The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 399

+1J1.d,J1.tf,la does not mean general philan- warnings, as cognate sine, and a.like incom- thropy, but the peculiar love of Christiana patible with the kingdom of God (cf. to each other as brethren ; "a. narrower I Co:':·. v. 10, 11; _vi. 9, etc. ; Eph. v. 3, 5; sphere within the wider sphere of l,:yd.1r11 " Col. Ill. 5). Greed mess, or inorrlinate desire (Delitzsoh); cf. I. Pet. ii. 17, "Honour all (-rrJ\,ov,(i"), may be for sensual indulgence men, love the brotherhood;" and 2 Pet. i. 7, or for wealth-the same word is used in where Christi11ne are exhorted to add a:yd.1r11 both senses; and such -rrll.rnv.(la, whatever to their tf,1J\a5,J\<f>(a, This gmce of tp1J\a• its object, is fatal to the spiritual life. So B,71.<f>(a they had already, and had evinced it here, after a warning against impurity, comes by their conduct (cf. eh. vi. 10, etc.); they a I ike one against covetousness. are only to take care that it continue; and Ver. 4.-Ma:rriage is honourable in all, and let them, among other we.ye, evince it in the bed undefiled : but whoremongers and hospitnlity (ver. 2), and in sympathy with adulterers God will judge. So in the A.V. the afllicted brethren (ver. 3). the first clause of this verse, which is taken Ver. 2.-Be not forgetful to entertain as an assertion, the copula. frn being und!li'- strangers ( or, of hospitality): for thereby stood. So it is also taken by Chrysostom some have entert&ined angels unawa.res. and other ancients. If so, it is a declnrntiou, Allusions to this dnty are frequent in the interposed among hortations, of the honour- Epistles; its exercise would be of especial nbleness of the" estate of matrimony," with importance, in those days of persecution, the hortatory purpose of suggesting tbi~ towards scattered and destitute brethren as "remedy against sin" (as in 1 Cor. vii. 9), or well e.s towards missionaries, though it hy e.s a protest against false asceticism, such as no means appears that it was meant to be is alluded to in 1 Tim. iv. 3, "forbidding to confined to " them that are of the household marry." And certainly the expressimi, of faith." Possibly some of the wavering -rlµ.ws J -y(,µ.os, taken by itself, would mo,t Hebrew Christians might be becoming less naturally llave this meaning. But most ready to open tlleir doors to the persecuted modern commentator3 understand it as an from fear of '' reproach" in Jewish circles. exhortation, supplying fr,,,.,; and this for The allusion of the latter part of the verse is the following cogent reasons: it occurs in evidently to Abraham e.nd Lot (Gen. xviii. the midst of a series of exhortations, and i~ and xix.). At e.ny time the visits even of therefore more likelv to be one; it is diffi- our fellow-men may be to us a.er visits of cult to understand· the connected clause, angels, as being messengers of God's purposes "and the bed nndefiled (Kal 71 KoiT11 iiµ.I..vTOs)," for goo<l, when lee.et expected. And especi- as a statement; and the exactly similar ally to be noted are our Lord's own words, phrase in ver. 5, dtptAcf.p-yvpos J -rp&-rros, seems "He that receiveth you receiveth me," etc., evidently hortatory. Hence we take it to and "Inasmuch e.s ye have done it unto one mean "Let marriage be T[µ,ot lv ,rcia-iv." of the least of these my brethren, ye have Two questions remain-that of the import done it unto me" (Matt. xxv. 40). of -rlµ.ws, and whether 1riicrw is masculine or Ver. 3.-Remember them that are in neuter. Tiµ.,os elsewllere, when applied to bonds, as bound with them ; and them persons, mee.ne '' held in honour" (as in whioh suffer adversity, as being yourselves Acts v. 34, of Gamaliel); when applied to also in the body. The Hebrew readers have things, it means "precious" (as in 1 Cor. been alBO specially commended for their iii. 12; Rev. xvii. 4; xviii. 12, 16; x.xi. 19, past sympathy with their imprisoned nnd of precious stones ; in 1 Pet. i. 19, of the despoiled brethren ( eh. x. 33, etc.), having blood of the Lamb; 2 Pet. i. 4, of promises; been themselves o.lso at the so.me time per- Acts xx. 24, of "my own life;" Jas. v. 7, secuted. Whether or not sufferers them- of the fruit oE the earth). Bengel explains 110lvee now, they must not be forgetful of thus: '' Cmlibes, quibus periculum scorta- those that are. " As bound with them" tionis imminet, hortatur ut mntrimoniwn seems beet taken as expressing the sym- contrahant, tanquam pretiosu.in quiddam pathy of ono member with another (cf. eh. agnoscentes, ejusque bono digne utantur. x. 33, 34 o.nd 1 Cor. xii. 26, " If one mem- Conf. 1 Thess. iv. 4." And, to.king 1ritcr,v ber suffer," etc.). "As being yourselves," o.s masculine, he explains further : "Onmes- etc., reminds them that they o.re still in the que debent mo.trimonium magni facere, ut, flesh, and so not only on this nccount bound si quis eo ipse non utatur, ahos taruen non to sympathize, but also linble themselves nt prohibeat." Accor<liug to this view the any time to the like afflictions. Exhorta. first clause i~ an injunction to all to appre- tione to persona.I purity and to contentedness ciate marriage, the second warns those that follow next. Of the need, nnd prominence a:re m>'r.-ied against o.uy violation of the in the Epistles, of warnings ngninst im- bond: "T(µ.,os -ya.µ.os antitheton ad 8corta- purity see whnt wo.e so.id on i.-y, ..crµ.ov (eh. tores, ,co1-r71 il.µ.lav-ros ad adulteros" (Bengel). xii. 14). St. Pnul is given to couple cove- But the more natw-al, and the usual, mem1- tousness 1rnd tmoleanness together iu his ing of the common expression ev 1riicr1v is  394 THE ErISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [cm. xm.1-25,