Hebrews 5:11

περὶ οὗ. “Of whom,” not, as Grotius (cf. Delitzsch and von Soden) “De quâ,” of which priesthood. It is simplest to refer the relative to the last word Μελχισεδέκ; possible to refer it to ἀρχιερεὺς … Μελχ. The former seems justified by the manner in which c. vii. resumes οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Μελχ. No doubt the reference is not barely to Melchizedek, but to Melchizedek as type of Christ's priesthood. Concerning Melchisedek he has much to say πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, not exactly equivalent to ἡμῶν ὁ λόγος, but rather signifying “the exposition which it is incumbent on us to undertake”. [Cf. Antigone, 748, ὁ γοῦν λόγος σοι πᾶς ὑπὲρ κείνης ὅδε.] The exposition is necessarily of some extent (c. vii.), although of his whole letter he finds it possible to say (Hebrews 13:22) διὰ βραχέων ἐπέστειλα. It is also δυσερμηνευτος “difficult to explain,” “hard to render intelligible.” “ininterpretabilis” (Vulg.); used of dreams in Artemidorus, τοῖς πολλοῖς δυσερμήνευτοι (Wetstein). This difficulty, however, arises not wholly from the nature of the subject, but rather from the unpreparedness of the readers, ἐπεὶ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς “seeing that you are become dull of hearing”. νωθρός = νωθής [see Prom. Vinct., 62] slow, sluggish; used by Dionysius Hal., to denote λίθου φύσιν ἀναίσθητον, ἀκίνητον. But Plato was said to be νωθρός in comparison with Aristotle. Babrius uses the word of the numbed limbs of the sick lion and of the “stupid” hopes of the wolf that heard the nurse threaten to throw the child to the wolves. ταῖς ἀκοαῖς “in your sense of hearing.” Both in classical and biblical Greek ἀκοή has three meanings, “the thing heard,” as in John 12:38; “the sense of hearing,” as in 1 Corinthians 12:17; and “the ear,” as in Mark 7:35, ἠνοίγησαν αὐτοῦ αἱ ἀκοαί; cf. Plummer on Luke, p. 194. Here the ear stands for intelligent and spiritual reception of truth. γεγόνατε, “ye are become,” and therefore were not always. It is not a natural and inherent and pardonable weakness of understanding he complains of, but a culpable incapacity resulting from past neglect of opportunities.