3. Man's promised world-dominion realized in Christ, through his experience of suffering, 2: 5–18

5.

"For not unto angels did he subject the world to Ps. 8:4-6 6. come, whereof we speak. But one hath somewhere

7.

8.

"testified, saying,

"What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Thou madest him °2 a little lower than the angels;
Thou crownedst him with glory and honour,

03 And didst set him over the works of thy hands:
Thou didst put all things in subjection under his
feet.

For in that he subjected all things unto him, he
left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we

1 Gr. the inhabited earth Or, for a little while lower 3 Many authorities omit And didst hands.

festations which attended the early preaching of salvation through the apostles and evangelists, cf. 1 Cor. 12-14.

5. For. I.e., in explanation of God's wonderful testimony to the apostolic preaching, just described. Subject. I.e., in prospect, intention. God has destined the dominion of the world for others than angels. The world to come. Better, to be. The Messianic world.

6. Testified. I.e., solemnly affirmed. What is man. The psalmist's first thought of man is of his insignificance as compared with God.

7. The psalmist's second thought is of man's lofty position in the universe; but little below the angels themselves, and crowned with glory. A little. Better, little. The writer of Hebrews, however, understands the words to mean for a little while; cf. vs. 9. And didst set him. Man is potentially master of the created universe, that is, he has been destined to such mastery by God.

8. Universal dominion is the promised destiny of man. For. In explanation of the statement of vs. 5. All things. As shown by the last clause quoted. He left nothing. The world to be must therefore be subject to man. Paul speaks somewhat similarly in

9. see not yet all things subjected to him. But we behold him who hath been made o1 a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that by the grace 10. of God he should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the 03 author of their salvation 11. perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanc

1 Or, for a little while lower

Or, having brought

3 Or, captain

1 Cor. 15:27, in dealing with the same psalm. But now. Man has not realized his intended destiny of universal dominion.

9. The prophecy finds an unlooked-for fulfilment in Jesus. A little. Better, for a little. The suffering of death. In the death of Jesus, which was a stumbling-block to the readers, the writer finds rather the very ground of his exaltation. This humiliation, endured on behalf of men, crowns Jesus with the glory and honor spoken of by the psalmist. That by the grace of God. The purpose underlying all this is that Jesus should in accordance with God's gracious will experience death on behalf of all.

10. It became him. I.e., God. For whom . . . and through whom. I.e., as both final and efficient cause in the universe. Author. Better, leader. Through sufferings. The exaltation of the Son to his place at God's right hand, through an experience of humiliation and death, the writer asserts to be a procedure altogether fitting in God, as the constant guide and goal of the universe. This proposition must have been most difficult of acceptance for the readers of the epistle, to whom the ignominious death of Jesus seemed irreconcilable with his exalted Messianic office. The writer finds the key to the mystery in the evident necessity that the Son should share in the nature and experiences of the other sons whom God is bringing unto glory through him as leader.

11. For. In explanation of the application of the name sons to those saved through Christ, and, more fundamentally, in explanation of the whole proposition of vs. 10. He that sanctifieth. I.e., the Son. Of one. I.e., sprung from one parent. The emphasis is upon the unity of nature existing between the many sons and the Son. For which cause. Because of this common nature, the Son calls the many sons his brothers.

tifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: °for which cause he is not ashamed to call them breth12. ren, saying,

I will declare thy name unto my brethren,

1

"In the midst of the congregation will I sing thy

praise.

Ps. 22:22

LXX.

Isa. 8: 18

13. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Isa. 8:17 Behold, I and the children 2 which God hath given me. 14. Since then the children are sharers in 03 flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, 15. the devil; and might deliver all them who through

4

1 Or, church 2 SV whom 3 Gr. blood and flesh. 4 Or, may

5 Or, hath

12. The words of Ps. 22 are often used by New Testament writers of Jesus, who himself uttered the opening words of this psalm upon the cross; Mark 15:34. The early Christians interpreted the psalm Messianically, as here. In the midst of the congregation. I.e., publicly.

13. These quotations, Messianically understood by the writer, further exhibit the Son's participation in the lot of men, first in the trust in God which he, like them, exercises, and second in his submission, along with those of like origin, to God's will.

14. The children; i.e., Christ's brethren, God's sons, as they are called above. Flesh and blood. Expressive of man's mortal nature, which was shared by Christ. In like manner; i.e., with them. Partook of the same. Shared their mortal life. That through death. Christ's participation in human nature had this purpose, that through death he might overthrow the dominion of evil over men. How he did this the writer shows elsewhere. "Christ delivers from the fear of death by dying as a sinless one (Bruce). The devil. The devil's sway is exercised in the realm of death (Davidson).

15. Deliver. This participation of Christ in the direst experience of his brethren robs it of its terror, and frees them from the fear which has hitherto enthralled them to the Lord of Death. All . who. Those who realize, as dying men, their bondage to death and the fear of it.

Isa. 41:8, 9 16. 17.

Ps. 22: 22

1

2

fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily not 1 of angels doth he take hold, but he taketh hold of the seed of Abraham. "Wherefore °it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the 18. people. 03 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

* SV to angels doth he give help but he giveth help to etc. having been himself tempted in that wherein he hath suffered

2 SV become 3 Or, For 4 Or, wherein

16. Verily. Better, of course. Take hold. I.e., help. It is not to angels, beings with no fear of death, that he extends his aid. The seed of Abraham; in Paul's sense: If ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, Gal. 3:29. Christian believers, heirs of Abraham's faith, are the objects of the succor which Jesus brings. 17. Wherefore. I.e., because of his purpose to help men. It behoved him. I.e., he was bound, by the conditions of his task, to participate throughout in the experience of mankind. His brethren. A reminiscence of the quotation in vs. 12. Merciful. I.e., compassionate. Faithful. Suggesting the Godward aspect of his priestly task. The writer's distinctive interpretation of Jesus as high priest is here first introduced. His human experience prepares him to be a compassionate minister for men. To make propitiation. The duty of the high priest in Judaism. The people. An Old Testament term for the congregation of Israel, here applied, like "the seed of Abraham" above, to Christian believers.

18. For in that, etc. Rather, For because he himself has been tempted in that which he suffered. He is able. Equipped through his experience of the temptation to shun the suffering met in the path of duty, to sympathize with those who, like his readers, are tempted to fall away from their divinely appointed tasks.

3.

II. CHRIST THE SON GREATER THAN MOSES THE
SERVANT, AND HIS REST SUPERIOR TO THAT

USHERED IN BY JOSHUA, 3:1-4:13

1. Christ and Moses, 3:1-6

3:3

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of 2. our confession, even Jesus; who was faithful to him that °1 appointed him, as also was Moses in all 2 his 3. house. For he hath been counted worthy of more Num. 12:7

■ Gr. made.

That is, God's house. See Num. xii. 7.

1. Wherefore. I.e., in view of the whole argument thus far, especially the conception of Jesus as a faithful high priest. Holy brethren recalls the designation of believers as sanctified, 2: 11, and as Christ's brethren, 2:12. A heavenly calling. A call to the possession of heaven. The contrast of the heavenly with the earthly, so characteristic of the epistle, begins now to appear. Consider. Better, observe. Apostle. I.e., ambassador, commissioner. The reference is to the "sending " of Moses, Ex. 3:10. High priest. These titles the writer applies to Jesus, as the highest in the Old Testament religion. Our confession. The religion that we profess.

2. Who was faithful. Better, as being faithful, i.e., that he was faithful; already affirmed in general of Jesus in 2:17. Him that appointed. God. The same word "made" is used of appointing the apostles, Mark 3:14. Appointed him. I.e., an apostle. As also was Moses. The commissioner of our religion does not fall short of the commissioner of the old even in that faithfulness in which Moses so excelled. All his house. I.e., God's house. Christ as well as Moses had to do with all God's house.

3. Jesus not only equals Moses in his faithfulness in his equally comprehensive task ("in all God's house "); he surpasses him in dignity, as the creator of the house to which Moses belonged. For. Introducing the ground of the previous exhortation, consider.