The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 400

" in all things," not "among 1111 persona" ,rpourr&µ.rvo, : aee Rom. xii. 8 : 1 Theaa. v. (of. infra., Ter. 18; also Col. i. 18 • Titus 12; l Tim. v. 17), who apake to yon the ii. 9; l Tim. iii. 2; 2 Tim. iv. 5): If eo Word of God; of whose oonverution (i.e. here, -rlµ.w, ~ -y&µ.os must be t11.ken r11.ther e.s oouTse of life, clvo.rrrpo,tiijs), oonaldering the 11.n injunction with respect to the a11.nctity of end ( or issue, l1tf!o.rrcv), imitate their fa.lth. m11.rri11.ge when contm.cted : " Let it he held leans Chrilt is yesterday and to-day the II.Die, in honour in 11.ll 1'88pechi ; in 11.ll w11.ys rever- and for ever. 'rhie allusion to departed ently regarded e.s e. holy bond; " the suc- leaders shows the comparatively lete date ceeding cle.uee, .;, 1<0/.,-71 liµ.lavTos, being e. of the Epistle. Those who had died a.a further explication of the same idea ( cf. martyrs, and hence, having a peculie.r halo 1 These. iv. 4, "The.t every one of you should round them iu the issue of their lives, may know how to poeseBB hie own vessel [meaning, be supposed to be especially referred to; such probably, as seems to be required by the verb e.s Stephen tbe protome.rtyr e.t Jeruee.Iem, ,,.,.;;"6,u, 'get to himself hie own wife'] in Jnmes the son of Zebedee, and possibly sanctification 1md honour (lv l,-y,arrµ.cp 1<111 Jamee the Just, the acknowledged leader -n,ufi); " where Iv .,.,µ.fi m11.y express the same of the Jewish Christians. It may be th11.t idea BS .,-/µ.,os in the text). In the conclusion Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, had nf the verse "for" ("Y"P) suits the drift of also suffered before the writing of the the sentence as e.bove understood, e.nd is Epistle. This supposition, however, which considered to be supported better than would invol\'e e. d11.te for the Epistle after '' bnt" (Ii,) of the Textue Receptue. Observe, St. Paul's death also, is by no means neces- lastly, t\Jat, in "God will judge," " God" sary. Others, too, may be alluded to of is emphntic, being ple.ced le.et. Though whom we have no record, but whose memory the kind of sin spoken of is lightly regarded would be fresh in the minds of the readers. among men, e.nd may escape detection or But it does not follow that martyrs only a.re punishment now. yet certll.inly God will intended. Others also who had died in judge it (cf. 1 These. iv. 6, "God is the peace, and whose end had been blessed, A ,·cnger of all such, e.s we have also fore- might he pointed to as models for the imita- warned vou and teitified ; " and 1 Cor. vi. tion of survivore. Ver. 8 must be to.ken as 9. where· fornico.tors and ndulterers are in- n distinct appended sentence, the watch- cluded among those about whom Christiane word on which the preceding exhortation is e.re not to deceive themselves, e.s though based. Its drift is that, though successive they would "inherit the kingdom of God"). generations pass away, Jesus Uhrist remains Ver. 5.-Let your oonverae.ti.on (i.e. man- the same-tl.le Saviour of the living e.s well neT of life, or disposition) he withont cove- e.s of the departed, and the Saviour of all tousness ; be oontent with such things a.a ye to the end of time. It may be here ob- have: for he (aliTos, emphatic) ha.th aa.id, I served that, though his etem&l Deity is not will never (i.e. in no wise) leave thee, neither distinctly expressed-for "yesterday" does will I ever foraa.ke thee. The reference seems not of necessity reach back to p11.St etemity- to be to Deut. xxri 6, Ktp,os cl e,&s rrov ..• yet the sentence can hardly be ta.ken e.s not olin J.<-fi <TE tivfi, am-, µ.-fi rr• i-y1taTa.>J"JI, the implying it. For his unche.ngeebleness is so.me asenrance being repeated in ver. 8. contrasted with the changing generations of But similar promises occur elsewhere in the men, e.s is that of Jehovah in the Old Tes- Old Testament (see Gen. :nviii. 15; Josh. tament (e.g. in Pe. xc. 2-4:), and surely i. 5 ; 1 Chron. xxviii. 20 ; ha. xli 17 ; " Est such language would not have been need of igitnr instar adagii divini," Bengel). any but e. Divine Being. Ver. 6.--So that we may boldly ny, The Ver. 9.-Be not carried a.way (eo, ao- Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what cording to the beet authorities, rather man 1hall do unto me ; rather, I will flOt than carried about) by divers and strange fear : what shall man do unto me I The doctrines. P'or it is a good thing that the quotation is from Ps. cxviii. 6. heart be established with graoe ; not with The memory of their former pastors who meats, in which they that were ooonpied bad finished their course is next urged upon (literally, that walked) were not profited. From the exhortation to imitate the faith of the readers e.s e.n encouragement to perse- the departed leaders, the transition is n11.- verance in the life of faith. tur11.l to warnings a.go.inst being carried a.way Vers. 7, 8.-Remember your lea.den(.,.;;,,, from it by new teachings. The faith, which >ryovJ.<•vuw vµi:,v, wrongly rendered in the waa their faith, remains unchanged, as Jes as A.V., "them thnt have the rule over you;" Christ remains unchanged; why, then, these for the reference is to departed chiefs. The doctrines, new and strange ( cf. 1 Cor. iii. word ie similarly used by St. Luke (see 11 ; Gal. i. 6-10)? What these doctrines Luke xxi.i. 26; Acts xv. 22; also below, were ie not shown, except so for as is inti- ver. 17 and vc:r. 24). St. Paul, with e. like mated by the word JjprfiJ.<arrw ("meats"), nrne.ning, owls the rulc:rs of the Church oi which reminds us at once of similar warn- CII, XIII, 1-25.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 3!)5