1 Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about (placed round about) with so great a cloud (a throng) of witnesses (martyrs), let us lay aside (cast off) every weight (impediment), and the sin which doth so easily beset us (surrounds well), and let us run with patience the race (conflict; struggle) that is set before us (in front of us), 2 Looking (Concentrating the gaze) unto Jesus, the author (Source; Captain; Prince) and finisher (Perfecter) of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured (suffered; remained under) the cross, despising the shame (confusion; ignominy), and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider (reflect; think upon) him that endured such contradiction (gainsaying; hostility; dispute) of sinners against himself, lest he be wearied (sickly; debilitated) and faint (quit; cease) in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted (stood in opposition; stood against) unto blood, striving against (struggling against; fighting against) sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation (consolation; comfort) which speaketh (discuss thoroughly) unto you as unto sons, My son, despise (regard lightly; discount) not thou the chastening (disciplining; instructing; training) of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked (convinced; reproved) of him; 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth (whips; flogs) every son whom he receiveth (accepts). 7 If ye endure (remain under; be patient under) chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastening, of which all are partakers (partners; sharers), then are ye bastards (illegitimate children), and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected (instructed; disciplined; taught) us, and we gave them reverence (awe; regard; devotion). Shall we not much rather be in subjection (obedience; submission) unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (what seemed good; according to their thoughts), but he for our profit (expedience; good), that we might be partakers of his holiness (virtue; lacking nothing). 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous (with gladness), but grievous (sorrowful; heaviness); nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable (peace producing) fruit of righteousness unto them who are exercised (trained; exercised to spiritual improvement) by it. 12 Wherefore, lift up (make straight; raise up) the hands which hang down (droop; relaxed), and the feeble (sickly; paralyzed) knees; 13 And make straight (make upright) paths (a way of life; a course of action) for your feet, lest that which is lame (cripple; without feet) be turned out (turned aside; dislocated out) of the way; but let it rather be healed(cured; made whole). 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see (perceive; know) the Lord; 15 Looking diligently (take the oversight; inspect) lest any man fail (lack; come short; fall behind) of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness (a poisonous influence) springing up trouble (vex; annoy) you, and by it many be defiled (polluted; contaminated); 16 Lest there be any fornicator (immoral; whoremonger), or profane (godless, irreligious; contemptible) person, like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how afterward (at a later time), when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected (disallowed); for he found no place of repentance, though he sought (sought it diligently) with tears.
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and temptest (boil up; rage; seethe), 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated (ask aside; seek to by-pass) that the word should not be spoken to them any more. 20 For they could not endure that which was commanded (charged; ordered), And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned (cast stones), or thrust through with a spear (dart). 21 And so terrible (fearful) was the sight (spectacle), that Moses said, I exceedingly quake (tremble). 22 But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly (celestial) Jerusalem, and to an innumerable (myriads; a large number) company (assembly; to lead together) of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the first-born, who are written (a name upon an official roll) in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect (fulfilled; completed), 24 And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling (spreading; washing), that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
25 See that ye refuse (excuse; avoid) not him that speaketh. For if they escaped (fled away) not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh (warns) from heaven, 26 Whose voice then shook (agitated; stirred up; moved) the earth; but now he hath promised (professed; committed), saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved (unmoveable), let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear (apprehension; awe); 29 For our God is a consuming (totally consumed; burned up by) fire.
1 Robertson writes, "There should be no chapter division here, since 12:1 - 3 really is the climax in the whole argument about the better promises (10:19 - 12:3) with a passionate appeal for loyalty to Christ" (Volume V, p. 432). Because of Faith's Hall of Fame and such a cloud (nephos meaning dense throng) of witnesses are surrounding (perikeimenon from peri + tithemi meaning enclosing; placed around) us, let us lay aside (apothemenoi meaning to cast off; put away) every weight (ogkon from ogkos meaning mass; bulk; impediment), and the sin that doth so easily beset us (euperistaton which is a combination of eu + periistemi meaning effectively besets; stands around closely), and let us run with patience the race (agona meaning struggle; conflict) that is set before us (prokeimenmon from pro + keimai meaning to be present first of all). The cloud of witnesses seems to be those saints of Hebrews 11 plus other saints that have died down through the ages and gone on to heaven. The setting is the Grecian race course in a stadium or a great amphitheater with the track for the runners and the tiers upon tiers of seats rising like a cloud of the spectators; the participants are the present day saints while the spectators are those worthies who are already in heaven. If anyone has had the experience of sitting on the fifty-yard line of the Rose Bowl with 85,000 faces looking on, he might get the picture.
The word witnesses is from the word marturon which later came to be "martyrs;" in the earlier centuries to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ meant that more than likely the person would give his life as a martyr. "A martyr is 'one who of his own free choice chooses to die for the sake of religion' rather than save his life by renouncing it." Bruce quotes Origen (p. 347). It might surprise us to know how many people are martyrs to the cause of Christ in this twenty-first century in such places as the Middle East, China, Cuba, and other countries.
Impediments to the runner might be his sweat suit he has worn and ankle weights he has used in training. To the saints of God these weights might be pride, selfishness, sloth, lust and doubt; it could be anything and everything that would interfere with our faithfulness to Christ and His cause. Kellar writes, "The verbal adjective of the phrase reminds one of the ring of wild beasts in the jungle that encircle the campfire at night each ready to pounce upon a careless victim" (p. 43). Also patience and determination will play a role in success; the runner will agonize and put forth his best efforts in training, and when the race begins he will give a supreme effort. "Anything that distracts an athlete from the contest in which he is competing will quickly put him out of the running. Everything that would encumber him or divert his attention must therefore be put away, and the athlete must keep his eye fixed on the goal towards which he is pressing" (Bruce, p.350). (The sentence begun in verse 1 continues into verse 2).
2 Looking (aphorontes from apo + horao meaning to concentrate the gaze) unto Jesus Christ and pleasing Him is the Christian's goal. He is the Author (archegon meaning Source; Captain; Prince) and Finisher (teleioten meaning Perfecter; Consummator) of our faith. It was He Who for the joy that was set before Him endured (hupemeinen from hupomeno meaning to suffer; to be patient under) the Cross, despising the shame (aischunes meaning confusion; embarrassment; disgrace), and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (present tense meaning He "sat down" and He is still seated there). Christ "endured the cross, despising shame." To die by crucifixion was to plumb the lowest depths of disgrace; however, thank God, He is now exalted at God's right hand. Yeager writes, "The supernatural Architect (originator, creator) and Deliverer of faith, life (Acts 3:15; 5:31) and salvation (Hebrews 2:10) is also the Perfecter of it" (Volume XVI, p. 429). He fulfilled many verses by dying for sinful man and being exalted as our High Priest; among them are Psalms 2:7, 8 and 110:1, 4 which read, "I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession...The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool...The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest after the order of Melchizedek."
3 Consider (analogisasthe from ana + logizomai meaning to reflect upon; think about) Him that endured such contradiction (antilogian from anti + lego meaning hostility; dispute; gainsaying) of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied (kamete from kamno meaning sickly; debilitated) and faint (quit; cease) in your minds. Just as the saints of Hebrews 11 persisted in the midst of tribulation, the Christian of every age can do the same. Yes, it takes faith! But we must press on; there is no place to quit or cease.
4 The author of Hebrews encouraged his readers by saying to them that they had not resisted (antikatestete from anti + kata + histemi meaning stand in opposition; stand against) unto blood, striving against (antagonizomenoi meaning to struggling against; fighting against) sin. Some think the writer is changing from the race course to the boxing ring here as the saint fights against sin. Nevertheless, the author was challenging his readers to fight the good fight of faith as our Savior had done. An old hymn comes to mind,
Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
How sure will be their children's peace
If they, like them, contend for thee!
--Fredrick W. Faber
5 The Hebrews should not have forgotten (eklelesthe from eklanthanomai a combination of two words ek + lanthano meaning to forget; passive voice = to be made to forget) the exhortation (parakleseon meaning consolation; comfort) which speaketh (dialegetai from dialego meaning to reason; discuss thoroughly) unto you as unto children. My son, despise (oligorei from oligoreo meaning to regard lightly; discount) not thou the chastening (paideias from paideia meaning instructing; training) of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked (elegchomenos from elegcho meaning to convince; reprove) of Him. The author of Hebrews begins a subject - "chastening" - which covers verses 5 - 11. He must have had in mind Proverbs 3:11, 12 (LXX) which reads, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor be faint when thou art rebuked by him: for whom the Lord loves he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives." When God admonishes His children, it is best and imperative that they heed.
6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges (mastigoi from mastigoo meaning whips; flogs) every son whom He receives (paradechetai from paradechetai meaning to accept; claim as one's own). The person who is a Christian will receive chastisement or instruction from the Lord because the Lord accepts him and loves him. The Lord chastises only His very own; chastisement may be a hard lesson to learn and understand but learn it we must. This discipline or instruction received fulfills Philippians 1:6 which reads, "Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;..."
7 If you endure (hupomenete from hupo + meno meaning to remain under; to be patient with) chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? Since an earthly father chastens or instructs his sons, we can expect our Heavenly Father to chasten and instruct us. This a part of gaining maturity or helping us grow up. An earthly father or mother that does not discipline or train their son are delinquent parents. Discipline may not be pleasant at the moment, but it bears fruit later, and chastisement always is a sign of ownership. Proverbs 13: 24 (LXX) reads, "He that spares the rod hates his son; but he that loveth carefully chastens him." Yeager writes, "The thrust of the passage is that discipline in the Christian life, although unpleasant for the moment, should always be regarded as evidence that we are truly saved. God does not discipline Satan's children. How often have untaught Christians remarked about the mysterious fact that the most reprehensible sinners in the community have the best health, the most money and the least tragedy. There is nothing mysterious about it. God has no intention of interfering in their lives. They are not members of the Body of Christ. But the Christian is. He is a child of God (Romans 8:14; John 1:12), God thus sustains a parental relationship with him" (pp. 436, 437).
8 Those without chastening, whereof all are partakers (metochoi from metochos meaning partners; sharers), are bastards (nothoi from nothos meaning illegitimate children) and not sons. The professed Christian who can sin with impunity is a spiritual illegitimate; he has never been born again. One way we can know we are children of God is when we sin or get out-of-line with God, He will chasten us. The Holy Spirit will convict the Christian of wrong doing and impress him to repent and right all wrongs if possible. The chastisement which Jehovah God metes out is always pure; parents may sometimes chastise with the wrong motive in mind, but not so with God. Arthur W. Pink who is famous for his lists, gives a seven-fold answer as to how the Christian should conduct himself in the fires of chastisement. He writes that the Christian should endure chastisement "(1) inquiringly, (2) prayerfully, (3) humbly, (4), patiently, (5) believingly, (6) hopefully, and (7) thankfully " (pp. 948, 952).
9 If earthly fathers are what they should be, they will correct and discipline their children. The verse states, furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected (paideutas from paideutes meaning to instruct; discipline; teach) us, and we gave them reverence (enetrepometha from en + trepo meaning regard; awe; devotion): shall we not much more rather be in subjection (hupotagesometha from hupotasso meaning obedience; submission) unto the Father of spirits, and live? The author compares the motives of our human parents with the Heavenly Father. His motives are always pure, whereas the earthly parent's motives may not be pure. The earthly parent may punish in a fit of uncontrollable anger; however, God never punishes that way, nor does He punish too harshly (Yeager, p. 439). Bishop Hall writes of The Stripes of Love, "Fear not: these stripes are the tokens of His love. He is not son that is not beaten; yea, till he smart, and cry; if not, till he bleed. No parent corrects another's child; and he is no good parent that corrects not his own. O rod, worthy to be kissed, that assures us of His love, of our adoption" (B. I., Volume LII, p. 493). 10 For earthly parents for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (dokoun from dokeo meaning what pleases; what seems good): but God does it for our profit (sumpheron from sun + phero meaning expedient; according to circumstances), that we might be partakers of His holiness (agiotetos meaning virtuous; lacking nothing). As a child is disciplined, he grows in moral perfection; so with the child of God who is disciplined, he should grow in grace, godly knowledge and holiness. We shall not reach perfection in this life, but we should always strive for perfection in this life.
11 No chastening feels good (charas meaning joyous; gladness) for the present, but rather grievous (lupes from lupe meaning sorrowful; with heaviness): nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable (eirenikon from eirenikos meaning peace producing) fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (gegumnasmenois from gumnazo meaning training; spiritual growth and improvement) thereby. The word exercise (gumnazo) is where we get our word "gymnasium." Just as athletes exercise in the gymnasium, spiritual athletes should exercise themselves in spiritual things. Paul writes to Timothy (I Timothy 4:7, 8) these words, "...and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." So bodily exercise profits only in this life, whereas spiritual exercise benefits in this life and in the life to come. Bruce writes, "The man who accepts discipline at the hand of God as something designed by his Heavenly Father for his good will cease to feel resentful and rebellious; he has 'stilled and quieted' his soul, which thus provides fertile soil for the cultivation of a righteous life, responsive to the will of God" (p. 361).
12, 13 Wherefore lift up (anorthosate from ana + orthoo meaning make straight; raise up) the hands which hang down, and the feeble (paralelumena from paraluo meaning sickly; paralyzed) knees. The author is quoting from Isaiah 35:3 in the LXX which reads, "Be strong, ye relaxed hands and palsied knees." Hands that hang down (pareimenos from pariemi meaning to unloose; relax; let go) are droopy hands. Yeager writes, "It is a poetic way of saying to a dejected, discouraged, defeated Christian who, because of sin and the discipline from God which followed, is now certain that there is no reason to try to live a Christian life. 'Get a grip on yourself. Strengthen your resolve. Buck up. Keep your chin up'" (p. 443). Could the writer have meant that the saints were not to halt between Judaism and Christianity?
Make straight (orthas from orthos meaning to straighten; make upright; arise to make) paths (trochias from trochia meaning a way of life; pathway; like the track of a wheel) for your feet, lest that which is lame (cholon from cholos meaning cripple; without feet) be turned out of the way (ektrape meaning put out of joint; dislocated); but let it rather be healed (iathe from iaomai meaning to made whole; cure). The author quotes from Proverbs 4:26, "Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established." To fail to react correctly to chastisement is to hinder the work of the Lord in a person's life. Proper repentance involves turning from known sin and turning back to God even though He has chastised the person. To react any other way; that is, to receive chastisement incorrectly no profit will be derived from the chastisement. Jehovah God exercises chastisement to grow His children and to perfect them in their walk as a child of God. George Brazier states, "I have read of a mariner who got tossed by the storm, lost his reckoning, and was driven he knew not whither by the raging winds and darkness and danger. But when all was calm and clear he found he was actually nearer home than he could possibly have been under ordinary circumstances. Shall not I be glad, when my night of storm and trial is past, to find (which I think I shall) that I am nearer God and heaven than I would otherwise have been?" (B. I., Volume LII, p. 497).
14, 15 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see (opsetai from orao meaning perceive; know) the Lord. The author means for the child of God to live at peace with all men. Paul put it this way in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Psalm 34:14 (LXX) reads, "Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it." He means it may not be possible to live at peace with everybody, but try to do so. Looking diligently (episkopountes from ekiskopeo meaning to take care; inspect; see to it) lest any man fail (husteron from husteroe meaning lack; want; come short) of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness (pikrias from pikria meaning a poisonous influence) springing up trouble (enochle from en + ochleo meaning to vex; to annoy) you, and thereby may be defiled (mianthosin meaning polluted; contaminated). To live the victorious life one must abandon any root of bitterness, from trouble that may spring up and keep himself unspotted from the world. Deuteronomy 34:14 (LXX), "Lest there be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart has turned aside from the Lord our God, having gone to serve the gods of these nations; lest there be in you a root springing up with gall and bitterness." Sin is contagious. One poisonous plant may infect the whole atmosphere and destroy many.
16 "Lest there be any fornicator (pornos meaning immoral man; whoremonger), or profane (bebelos meaning godless; irreligious; contemptible) person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright (prototokia from protos + tikto meaning primogeniture; legal rights of inheritance that belong to the first-born)." The incident concerning Esau is found in Genesis 25:33 (LXX) which reads, "And Jacob said to him, Swear to me this day; and he swore to him; and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob." Esau was willing to enjoy a satisfaction of the appetite rather than considering in the long run his double inheritance due the first born. He committed spiritual fornication and immorality. There was absolutely no finding of repentance for Esau. There was no chance of undoing the mischief which he had done. It is true a wound may heal, but there is still the scar there to remind the sinner. Yeager writes, "(Esau) was in line to become the father of the Messiah. He traded it off for a bowl of soup. His belly was more important than his spirit. And when he changed his mind it was not for any spiritual reason as verse 17 makes clear" (p. 449).
17 "For ye know how that afterward (metepeita from meta + epeita meaning at a later time), when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected (apedokimasthe from apodokimazo meaning to be disallowed as unfit): for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully (ekzetesas from ekzeteo meaning to seek diligently) with tears." In Genesis 27:30 - 37 we are told that Jacob tricked Isaac into thinking he was Esau. In verses 32, 33 we have these words, "And Isaac, his father, said unto (Jacob), Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy first-born Esau...And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? Where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and he shall be blessed. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceedingly bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father." "The application is plain; it is a reinforcement of the warning given at an earlier stage in the argument, that after apostasy no second repentance is possible" (Bruce, p. 368).
18, 19 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness and tempest (thuelle from thuella meaning to rage; to seethe; to foam up), and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated (paretesanto from para + aiteo meaning to ask aside; to seek to by-pass) that the word should not be spoken (prostethenai from pros +tithemi meaning to place near to; to add; to increase) to them any more." The author refers here to Exodus 19:16 - 22; 20:18 - 21; Deuteronomy 4:11, 12; 5:22 - 27 where God met Israel at Mount Sinai to give them the Ten Commandments. Exodus 19:12 (LXX) reads, "And thou shalt separate the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mountain, nor touch any part of it: everyone that touches the mountain shall surely die." The essence of Exodus 20:18 - 26 reads, "Don't let God speak to us lest we die." The mountain was so charged with the holiness of the God Who manifested Himself there that for man or beast to touch it meant certain death. Everything about the encounter was awe-inspiring; the people became afraid and did not want to hear Jehovah speak again. The Hebrews of Moses day did not want to hear any more; they did not want to see the Presence of Jehovah God on the mountain. The Hebrews of the author's day were not come to Mount Sinai but to Mount Zion where the gospel is preached.
20, 21 "(For they could not endure that which was commanded (diastellomenon from diastello meaning charged; ordered)." And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned (lithobolethesentai from lithos +boleo meaning to cast stones), or thrust through with a dart." Exodus 19:13 reads, "There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount."
"And so terrible (phoberon from phoberos meaning to fearful; terrifying) was the sight (phantazomenon from phantzo meaning spectacle), that Moses said, I exceedingly fear (ekphobos from ek + phobos meaning sore afraid) and quake (entromos meaning to tremble or be terrified).)" The word, phoberos or phobera translated "fearful" or "terrible," is found three times in the New Testament (Hebrews 10;27; 10:31; 12:21), and each time it refers to the judgment of a holy and a righteous God. Its derivative ekphoboi is found in the account of the Transfiguration in Mark 9:6 where the disciples were "sore afraid." In Acts 7:32 where Stephen refers to Moses "trembling" entromos at the burning bush at Mount Sinai. Kellar states, "The language here (in verse 21) is attributed to Moses (and) does not occur in the Old Testament narrative in this connection. However, when on the mount he learned of the idolatry of the Israelites, he exclaimed, 'I am in terror!' In Acts 7:32 it is said of him, when he saw the burning bush, that being filled with trembling, he did not venture to contemplate it. Either, therefore, tradition put into the mouth of Moses this language at the time of God's descending, or the author combines different and scattered elements into one picture" (p. 46). These five scriptures give the reader some idea what it means to stand in the presence of Jehovah God.
22 - 24 "But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable (muriasin from murias meaning myriads; a large number) company of angels." There is an evident contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Sion, and between Moses the mediator of the law covenant and the Messiah Who is our Mediator of the New Covenant. These are awe-inspiring events, but grace under the New Covenant makes for a much more peaceful encounter. Under the grace covenant there are no untouchable mountain, no blazing fire, no darkness, no gloom, no tempest, no trumpet blast, and no voice of God handing down the moral law that cannot be kept. There is the heavenly Mount Zion (Sion), the city of the living God and a heavenly New Jerusalem.
"To the general assembly (panegurei from pas + aguris meaning festal gathering; a bringing or leading together) and church of the first-born (prototokon from prototokos meaning first begotten), who are written (apogegrammenon from apo + grapho meaning an official roll of the saints) in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect (tetleiomenon from teteioo meaning fulfilled; finished),..." The word "church" here seems to be synonymous with "the kingdom of God;" that is, all the redeemed. Those who are born-again are registered in heaven's book of life or citizenship. In an interesting sidelight, the word translated "the official roll" of the saints is used only three other times in the New Testament. In Luke 2:1, 3, 5 Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to register or write their names on the official roll for the taxation under Caesar Augustus. Just as the roll call for the purposes of taxation was fulfilled with Joseph and Mary, so the roll call for the purposes of determining those who are saved in found in Hebrews 12:23. The same root word is used - apographo.
"And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling (rhantismou from rhantismos meaning spreading; cleanse by sprinkling; washed), that speaketh better things than that of Abel." The blood of righteous Abel was sprinkled on the ground when he was murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:10). The blood of our Mediator, Jesus, was sprinkled on the ground at the foot of the cross (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19) which speaks of salvation and life eternal. So the covenant of grace is so much better than the law covenant; the blood of our Messiah (Mediator) is so much better than the blood of Abel or the blood of slaughtered animals under the law. Mount Zion is so much better than Mount Sinai. Exodus 24:8 (LXX) reads, "And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it upon the ground, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words."
25, 26 "See that ye refuse (paritesesthe from para + aiteo meaning to avoid; to ask aside) not him that speaketh. For if they escaped (exephugon from ek + pheugo meaning to flee away from) not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh (chrematizonta from chrematizo meaning warns; admonishes) from heaven,..." It is of far greater consequence to turn away from Him Who speaks from heaven now, than to turn from Him Who spoke on Mount Sinai. The scene at Sinai was stern and exacting; the heavenly scene is mixed with grace, mercy and forgiveness. If the Jews who were converted to Christianity should turn back to Judaism there are far greater consequences than those who did not keep the law under the Mosaic Covenant.
"Whose voice then shook (esaleusen from saleuo meaning to agitate; to stir up; to move) the earth; but now he hath promised (epeggeltai from epaggello meaning to pledge; to profess; to make a commitment), saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Messiah, our Great High Priest, and Savior spoke from Heaven and His voice shook the Gaza Desert (Exodus: 16 -22; 20:18 - 21).
27 - 29 "And this word, Yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." See Haggai 2:6 (7) (LXX) which reads, "For thus saith the Lord Almighty' Yet once I shake the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land." "God, through Haggai, was looking forward to a future time when he would once for all demonstrate that all of that which He had created, He was big enough to destroy...It was because 'things' are creatures, not Creator, that they can be, are and will be shaken. Who can shake them? Only He Who created them" (Yeager, p. 462).
"Wherefore, receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved (asaleuton from a privative + saleuo meaning unshaken; firm; unmoveable), let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably (euarestos meaning well-pleasing) with reverence and godly fear (deous from deos meaning awe; apprehension);..." Exodus 19:18 (LXX) says, "The mount Sina was altogether on a smoke, because God had descended upon it in fire; and the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace, and the people were exceedingly amazed." Isaiah 65: 17 (LXX) says, "For there shall be a new heaven and a new earth: and they shall not at all remember the former, neither shall they at all come into their mind."
"For our God is a consuming (katanaliskon from kata +ana + alisko meaning to be burned up; totally consumed) fire." When Jehovah God sent Israel out the fight the Anakim, the children of Anak, He said, "Understand, therefore, this day, that the Lord thy God is he who goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face. So shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee" (Deuteronomy 9:3). The same words ana + aliskomai are used in Luke 9:54 where James and John asked permission of Jesus to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who would not receive Him in the villages of Samaria.
| Heb. Intro. | Heb 1 | Heb 2 | Heb 3 | Heb 4 | Heb 5 |
| Heb 6 | Heb 7 | Heb 8 | Heb 9 | Heb 10 | Heb 11 |
| Heb 12 | Heb 13 | Heb Bib |