_THE WEAKNESS OF THE LAW-SACRIFICES. THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST'S BODY ONCE OFFERED, FOR EVER HATH TAKEN AWAY SINS. AN EXHORTATION TO HOLD FAST THE FAITH, WITH PATIENCE AND THANKSGIVING._ _Anno Domini 63._ IN the preceding chapter, the apostle, for displaying Christ's dignity as an High-priest, havin... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE LAW, HAVING A SHADOW, &C.— The _for_ in this verse seems to connect the discourse here with the former part of the foregoing chapter; wherein the apostle speaks of the earthly or worldly sanctuary, or holy of holies under the law, as a figure, Hebrews 10:9. Nor need we confine the connection... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEN WOULD THEY NOT HAVE CEASED TO BE OFFERED?— Many copies read this without the interrogation, _For then they would have ceased to be offered._ The sense is the same; but the true reading seems to be with the interrogation. The reasoning of the apostle here is this: "If the yearly sacrifices c... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IT IS NOT POSSIBLE, &C.— "And indeed the reason of this is plain: for it is in the nature of things impossible, that the blood of bulls and of goats should on the whole take away sins, or make a real atonement to God as the great Governor of the world, for the moral guilt of any transgression; t... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE WHEN HE COMETH INTO THE WORLD,— The following passage is a citation from Psalms 40 and the use of it plainly enough leads us to understand the words as uttered in the person of the Messiah; which is agreeable to other places in the Psalms. Indeed, unless we understand the words in this vie... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK— That is, _in the Pentateuch._ The apostle argues so plainly from this text, that it proves the psalm to which he refers, to be a literal prophesyof the Messiah: and consequently the 12th verse of it, which affords the only material argument against this interpretation, mus... [ Continue Reading ]
BY THE LAW;— That is, _According to the law._... [ Continue Reading ]
HE TAKETH AWAY THE FIRST,— "In the forecited passage, by saying, _Sacrifices,_ &c. thou wouldest not have, nor didst take any pleasure in them which are offered according to the law, and consequently were, in a sense, agreeable to the will of God, who required them, but not as expiatory: he adds, Th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND EVERY PRIEST STANDETH, &C.— "And this agrees with what I observed before to be the property of a true and effectual atonement: for, indeed, every priest of the Mosaic law standeth daily ministering, and offering the same sacrifices often; which, as appears from that very circumstance of the repe... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR BY ONE OFFERING, &C.— "For by that one offering up of himself, concerning which we have been speaking, he hath made an expiation, which avails perpetually to render all those who partake of the virtue of it, completely qualified for the spiritual worship and service of God; and has rendered all... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEIR SINS, &C.— _He then adds, And their sins,_ &c. So it is read in some copies. There is an ellipsis in the sentence, as it stands in our Bibles, which implies the former words.... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW WHERE REMISSION OF THESE IS,— The inference here drawn depends upon the preceding words cited from the prophet. See Jeremiah 31:33. The apostle quotes here only what was necessary to his purpose, in order to make good his inference; that where there is forgiveness of iniquity, and a promise for... [ Continue Reading ]
_HEBREWS 10:19_.— The _argumentative_ part of this epistle being now finished, and the great point fully proved,—that the legal sacrifices could never make atonement for sins, though ever so often repeated, and particularly those grand sacrifices which were offered yearly by the high-priest on the g... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HAVING AN HIGH-PRIEST OVER THE HOUSE OF GOD;— That is, over all that name the name of Christ, and _hold fast the confidence, and the rejoicing of the hope, firm unto the end;_ ch. Hebrews 3:6. Our High-priest is the Son of God, the appointed Heir of all things, Lord of all; therefore we have the... [ Continue Reading ]
LET US DRAW NEAR, &C.— Namely, to that place to which we may have free access, and to which we are so graciously invited: _With a true heart,_—uprightly, sincerely, without any dissimulation or feigned piety: in _full assurance of faith;_ in a full conviction of mind that Jesus is the Christ and our... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PROFESSION OF OUR FAITH— _Of our hope._ So it is in all our manuscript copies but one. See ch. Hebrews 6:18. This profession is to be held ακλινη, _without swerving_ or bending from it; as some did, Hebrews 10:25 and others were likely to do, considering the persecutions they underwent, Hebrews... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES— The word επισυναγωγη, rendered _assembling together,_ is used but once more in the New Testament, and there it signifies the gathering together unto Christ at the day of judgment, or our being gathered to him at that time; but here it seems rather to refer... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF WE SIN WILFULLY— "For if any of us, who make a profession of Christ's name, be so much under the power of unbelief, prejudice, pride, and a worldly temper, as, not merely through some sudden hurry of spirit, temptation, or fear of danger; but deliberately, resolutely, and willingly, with full... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT A CERTAIN FEARFUL LOOKING FOR, &C.— _A certain frightful_ or formidable _expectation of condemnation_ arising from the sense of justice in God, and the fitness of punishment to sin: _And fiery indignation,_ πυρος ζηλος, _zeal of fire;_ such a disposition to punish the adversaries or enemies of t... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT DESPISED MOSES' LAW— "This we might easily infer from the nature of things, even though we had not been so expressly warned of it in the word of God; for if any one, of whatever order and dignity, who set at nought the law of Moses, by any presumptuous transgression of it, died without mercy... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO HATH TRODDEN UNDER FOOT, &C.— _Treading under foot,_ in general, is a mark of contempt, or of setting no value upon what is so treated. Hence it is applied to signify despising or not valuing the gospel of Christ. The next clause means, "And has looked upon the blood of Christ, wherewith he was... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WE KNOW HIM THAT HATH SAID,— Namely, Moses: see Deuteronomy 32:35. It maybe inquired how this passage is here applied to those who profess themselves Christians, since in Deuteronomy it evidently relates to the idolatrous Gentile adversaries of Israel? The answer is easy; for, besides that such... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS A FEARFUL THING, &C.— _To fall into the hands of God,_ imports the being punished more immediately by him, 2 Samuel 24:14. 1 Chronicles 21:13 though in those places God is spoken of as a God graciously correcting; whereas here he is considered as a righteous and angry Judge taking vengeance on... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTER YE WERE ILLUMINATED,— The Hebrews, to whom this epistle was addressed, were Christian converts, long since illuminated, (ch. Hebrews 5:12 Hebrews 6:4.) had suffered great persecutions, and seem not yet to have been free from them. What were the particular persecutions hinted at, we are not pos... [ Continue Reading ]
WHILST YE WERE MADE A GAZING FLOCK— _While ye were openly exposed, as upon a theatre._ St. Paul's expression, 1 Corinthians 4:9 is, _"we are made_ θεατρον, _a spectacle,_ as if we were exposed upon a theatre." Here it is θεατριζομενοι, _openly exposed as upon a theatre:_ it is the same image express... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YE HAD COMPASSION OF ME, &C.— This verse alone, it appears to me, leaves no room to doubt that St. Paul was the author of this epistle. We may observe, that the apostle having mentioned two things, Hebrews 10:33 to set forth the sufferings of the Hebrews, proceeds in this verse to give a proof o... [ Continue Reading ]
CAST NOT AWAY THEREFORE YOUR CONFIDENCE,— "Do not cast away, on the contrary, hold fast that liberty, that freedom of access (παρρησιαν), which is granted you to enter into the holy of holies." See ch. Hebrews 3:6 and Hebrews 10:19 of this chapter.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YE HAVE NEED OF PATIENCE;— "You have need of steady perseverance, or of _holding out to the end."_ See Revelation 17:18; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 3:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YET A LITTLE WHILE,— Some would render the Greek, which is emphatical,—_a little, a very little time,—_ μικρον οσον οσον. It has been observed that 'Ο ερχομενος, _the Comer,_ is a title given to the Messiah. See Matthew 11:3 and Habakkuk 2:3; Habakkuk 2:20. The Hebrews were to wait with patience... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH:— Dr. Sykes is of opinion, that this sentence would stand better connected with the preceding words, if a full stop were not put after the word _tarry,_ but the whole were read in one continued sentence: "He that shall come, will come at the time appointed; and those... [ Continue Reading ]