Hebrews 5

Hebrews 5:1

To this purpose of Christ’s being our high priest, and, as such, working deliverance for us, ch. iv. 15, it will not be amiss to enlarge a while, by comparing the chief things observable in an Aaronical priest with the like which are observable in him, every one of them. They are chiefly three. First, the Aaronical high priest is severed and set apart from the common multitude, and appointed to act instead of them in all things between them and God, and particularly in matter of burnt-offerings, which are by men given to God, and so spent by the priest wholly in God’s service, and of sin-offerings, such as Lev. iv. 3;

And that we may discourse at large of this high point of Christ’s Melchisedee priesthood, ch. v. 10, it is necessary (though some men’s stupid ignorance and impenitent lives, or relapses to their former unchristian sins after their receiving of Christianity, would tempt one to return and plant again the first principles among them, see note [d] ch. v.) to pass over those rudiments of Christian religion, in opposition to perfection here, and the word of righteousness, ch. v. 13, or those first things that we read of in the gospel: (see note [a] Rom. iii.)

Hebrews 5:2

Both which he offers for the sins of the people, those which they commit without deliberation, through ignorance, surreption, or sudden passion. And this, secondly, he can do affectionately and with a fellow-feeling of those infirmities which have betrayed them to such sins, through incognitancy, without malice or presumption, as considering that he himself is subject to the like infirmities as well as others, and so the more inclinable in all reason to mildness toward them.

Hebrews 5:3

And because the priest is subject to those infirmities, it is therefore appointed that he shall offer also for himself, not only in case of any actual commission of this kind, of which he is at any time guilty, Lev. iv. 3, but also because such sins may pass by him undiscerned, he is therefore on the great day of expiation, when he offers for the sins of the people, to offer for himself also, Lev. xvi. 6.

Hebrews 5:4

And thirdly, the nature of this office was such, that no man might legally assume it to himself, but only he that was of Aaron’s line, and so called to it by God that had assigned it to that line.

5, 6. Now of these three things propounded of a legal high priest, the first, ver. 1, the second, vv. 2, 3, and the third, ver. 4, every of them are directly applicable to Christ. As first, the last of them, (see note [b] Matt. vii,) that Christ did not intrude himself upon this office, but God called him to it.

And that is the meaning of two places in the psalms: first, psalm ii, This day have I begotten thee, O my Son; that is, bestowed this special dignity upon thee to be a king and priest after thy resurrection; that is, upon the ascending of Christ, which was his going into the holy of holies, whither none but the high priest went: the second, psalm cx, Thou art such a priest as Melchisedec was; that is, a king and a priest together, and that never to cease or to be succeeded by any, till all be delivered up to God the Father, 1 Cor. xv. 24.

Hebrews 5:7

The second parallel betwixt Christ and the priest in his offering for himself now follows; for so did Christ also in the time of his lowest estate of infirmities and destitution, (when upon the cross he cried out, My God, my God, &c.) offer up prayers and very submiss petitions to his Father, that he would, if he died, yet deliver him out of death, preserve his spirit, and restore it again, saying, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, and cried with a loud voice (Matt. xxvii. 50, Mark xv. 37, Luke xxiii. 26.) at the delivering those words, and it seems, (though it be not mentioned in the gospel,) added tears therewith; and accordingly he was delivered from that which he feared, and according to his ardent prayer he was thus preserved by God, and, though he died,

[a] heard] Εἰσακούειν, to hear, is used by the Greek translators of the Old Testament to express הוֹשִׁיעַ, to preserve or deliver; so psalm lv. 18, (to which the Greek σώζειν, which we ordinarily render to save, is directly answerable, and so is here joined with εἰσακούειν in the same sense:) and it is also used in other places for עֹנָה, respondit, “answered,” which is in effect the same, the answering a prayer for deliverance being all one with delivering; so psalm xxii. 22. Thou hast heard or answered me from the horns of the unicorn, that is, delivered me from that great danger.

[b] in that he feared] Εὐλάβεια noting ordinarily a pious fear, doth in St. Luke (whom some think to be the author of this Epistle) denote any other kind of fear also: so Acts xxiii. 10, where in the commotion the commander is said to be εὐλαβηθεὶς, afraid that Paul would be torn in pieces. So מוֹרָא, φόβος, fear, from יְרָא, timuit, is rendered εὐλαβεῖσθαι Exod. iii. 6. And being here taken also in the same sense, it is yet with some difference, being here used (as many other words which denote the affections) to signify not the affection, but the object or thing itself which is feared. So 1 Pet. iii. 14. τὸν φόβον αὐτῶν μὴ φοβηθῆτε, fear not their fear, that is, the punishments which they threaten; and so Isa. viii. 12 (from whence the place is taken) the Hebrew, which is rendered φόβον αὐτοῦ, his fear, is מוֹרָא, which signifies the terrible thing, the object of fear, not fear itself, which is יְרֵאָה, and therefore it follows in that very place, Κύριος ἴσται φόβος, The Lord shall be thy fear, that is surely, the object of it, he shall be feared by thee. And so the Hebrew is in other places rendered by ὁράματα, Deut. xxvi. 8, terrible sights or appearances; and ch. xxxiv. 12, θαυμάσια τὰ μεγάλα, the great wonders or terrible things that were done before them. So פַּחַד, fear, is sometimes rendered πόλεμος, war, Job xxii. 10, sometimes ὄλεθρος, destruction, Prov. i. 26; so Jude, ver. 23, οὓς ἐν φόβῳ σώζετε, whom save in fear, that is, in time of danger, as it follows, snatching out of the fire: so πτήσες, terror, is used for the thing that is feared, Prov. iii. 25, πτήσες ἐπελθοῦσα, the fear approaching, explained by ὁρμαὶ ἀσεβῶν ἐπερχόμεναι, the assaults or violences of the wicked that come upon them. Of these and the like words see note [g]

Hebrews 5:8

And having passed through so much of sufferings, even to the highest degree of death itself, in obedience to his Father’s will; and so having found how dear obedience cost him, though he were the Son of God in an eminent manner, he could not but learn from thence what an hard thing it is to perform constant obedience, when death itself sometimes must be taken in the way to it; and consequently he could not but learn to have compassion on those that sin out of weakness, ver. 2, though in that he were unlike the priest, that he was not subject to sin like him, which taught the priest his compassion to sinners. 9, 10. After this third and second part of the parallel, the first now follows in the last place: that as the priest is taken from among men, and advanced to that office to negotiate between God and man in the things belonging to God, especially in offering sacrifices; so Christ is parallel to the priest also, though in an higher manner, not taken from the common multitude of men, as the priest was, (in that unlike,) but yet negotiating in the whole business of souls, as the priest did, consecrated by his sufferings, as the priest by the ceremonies of his consecration; and being so consecrated, he offers up himself unto his Father, (as the priest did gifts and sacrifices, ver. 1,) presents himself now at his right hand in heaven by way of intercession for us, for pardon and for grace, and by that means, if we live sincerely, though not perfectly obedient to him, becomes unto us the author of eternal salvation, being after his resurrection from the grave pronounced or declared by God an high priest, such an one as Melchisedec was, a king and a priest together, the priest to pray for blessings on us, as Melchisedec did on Abraham, and the king to do that with power, actually to bestow those blessings on us.

Hebrews 5:9

[c] made perfect] Τελειοῦσθαι in the agonistical notion we have formerly explained, note [d] on Phil iii. Another notion there is of it not far distant from thence, usual among the Greek translators of the Old Testament to signify the consecration of a priest, who was to perform and pass through some ceremonies, and those being done, and he actually consecrated, he was said τελειοῦσθαι, to be consummate. The Hebrew word to which this is answerable is טַלְאָה, from מַלְאָה, implevit, to which τελείωσις is not unfitly accommodated, because τελειοῦσθαι and πληροῦσθαι, to be perfected and filled, are so near synonyma. The applying of this word to the consecration of a priest was perhaps from that custom of filling the hands of him that was consecrated with flesh and bread, Exod. xxix 24. Hence the ram that was offered at the consecration of the priest is called הַמַּלְאָהִים, of impletions, and the flesh again, the flesh of impletions or fillings, but in Greek θυσία τῆς τελειώσεως, the sacrifice of consecration, in the Septuagint, Exod. xxix. 34. That it is taken here in that notion may appear by the προσαγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ἀρχιερεὺς that follows as an explication of it, ver. 10, pronounced or proclaimed or declared high priest, which belongs to Christ after his resurrection, and not before, that being the time wherein all power was given unto him, viz. that power of blessing wherein the Melchisedec priesthood consists. As for the sacrifice on the cross, that was the ceremony of his consecration, answerable to that which was prescribed Exod. xxix. 11; after which he was assumed solemnly to this office of priesthood, according to that of Menander in Artemidorus Oneirocrit. I. 4, who dreamed in Greece that he was crucified ἐμπροσθεν ἱεροῦ Διὸς πόλεως, “before the temple of Diospolis or the city of Jupiter,” upon which, saith he, ἱερεὺς ἀποδεχθεὶς ἐκείνου τοῦ θεοῦ, λαμπρότερος ἐγένετο καὶ εὐπορώτερος, “he was appointed or constituted priest of that god, and so became more splendid and wealthy than he was.”

Hebrews 5:11

Of which resemblance also between Christ and Melchisedec I might speak very much, which would not easily be understood if I should speak it; for I cannot boast much of the quickness of your understanding or perception in divine things, or your forwardness to hearken to what is thus said unto you,

⁸ consummate, or, consecrated. ⁹ being pronounced by, προσαγορεύθει ὑπὸ. ¹⁰ Con-

cerning which, Περὶ οὐ. ¹¹ much matter, and which would not easily be interpreted by

speaking, πολλὰ δ’ λόγος καὶ δυσφρῆναιτος λέγειν.

Hebrews 5:12

For some of you that have been long employed in the church, and in that respect might be fit to be bishops, (see note [a] ch. vi,) instead of that have indeed need that the first doctrines and principles of Christianity, necessary for all the youngest and tenderest Christians to know, should be taught you again; and it is unfit to give you such mysterious abstruse doctrine, concerning the priesthood of Christ and Melchisedee, who want instruction in the plainest parts of catechistical doctrine.

Hebrews 5:13

For he that is gotten no higher than milk will be hurt, not fed, by having more solid food given him; and so they that are not gotten beyond the lowest, most necessary part of Christian knowledge, must not be burdened with higher doctrines, such as belong to proficients; for they are as children which have neither teeth nor stomach to overcome such harder food.

Hebrews 5:14

But these higher doctrines, like stronger meats, are for those that are perfect men of full growth, (and answerable to them, those that are of full knowledge in Christianity,) that by long custom and conversation in the sacred writings have so exercised and improved their faculties that they can discern between good and bad, true and false doctrines, (which children, and raw, rude persons cannot do.) See Origen. cont. Cels. lib. 6. pag. 262.

CHAP. VI.

THEREFORE leaving ¹ the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us ² go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

[d] strong meat] What στερεὰ τροφῇ, solid food, literally signifies, hath no doubt or difficulty in it; it is that which is agreeable to healthy men’s stomachs, and tends most to the nourishing of such, but is too hard and heavy for children or weak sickly persons, and doth rather destroy than advantage such. What it is here figuratively applied to is clear also, viz. the explication of figures or types in the Old Testament, so as to discover evangelical truths in them. As for example, the comparing of the priests under the Old Testament, whether Aaron or Melchisedec, with that which the gospel teaches us of Christ, and shewing what those typically or mystically, or in a spiritual sense signify. That these are here meant by solid food, appears by the discourse

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Hebrews 5:15

For Christ our high priest, that is entered into heaven before us, hath also suffered before us all that we can suffer, and so will be sure to be sensible of our condition, and to assist and aid and relieve us, that if we be not wanting to ourselves we shall be able to stand.

Hebrews 5:16

And accordingly let us adhere to him, and pray confidently to him, make an open, free discovery of all our wants and requests to God, who, though he sits upon a throne, yet sits there to hear our requests most freely, (see note [a] John vii,) to relieve us in a fit season, and will do so when we most want and least look for it.

CHAP. V.

FOR every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

[d] throne of grace] The Jews mention a double throne of God’s, כְּסָא, the throne of pity or mercy, and כְּסָא, the throne of judgment: and they add that, when sitting in the throne of judgment he sees the multitude too great of those that deserve punishment, he then removes to the throne of mercy or pity, that is, of pardon.