" to which following verses of the Epistle. (Cf. Acts allnsion is made was, not because he could viii. 23, " Thou art in the gall _of bitterness not himself repent, but because he could (,Is xo>..¾w •ru<plas).") not get the blessing. Hence, if" it" refers Vers. 16, 17.-Lest there be any forni- to "repentance," it must be repentance, i.e. oator, or profe.ne person, e.s Esau, who for change of mind, in Isaac that is meant, or one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For re.ther in God, against whose will Isaac could ye know how that afterward, when he would not go; of. " God is not e. man . . . that he have inherited (i.e. desired to inherit) the should repent" (Numb. x::riii.19). Of such blessing, he was rejected : for he found no obange of mind and purpose it may be place of repentance, though he sought it meant that Esau found no place. This oarefully with tears. The word "fornicator" seems to be the view of many modern in- is to be understood literally, not figuratively terpreters, though not of Bengel, De Wette. (as Ebrard) of spiritual fornication (see Bleek, Hofmann, Delitzsch, Alford, or of a.-y1a.D"µ.b11, ver. 14). B,/3.,,>..or ("profane") Luther, Calvin, Grotius, or any of the Greek denotes one outside the sphere of sanctity, Fathers. Against it is the consideration and so debarred from eaored privileges. the.t such is not the more obvions meaning Ese.u is appropriately adduced as a notable of "he found no place of repentance," taken instance in the Old Testament of a person by itself, especially as µ.<Tavo!a is always thus profane, and especially, in the way of elsewhere in the New 'festament (though warning, of one who lost irrecoverably the not always in the LXX.) used for a person's privileges which in his profaneness he had change of mind with respeot to his own mis- scorned. It is immaterial whether Eso.u doings (of. supra, eh. vi. ti). Difficulty on this himself is intended to be design11ted as ground is removed if, taking the clause, "for e. fornicator ( 7r&pvos) as well as profane he found no place of repentance," as puren- (/31/3.,,>..or). The essential morn! of his theticlll, we refer a.vT1711 to T,)v •v>..o-,,aY pre- history is this: beiug the first born oflsrael, ceding. 'fbis is by no means a forced e.nd so the primary inheritor of the promises construction of the sentence, and it is made to Aumham, he set no store by the supported (as above intimated) by the fact privilege, and so lost it irretriev11bly. In that in Genesis it is the blessing itself that early life he so lightly esteemed his birth- Esau is expressly said to bllve cmvcd in his 11 great and exceeding bitter cry : " " Hast right as the elde8t born (carryinl'; with it, 11s is supposed, in the patriarchal e.ge, the thou but one blessiug, my father? bless priesthood of the family, and in his c11se, 11s me, ooen me also, 0 my father. And Esau 111ight be presumed, the custody and trans- lifted up his voice, and wept." Thus we mission of the promises) that he parted with may render either, " When he desired to it for tho gratification of II p11ssing appetite. inherit the blessing, he w11s rej ec.ted: for l:lis words on that occasion expressed the he found no plo.co o{ repentance [ i.e. of 360 THE EPISTLE TO THE llEBRl£\VS. [en. xn. 1-29.