Hebrews 10:24

To the exhortation to faith and hope he adds an exhortation to love: καὶ κατανοῶμεν ἀλλήλους, “and let us consider one another,” taking into account and weighing our neighbour's circumstances and especially his risks, but this with a view not to exasperating criticism but εἰς παροξυσμὸν ἀγάπης, “with a view to incite them to love and good works,” acknowledging honest endeavour and making allowance for imperfection. παροξυσμός is “stimulation” either to good or evil. In Acts 15:39 it is used of angry irritation, as in LXX, Deuteronomy 29:28, Jer. 39:37. So in medical writers of a paroxysm. But frequently in classics the verb is used of stimulating to good as in Plato, Epist. iv. p. 321 and in Xen. Cyrop. 6, 2, 5, τούτους ἐπαινῶν παρώξυνε. Isocrates, ad Demon., etc. The writer, in Hebrews 6:9-10, has set his readers a good example of this considerate incitement. In order to fulfil his injunction they must not neglect meeting together for Christian worship and encouragement μὴ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν. Delitzsch suggests that the compound word is used instead of the simple συναγωγή in order to avoid a word with Judaic associations; but συναγωγή might rather have suggested the building and formal stated meetings, while ἐπισυν. ἑαυτῶν denotes merely the meeting together of Christians. That these meetings were for mutual edification is shown by the ἀλλὰ παρακαλοῦντες. Some made a practice of neglecting these meetings, whether from fear of persecution or from scorn or from business engagements. Cf. Jude 1:18-20, and Moberly's Minist. Priesthood, p. 14. This good custom of meeting together and mutually exhorting one another was to be all the more punctually and zealously attended to, ὅσῳ βλέπετε ἐγγίζουσαν τὴν ἡμέραν, “in proportion as ye see the day drawing near”. “The day” is of course the day of the Lord's return (Hebrews 9:28), the day of days. The Epistle being written in all probability a year or two before the destruction of Jerusalem, the signs of the coming day which could be “seen” were probably the restlessness, forebodings of coming disaster, and initial collisions with the Romans which heralded the great war.