The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 403

Too, ,rpoEl1'Taµlvovs 6µw11 and o/ ,rpoEl1'TWTES ~men. It ie St_. Paul's way also to introduce, 11'f'E11'/J6TEpo, being the words there used.) m the. en_d of his Epistles, n. solemn prayer or The special injunction hero to obey and benecl10tion, couched in termB suita.ble to submit may have been ce.lled for by some the subjects that have been dwelt on (see deficiency in this respect among the Hebrew e.g. Rom. xvi. 25, etc.). Tbe term "God Ohrietians. Possibly it we.a e.mong the of peace," is aleo usual with him· a~d it is people re.ther the.n the pastors the.t there e.pp~opria_te he~e after eo many' warnings were e.ny signs of we.vering between the 11,gamst d1sturbrng the Church's peace· as is Ohurch 11ncl the synagogue, and that one with reference also to what has o-one before' purpose of the admonition is to strengthen "make you perfect" (1<aTapT[,ra,), and. what the he.ode of the former,in whom confidence follows. On "the great Shepherd," etc., is placed. Bengel say,, '' Habernus, in quit, antistites Ver. 18.-Pray for us: for we trust (rather, multos, ver.17, sed hie omniam est Antistes. too are persuaded, 11'E18oµe8a.) that we have a Ego sum absens, ver. 19, sed DEi:;s non a best good oonsoienoe, in all things willing (i.e. neque deerit." The expression is taken fro~ desiring) to live honestly. When St. Paul Isa. lxiii. 11, "Where is he that br01wht uses the plural ,jµeis he usually e.t least, them out of the sea with the shepherd of his if not e.lwe.ys, includes his colleagues (of. I flock? (nou 6 a.vafJ,fJ&.,ra,, El< T7)S Bai1.c/.,r,r71s Thess. v. 25; 2 These. iii. I; Col. iv. 3). So Thv ,ro,µ,va, TWV ,rpofJri:rwv; LXX.)." The probably the writer here, especially as reference in Isaiah is to Moses and the Red there is a transition to tbe singular in the Sea, the well-known types of Christ and following verse. Whoever he was, he his resurrection, and of ours to a new life associates himself in sending the Epistle leading to eternal life, through him. H~ with his fellow-labourers, i.e. with others of is ea.lied "the great Shepherd," as in eh. what we may call the Pauline circle, who iv. 14 the" great High Priest," as being the were enge.ged with him elsewhere. Both true fulfilment of the e.ncient types. " In this and the request fer prayer, and also [i.e. 'in virtue of'] the blood of the cove- the assertion of integrity, which seems to nant" seems to be suggested by Zech. ix. 11, imply suspicion of possible mistrust, are Kal uO Ev aLµaT, O,a81'JltTJ!; uau E!cz1r€tT-rEtAas quite in St. Paul's way, 11nd confirm the lita'µ.£ovs (TOU E,c >..d.KICOU 0J1< lxov-ros OO"'p : view that, though the author may not have a.lwviov being added (as "-''Y"" before) to been St. Paul himself, it was e.t any rate distinguish the new covenant from the ohl. some one who was, or had been, closely The suitableness of the words to the con- connected with him. • tents of the Epistle is obvions. It is Ver. 19.-And I beseech you the more observed that the above is the only distinct abundantly (the Pauline word, ,rep,,r,roT<pws) allusion in the Epistle to Christ's resurrec- to do this, that I may be restored to you the tion, the writer's treatment of his subject 1ooner. The author of the Epistle proceeds having led him to pass o.t once from the here for the first time to spee.k of himself in- so.orifice to the heavenlv intercession. But dividually; and what he thus says shows thai •• non concludit apostolus, e.ntequam menti- the Epistle wae addressed to some definite onem fecerit resurrectionu Christi" (Bengel). circle of Hebrew Christians, and one which Ver. 22.-But I beseech you, brethren, he had been e.mong before. What circum- suffer the word of exhortation: for I have stances, whether of imprisonment or other written e. letter unto you in few words. hindrances, were in the way of his revisiting This and the following verse are in the them does not appear. Weremo.rk that this manner of a postscript, such as is usual with verse age.in reminds us strongly of St. Paul St. Paul. Some little apprehension is im- (cf. Philem. 22). The possibility may be plied ( of. ver. 18) of the admonitions not here noted (see Introduction, p. xii.) that, if being taken well by all. Though the the Epistle was composed by one of St. Epistle is not short 11.s compared with others, Paul's friends, e.nd sent under his authority, yet it has been compressed with as "few he may have himself dictated this conclud- words " as tho subject would allow ( of. ing portion (beginning possibly at ver. 17) ver. 11). If, however, this concluding por- whioh is in e. more epistolary style the.n the tion of the Epistle was written or dicte.teu rest, and contains personal allusions. by St. Paul himself, as suggested under Vera. 20, 21.-Now the God of peaoe, that ver. 19, the "few words" may possibly refer brought again from the dead the great to it only. Shepherd of the sheep through (literally, in) Ver. 23.-Xnow ye that our brother the blood of the eternal oovene.nt, our Lord Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he Jesus, make you perfeot in every good work, oome shortly, I will see you. This 11.llusion to do his will, working in you that whioh is to 'filllothy shows the.t the Epistle, whe.tever well-plea.sing in his Bight, through J' esua its exact date, we.s e.t any rate written Christ; to whom (i,fl. to God, the eubjeot of in the apostolic age, before his death. 4be sentence) be glo17 for ever a.nd ever. Further, though not proving St. Paul's  398 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS, [oa. xm. 1-25,