The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 368

Exod. xx. 18) : for they oould not endure passage before us, a. distinction is to be that whioh was oommanded (rather, en- me.de between "Mount Zion" a.nd "the joined), U even a bee.et touoh the mountain, heavenly Jeruenlom," it may be that the it shall be stoned (IJ:xod. xix. 13; '' or thrust former represents the Church below, the through with e. de.rt " is a.n interpolation in lntter the heavenly regions, though both the text from the pusee.ge in Exodus): and are hlent together in one grand picture of 10 terrible we.a the aight, that lloaea said, I the communion of ee.ints. For so in Rev. Hoeedingly fear e.nd quake (Dent. ix. 19, xiv. the hundred and forty-four thousand lHtf>o/3os Elµ,, to which Kai (11-rpoµos is e.dded on Mount Zion seem distinct from the in the text. This saying of Moses we.a singers and harpers round the throne whose ree.Ily uttered afterwa.rde, when he we.a de- song ia heard from heaven and le;rnt by scending from the mount, and became a.we.re t~ose_ below; w~il_e the pictnre of the holy of the sin of the golden calf. It wus called city m ~ev. xx1. 1e one enti,ely heavenly, forth by the people's sin, but was due to the repreeentmg there the final consummation alarming character of the preceding phe- rather than e.ny present state of thinae.. nomena, of -rb tf>CZ11-ra(oµ,11011, the.t which we.a And to e.n innumerable company of angels, being revealed or manifested. Mention of to the genere.l e.eeembly e.nd Chnroh of the it is e.dded here to show the.t the general l!'irlltborn (rather, and to myriads, the qeneral fee.r extended even to Moses, the mediator). assembly of angels, and the Chwrch of the This whole account, thus powerfully con- FiTstborn), whioh ara written in heaven, and densed from Exodus and Deuteronomy, to God the J'udge of e.11, e.nd to the spirits of presents e. vivid picture of the terrors of the jDBt men me.de perfeat, and to 1eBUB the Moee.ic revelation. God was, indeed, :revealed Media.tor of a new oovenant, and to the blood to me.n, but still e.s unseen e.nd unapproach- of sprinkling, that speaketh better things able, terrible in his wre.th against sin, e.nd the.n that of Abel (litere.lly, than Abel). Of surrounded by sounds and eights of fear. the several ways of translating the beginning But now me.rk the serene e.nd glorious of the above passage, the best seems to be contra.et. to take µup,d.aw by itself as including both Vere. 22-24. -But ye e.re oome unto Mount the angels and tho Church of the FiMborn, Zion, e.nd unto the oity of the living God, the and to connect 'll'a1111-,6p« with "angels" heavenly J'eruse.lem. Here, e.e in Gal. iv., only. "Myriads" is a well-known expres- Zion and Jerusalem, ideally :regarded, e.re sion for the Loan's attendant hosts (cf. Jude contrasted with Sinai. The foundation of 14; Dent. x:u. 2; Dan. vii. 10); further, the conception is in the Old Testament. "al, which throughout the passage connecta When De.vid at length won the citadel of the different objects approached, comes be- Zion, and placed the ark upon it, it was a tween 'll'CZV1]-,,,/p« and e1<1CATJfJ'la., not between sort of p:rime.ry and typical fulfilment of the ci.yy,>.ciiv and 'll'CZVT/-,,fpei: e.nd the application promise of rest, seen a.far off by the pa- of both 'll'CZIITJ-,VP" and l1C1CA1J1Tla to ...p.,-ra- triarchs e.nd from the wildemess. Ps. xxiv., .,.&,,.,v would seem an unmeaning redundancy. which was sung on that occasion, expresses The word 'll'CZJ/'/1')fl1PU, which in classical Greek the ideo.of the King of glory being at length denotes properly the assembly of a wholo enthroned there, e.nd his people of clean nation for e. festival, is peculiarly appro- hands and pure hearts being ndmitted to priate to the angels, whether regarded (as stand in the holy place before him (cf. in the Old Testament) as ministering round , " This is my rest for ever : here will I dwell,'' the throne or as congregated to rejoice over Ps. cxxxii. 14). In the Psalms generally man's redemption. "The Church of the the holy hill of Zion continues to be viewed Firstborn" seems to denote the Church mili- as the Loan's immovable abode, where he tant rather than the Church triumphant; for is surrounded by thousands of angels, e.nd (1) i1CI<ATJ1T(a i, elsewhere used for the Church whence he succours his people (cf. Pa. on earth (so e.Iso in the Old Testament; cf. xlviii.; lxviii.; cxxv.; cx.x.xii.; Ate.). Then Ps. lxx.ix. 6); (2) the phrase, lv oupCZ11ais: by the prophets it is further idealized as the ci....o-,,-,paµµ£Vo,11, expresses the idea of being scene and centre of Messianic blessings ( of. enrolled in the books of heaven rather thau Isa. xii.; xxv. 13; xxxiii.; xxxv.; xlvi.13; being already there (cf. Luke x. 20; PLil. Micah iv. ; to which me.ny other po.see.gee iv. 3; Rev. xx. 12; xxi. 27); (3) the "spirits might be added). Compare also the visions, of the perfected " are mentioned afterw u.rus in the latter chapters of Ezekiel, of the as a clnes distinct. The word ...p.,-ra-r&tC.,v ideal city and temple of the future age. may be suggested he~ by the firstborn ot' Lastly, in the Apocalypse the seer has Israel, who were spe01ally hallowed to the visions of "Mount Zion" (xiv.), and "the Lord (Numb. iii. 13), and numbered as such holy city, new Jerusalem" (xxi.), with the by Moses (Numb. iii. 43), or perhaps still presence there of God und the Lamb, 1md more by the birthright (1rpo,-ro-ro1C1ci) spoken with myriads of angels, and innumerable of above as forfeited Ly Esuu. God's elect multitutlea of sCLints redeemed. If, in the may be cCLlled hi,; firstboru as being hallowed  THE EPISTLE TO 'fHE HEOREWS. [ CH. XU. 1-29, ---- ------------------------------ to him n11d hei?II of his promises (cf. Exod. tl1l're ia eeen next Jeeus the llledlator, iv. 22." Isre.el is my son, em?n my firetborn;" through whom is the approl\ch of the whole and J er. xxxi. 9, "Ephraim is my tiretborn "). company to the Jndge of nil, and the ac- They thus correspond to the hundred 11nd complishment to the perfected. The "new forty.four thousand of Rev. xiv., stAnding on coven11nt" ie, of couree, mennt to be con- Mount Zion, being "redeemed from the trasted with the old one before Mount earth," and he.nng "the Father's N11me Sine.i, under which there was no such ap• written on their forehee.ila ; " seen distinct proaoh or accomplishment. Then " the from, e.nd yet in communion with, the se.inte blood of sprinkling" hae reference to the.t in bliss. whose voices e.re hee.rd 11bove. Be- wherewith the old covenant was ratified tween tbP.m e.nd the spirits of the perfected (Exoil. xxiv.; cf. mpra, eh. ix. 18). Tllo is iuterposed. "God the Judge of e.11;" e.nd blood shed by Christ on earth for atonement thi8 11ppropriately, since before him the is conceived as carried by him with himself saints on ea.rth must nppear ere they join into the holy place on high ( cf. eh. ix. 12), the rnnks ot the perfected : the former look to be for ever "the blood of sprinkling" up to him from below ; the le.tter he.ve for effectuo.1 clee.nsing. And this blood already passed before him to the rest as- " spe11keth better things than Abel." His signed them. T<T<Arn,,µ..'vo,v ("perfected") blood cried from the ground for vengeo.nce, expresses, tUJ elsewhere in the Epistle, full with the o.ccusing voice of primeVRl sin; or,eomplishment of an end or purpose with Christ's speaks only of reconcilintion and regard to things or persons (cf. eh. ii. 10; v. peaoe. Some commento.tors (Bengel in the 9; Yii. 19, 28; ix. !I; x. 1, 14; xi. 40); the first plaee, whom Delitzscit follows) see in word is used here of those whoso warfo.re is this contrast between Sinai and Zion a dis- accomplisherl, and who he.ve atto.ined the tinct parallelism between vers. 18, 19 and rest of God. Their "spirits" only are vers. 22-24; seven objects of approach in spoken of, because the " perfect consumme.- one case being supposed to be set against tion o.nd bliss both in body o.nd soul" is seven in the other. More obvious ie the still to come. In the mean while, with correspondence of the successive clauses of retipect to the issue of their ee.rthly course, Vf'rs. 22-24 to the general ideas connected they have been already perfected (cf. Rev. with the giving of the Law. The two xiv. 13, "They rest from their labours"). pictures may he contrasted thus- Corresponding to the Lamb in Revelation,