Hebrews 3

Hebrews 3:2

And hath with all fidelity discharged his office, to which he was designed by God in every particular, in like manner as is affirmed of the fidelity of Moses, who governed and administered not any one part, but all the house of Israel.

Hebrews 3:3

Nay, Christ’s condition is much more honourable than that of Moses, as far as that of the master of the family above any the most eminent servant in the house.

[a] builded the house] Κατασκευάζειν οἶκον, to build a house, is here an Hebrew form of speech, in which language, as οἶκος, house, signifies not only the material house, but those that inhabit it, the household or family, so κατασκευάζειν, to prepare or build, is answerable to בנה, which as it signifies to build, so it is vulgarly used for begetting, so far that Ben בן, which is the ordinary word for a son, comes from thence; and so to build a house is to beget or raise a family, and κατασκευάσας οἶκον here is but a periphrasis of a paterfamilias, “the father or master of a family.”

Hebrews 3:4

For every family or kingdom hath some original or founder; but God is the founder of all, both of the church of the Jews and now of the Christians: and such is our Christ of whom now we speak.

Hebrews 3:5

And indeed Moses’s fidelity was only as that of a servant or officer in giving or promulgating those commands which God commanded him to promulgate;

Hebrews 3:6

But Christ was as the eldest son, who is the master and ruler of the family; and that family of his are we, if we continue our Christian profession courageously, in despite of all fear, (see note [a] John vii,) and our cheerfulness in all that befalls us here be founded on our hope of deliverance and relief from Christ, on those terms on which he hath promised it. 7, 8. Which is an obligation to us to adhere to Christ, and persevere, whatsoever difficulties we meet with, and not to apostatize or fall off from him, as the Israelites did when the scripture saith of and to them, psalm xcv. 8, To day if ye &c. that is, Take heed that ye bring not destruction on yourselves by revolting from and rebelling against God, as your forefathers did, ten times after their coming from Egypt, Num. xiv. 22.

[b] rejoicing] That glorying and rejoicing are one in the New Testament is sufficiently known, and that there is no difference unless of degrees, the glorying being the higher of the two. And so again that hope signifies the hope in God, reliance on him in expectation of the performance of his promise in the most improbable season, even when all things in respect of this world are most improsperous and adverse. And therefore that hope being the foundation of all a Christian’s rejoicing, especially of that which is in time of affliction, (and accordingly the phrase used Rom. xii. 12, rejoice in hope,) this will clearly be the meaning of this phrase; the rejoicing in all that befalls us here, founded in a sure hope of receiving abundantly from God both here and in another world. And this is here joined with παρρησίαν, free confession of Christ in time of persecution. Thus Rom. v. 2, κονχώμεθα, we glory or rejoice in hope of the glory of God; which is there attended with οὐ μόνον δέ, and not only so, but we glory in afflictions, ver. 3, which the apostle really doth. 2 Cor. xi. 23, boasting distinctly of his toils and stripes and imprisonments, and 2 Cor. xii. 9, most gladly will I glory in my weaknesses, that is, the afflictions that have befallen me. Contrary to which is sorrowing as they that have no hope, 1 Thess. iv, and for-saking or falling off through persecution.

Hebrews 3:9

While they tempted and provoked God, and would not believe his power, though they had testimonies enough of it by the miracles which they saw done for the space of so many years together.

Hebrews 3:10

Which was a grieving and wearying of my patience, they never doing what they ought to do, but always the contrary to that.

Hebrews 3:11

Upon which, my irreversible oath went out against them, Num. xiv. 23. and 28—30, that they should never come into Canaan, but leave (every one of them but Caleb and Joshua) their carcasses in the wilderness.

[c] my rest] What is meant by κατάπαυσις μου, God’s rest, in this place is evident, both as it respects Moses’s time and David’s: one rest there was expected in Moses’s time, the coming into Canaan, another in David’s, the bringing the ark (to which the public service of God was consequent) to Jerusalem. So saith R. Solomon on psalm xev, “The land of Israel, and also Jerusalem, which is called a rest, as it is said, This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell.” According to which there must be in that psalm a double rest literally understood: first, that peaceable prosperous possession of the promised land of Canaan, which after all their expectation and endurance they should at last enjoy, (all that obeyed God,) whereas God’s oath is gone out against the disobedient murmurers, (that revolted from God, and in their hearts returned to Egypt again,) that they should never enter into that rest. Secondly, the enjoyment of the privileges of God’s presence in the ark, and afterwards in the temple, God’s public and solemn worship. That the phrase doth certainly belong to both of these may appear by the original of it, which we have Deut. xii. 9. Ye are not as yet come into the rest, and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you: where the rest is the quiet possession of that inheritance so long promised them by God, (as Ruth iii. 1, seeking her rest is getting her a quiet prosperous condition, and belongs there to getting her an husband which was childless, that it may be well with thee, as there it followeth,) and it is more fully explained, vv. 10, 11. When ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety; then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring your burnt offerings, &c. Where, first, the reason is manifest why it is called God’s rest here, because God giveth it them; it is an eminent act of his power and mercy that they ever come to it: zily, it is clear that the rest consists in the expulsion of their enemies, their quiet and safety, an immediate consequent of which is their peaceable public assembling to the service of God at Jerusalem. Now as it is the judgment of the learned Jews, David Kimchi, &c., that the state under the Messias is foretypified by that rest of God’s, הַצִּילִים חֲבֹא שְׁכוּלוֹ שְׁכֶת, the age to come which shall be all Sabbath, saith Solomon Jarchi on psalm xcii, so here it appears by this author’s application of it. And accordingly we may discern what is the meaning of God’s rest, which ch. iv. 1 is said to be promised the Christians, even that which is most literally expressed by that description of that rest in Deuteronomy, viz. a quiet and safety from the persecutors, prosperous, peaceable days for the public worship and service of God, which should now shortly befall the Christians by the destruction of their persecutors, the unbelieving Jews, who, as the Canaanites, when they had filled up the measure of their iniquities, should shortly be rooted out. The only thing further to be observed (and wherein the parallel was to hold most remarkably, and which is the special thing that is pressed in this place) is the fate of the disobedient murmuring Israelites, which were so impatient of the hardships that befall them in their passage toward this rest, that they frequently and foully fell off from God, and returned to the sins and idolatries and villanies of heathen Egypt, from whence they were rescued by God; all these were excluded from this rest of God’s giving, their carcasses

Hebrews 3:12

And therefore let the terrors of that scripture move you, and from the example of those murmurers and complainers (that were perpetually mutinying against God when any hardship approached them, ready to turn back into Egypt upon every slight fear and discouragement, and for so doing were excluded from the promised land and rest) do you take heed, lest the present discouragement and pressures, meeting with covetous or fearful hearts, make you fall off from the Christian profession or practice.

Hebrews 3:13

But daily cheer up one another with incitations and exhortations to persevere, that none of the baits that are now abroad in the world, those of the Gnostic heresy, which undertake to secure your fears and gratify your lusts, be able to gain in upon you.

Hebrews 3:14

For all our Christian profession hitherto will stand us in no stead, unless we persevere constant unto the end in the courage and patience which himself hath exemplified to us: (see note [a] ch. xi.)

Hebrews 3:15

And thus the words in the psalmist lie, To day &c.

Hebrews 3:16

Whence it appears, that some that were first obedient, that heard and received the law from heaven, did after rebel and fall off, and murmur against God; but Caleb and Joshua did not so, and consequently not all that by the conduct of Moses came out of Egypt: which may be matter of admonition to you, that you imitate those few that adhered to, and not the many that fell off from God.

[e] took not on him] The notion of ἐπιλαμβάνεται is best expressed by Chrysostom in these words, φεύγουσαν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ πόρρω φεύγουσαν ἀνθρώπινην φύσιν Χριστὸς καταδιώξας κατέλαβεν, “when mankind fled, fled far from him, Christ pursued and caught hold of it.” The word is interpreted by Cicero cont. Pison. by retinere ad salutem, i. e. manu, aut lacinia, prehendere ac retinere eum qui se it perditum, “to hold one back, by that means to save him, to catch by the hand or garment, and hold him that is about to destroy himself.” And this Christ did by fastening on our nature in his incarnation, wherein the angels were not concerned; for he did not so to them, but only to us, according to that of the ancients, that that which was not assumed was not ransomed by him, that the nature of man being only assumed by Christ, and not the nature of angels, man only had the benefit of it; all his coming and preaching designed to bring sinful man to repentance, but not to recall or recover the lapsed angels.

Hebrews 3:17

And so when it is said that he was provoked and wearied with them forty years, it is apparent it was with those disobedient murmurers that would have gone back to Egypt, and never a man of them came to Canaan, but died every one of them in the wilderness: and that may be a warning for us.

Hebrews 3:18

Lastly, when it is said that he sware they should not come into Canaan, it is apparent who they are that do not come, the contumacious murmurers, ver. 10; which gives us this matter of observation,

⁶ Therefore, ’ns. ⁷ If they shall, El εἰσελεύσονται. ⁸ Or, his confidence: for the King’s MS. reads ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ. ⁹ were disobedient, ἀνειθῆσαι.