Hebrews 12:11

Hebrews 12:11. Now no chastening (either God's or any other) seemeth for the present to be joyous, but grievous (literally, a matter of joy, but of grief); nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness (i.e righteousness is the fruit; and as the conflict is over, it is enjoyed in peace) unto them that have been exercised thereby. The figure of a struggle is still continued, as the original implies:

‘Tis conflict here below,

‘Tis triumph there and peace.'

Such is the general interpretation of the passage. The objection to it is that the last part of the verse is not true of all chastisement, but only of what God sends. To this objection it is replied that it is true of all chastisement, of all filial discipline, properly so called. Delitzsch prefers to regard the chastisement of Hebrews 12:11 as spoken of God's only, and then the conclusion is true as it stands. The connecting particles are affirmative in both clauses; and the only question is how to render the first of them. ‘Now' refers to chastisement generally, as distinguished from God's chastisement, which is spoken of in the previous verse. ‘All chastisement from God, however,' represents Delitzsch's sense; whereas ‘ now ' better represents the sense adopted above. In either case one of the clauses needs narrowing; either the first clause means God's chastisement, or the second means that all chastisement has this beneficial result if we speak of it from its design and purpose.

The chapter is a striking lesson on ‘analogy' the word which underlies the command (‘consider') with which it begins. Christ Himself (Hebrews 12:3), human institutions (the Grecian games), the common relationship of life (parents and children), are all introduced to strengthen the, argument, and most impressive lessons are drawn from them all.