Hebrews 13
Milligan-HHebrews 13:1-7
TO
AND
IN THE OF SUNDRY
AND SOCIAL DUTIES
Hebrews 13:1 —Let brotherly love continue.—In the Greek classics, the word Philadelphia means the natural love which brothers and sisters have for one another; but in the New Testament it means the love which all Christians should cherish for each other as members of the one family of God in Christ. See Romans 12:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Peter 1:7. This cardinal Christian virtue is one of the first fruits of that “faith which worketh by love:” and accordingly from the beginning it served to distinguish Christians from all others as the peculiar people of God. For we are told that immediately after the setting up of the Kingdom, “all that believed were together and had all things common.” See Acts 2:44-47. After this, when tribulations and persecutions began to abound, “because of the word,” the love of many waxed cold. But it is evident from this Epistle (Hebrews 6:10 Hebrews 10:32), as well as from Acts of Apostles (Acts 12:5 Acts 12:12 Acts 15:22 Acts 15:25), that the Christians of Palestine continued to cherish for one another, a feeling of fraternal affection. And hence our author simply says to them, “Let brotherly love continue.”
Hebrews 13:2 —Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:—The duty of kindness to strangers was enjoined by the Law of Moses. “The stranger (proselutos) that dwelleth with you,” said God to the Hebrews, “shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’’ (Leviticus 19:34.) Our author therefore assumes here, that his brethren understood their duty in this respect; and he simply admonishes them not to neglect it. The word (philoxenia) occurs only here and in Romans 12:13; in both of which places it is supposed by Delitzsch, Alford, and others, to denote a mere exercise of brotherly love. But I see no sufficient reason for so limiting it. It seems rather to denote all exercise of that love which we owe to all men. (2 Peter 1:7.) For this virtue, as well as for brotherly love, the primitive Christians were very remarkable. Even Julian the apostate, in his forty-ninth Epistle, assigns “kindness to strangers” as one of the means by which their religion was so rapidly propagated.
Hebrews 13:2 —For thereby some have entertained angels unawares.—There is reference here no doubt to Abraham and Lot (Genesis 18:2-10 Genesis 19:1-3) ; and perhaps also to some other cases not recorded in the Holy Scriptures. The idea of the Apostle is this; that the free and liberal exercise of this social virtue may be of very great service to ourselves as well as to others. Our guests may often be messengers sent to us from God, for our own special benefit, as were the angels who saved Lot and his family from the ruin of Sodom. At all events, they give us an opportunity of showing to the world our love for Christ, and our respect for his laws and ordinances. I know it may be said, that the establishment of so many hotels and the various other improvements of modern civilization, have somewhat lessened our obligations to receive and entertain strangers. This is no doubt true to some extent. But it should not be forgotten that our mission is to do good to all men as we have opportunity (Galatians 6:10) : and it is written for our encouragement that “Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones [who believe in Jesus] a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, shall in nowise lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42.)
Hebrews 13:3 —Remember them that are in bonds,—The reference here is no doubt chiefly to those who were in bonds on account of their religion ; but the injunction may, and probably does, include prisoners of all classes. All such need our sympathy and our aid as far as it can be given. And as Christ himself came to preach glad tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound (Isaiah 60:1), so also we, as his disciples and co-workers, are required to sympathize with the prisoners, as if we ourselves were bound with them; remembering that so long as we are in the body we too are subject to like calamities.
The reader will observe that in these brief sententious admonitions, we have all the force, ardor, and characteristic haste of the great Apostle of the Gentiles. Most of what precedes is written with the care, dignity, and stateliness, which belong properly to a regular treatise on the sublime themes of redemption. But in this chapter we have some of Paul’s most characteristic lifelike sketches.
Hebrews 13:4 —Marriage is honorable in all,—Or rather, Let marriage be honorable in all; and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. This verse, like the one preceding and also the one following, is hortatory, and should be rendered imperatively. It is so construed by Ebrard, Stuart, T. S. Green, Alford, Moll, and most other modern expositors. Polygamy and concubinage had long been more or less tolerated among the Jews; and all manner of uncleanness had been practiced among the Gentiles, often with the approval of their legislators and their most distinguished philosophers.
And hence the necessity of this injunction: Let your marriage be held honorable in all respects, and let your marriage bed be undefiled: for (gar) fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Or as rendered by T. S. Green: “Let marriage be highly prized in all, and its bed be undefiled; but (de) whoremongers and adulterers will God judge.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10.)
It is still a question with expositors, whether the phrase “in all” (en pasi) means in all persons or in all things. The former view is supported by Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, Beza, Stuart, and most other Protestant commentators; and the latter, by CEcumenius, Bleek, Delitzsch, Alford, and most of the Roman Catholic commentators. This is preferable (1) because it is the more general, and, in fact comprehends the former: for if marriage is honorable in all respects, then most assuredly it is also honorable among all classes of men. (2) The latter is most in harmony with Greek usage. Greek writers generally use the preposition en in reference to things (1 Timothy 3:11; 2 Timothy 4:5; Titus 2:9-10; Hebrews 13:18) and para in reference to persons (Matthew 19:26; Acts 26:8; Romans 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:6; James 1:27).
Hebrews 13:5 —Let your conversation be without covetousness;—The word rendered conversation (tropos) means properly a turning; and hence it is often used metaphorically to denote either a turn of mind or a habit of life. Here it seems to include both. Let the disposition of your minds and your habits of life be without covetousness. That is, let the whole tenor of your conduct clearly indicate that your hearts are not set on acquiring the riches of this world. For “they that will be rich,” says the same Apostle, “fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition. For the love of money is the [a] root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10.)
Hebrews 13:5 —and be content with such things as ye have:—This does not forbid all lawful endeavors to improve our own condition and that of others. Such an injunction would be wholly inconsistent with what is plainly taught in many other passages of Scriptures. See, for example, Romans 12:11; Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:11. But the meaning of the Apostle is simply this, that such should be our trust and confidence in God, that we would be satisfied with our condition, be it what it may; knowing that if we are only faithful God will cause all things to work together for our good. Be diligent in business; do all that you can lawfully and consistently to improve your own condition and to promote the happiness of others; and then with calmness and resignation leave all the consequences to God.
Hebrews 13:5 —for he hath said I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.—This is given as the reason why Christians should all be satisfied with their lot in life, and why they should be content with such things as they have. God has said to every one of his children, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Words almost identical with these are found in Deuteronomy 31:6; and they are afterward repeated with some modification in Joshua 1:5; 1 Chronicles 28:20, etc. The original promise given by God to the Israelites through Moses is full of comfort and consolation; and it seems therefore to have become a sort of proverbial expression among the later Hebrews: for in Philo (Conf. Ling. Section 32) we have the identical words of our author as given in the Textus Receptus (me se ano oude ou me se eukataleipo) : “an oracle,” says Philo, “of the all-merciful God, full of gentleness, which shadows forth good hopes to those who love instruction.” It is probable, therefore, that our author quotes here a Bible sentiment, proverbial among the Hebrew’s, without perhaps having direct reference to any one passage of Scripture. Be this as it may, the sentiment abounds in both the Old and the New Testament: in the sayings of Christ and his Apostles as well as in the writings of the ancient prophets. “Take no thought for your life,” says Christ, “what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they ?” And again he says, “Why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field which to-day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:25-30.)
What an infinite contrast we have given here between the consolations of God’s word and such as are offered to us by even the wisest of the heathen philosophers. In order to reconcile us to our present condition, some of them tell us “that our discontent only hurts ourselves, without being able to make any alteration in our circumstances; others, that whatever evil befalls us is derived to us by a fatal necessity, to which the gods themselves are subject; while others very gravely tell the man who is miserable that it is necessary he should be so, to keep up the harmony of the universe, and that the schemes of providence would be troubled and perverted were he otherwise. These and the like considerations rather silence than satisfy a man. They may show him that his discontent is unreasonable, but they are by no means sufficient to relieve it. They rather give despair than consolation. In a word, a man might reply to one of these comforters, as Augustus did to his friend who advised him not to grieve for the death of a person whom he loved, because his grief could not bring him back again. “It is for that very reason,” said the emperor, “that I grieve” (Spectator, No. 574). How utterly empty, then, are all such philosophical speculations compared with the precious promise of our text: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” The original form of expression is made as emphatic as possible.
Hebrews 13:6 —So that we may boldly say,—Or rather, So that we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. This is a quotation from Psalms 118:6. It forms a part of the great Hallel or collection of hymns which the Hebrews were wont to sing at the close of the feast of Tabernacles. And hence the manifest propriety of using the indicative form of expression; We say [i.e., we are wont to say] with confidence, The Lord is my helper, etc. The Hebrew may be literally rendered according to the Masoretic pointing, as follows: Jehovah is for me; I will not be afraid; what will man do to me ? Some critics, as Griesbach and Alford, following the Hebrew, place a mark of interrogation at the close of the verse.
Thus, “The Lord is my helper; and I will not be afraid. What shall man do unto me?” But others allege with reason that the use of the conjunction and (chai omitted in some manuscripts), before the second clause, shows an intentional departure from the Hebrew construction; and they therefore prefer the declarative form of our English Version as being more suitable to the proverbial sentiment of our text. In both cases, however, the meaning is substantially the same. For “if God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” So that we may confidently say with David, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Hebrews 13:7 —Remember them which have the rule over you,—Or more literally, Remember your leaders (hegoumenon) who spoke (ela- lesan) to you the word of God; carefully considering the issue (ekbasin) of their manner of life; imitate their faith. The reference is to such men as Stephen, James the brother of John, and other faithful preachers of the Gospel who had formerly proclaimed to the Hebrews the good word of God, and whose whole course of life, resulting as it did in a happy and triumphant death, was worthy of their admiration and imitation.
“After the author had thus held up the past as a mirror to the present, and had called to remembrance the gaps which death had made in the church of the Hebrews, what could be more appropriate,” says Delitzsch, “than to raise his thoughts to the immutable Lord, exalted high above all change ?” This he does in the following paragraph.
Hebrews 13:8-16
TO IN
AND ;
AND TO AVOID BEING CARRIED AWAY
FROM THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL
Hebrews 13:8 —Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.—This expression is not in apposition with the phrase, “the end of their conversation," as our translators seem to have thought, but a proposition on a wholly distinct and separate subject. The object of the Apostle is to lead and encourage his brethren not to be carried away from “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints," by various and strange doctrines; but to be firm and resolute in their Christian profession. And as the basis of his exhortation and argument, he reminds them that Jesus Christ, the Leader and Perfecter of the faith, is himself the same yesterday, today, and forever, without even the shadow of change. (James 1: 17.) And as is the Leader, so also he insists should be his followers.
Hebrews 13:9 —Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.—The corrected reading of the critical note is more in harmony with the context, and is doubtless correct: “Be not carried away by various and strange doctrines." The admonition is general, and may refer to any doctrines, whether of Jewish or Gentile origin, that are inconsistent with the Doctrine of Christ, though the sequel shows that the former are particularly intended. The metaphor seems to be taken from a ship that is carried out of its course by means of violent winds.
Hebrews 13:9 —For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;—That is, by means of the gracious truths and influences of the Gospel. This is good for us; and it is also good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; for being thus “rooted and grounded in love, we are no longer liable to be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14) ; but having a hope strong and steadfast “reaching even into that within the vail,” we can with it, as an anchor of the soul, calmly smile on all the ills and misfortunes of life, knowing that we have in heaven for ourselves a better and enduring possession. This confirmation of the heart, then, by the grace of God, gives us stability of character, fixedness of purpose, consolation in our misfortunes, and makes us like Christ, kind, gentle, and benevolent to all.
Hebrews 13:9 —not with meats,—What meats? Those offered in sacrifice, and of which the worshipers were allowed to partake, say Bleek, Lune- mann, Macknight, Scott, Clarke, and some others: those which were distinguished as clean and unclean merely as articles of food, say Calvin, Tholuck, Delitzsch, Alford, and most other commentators. But why make any such distinction as the above? For my own part I see no propriety in doing so. That certain portions of certain sacrifices were allowed to be eaten by certain persons, is plain from such passages as Leviticus 6:26-30 Leviticus 7:11-15, etc. These rules were still rigidly observed and enforced by the Jewish Rabbis; and there was therefore danger that the judaizing party among the Hebrew Christians would succeed in blending these “divers and strange doctrines” with the plain and simple rules of the Christian religion.
And it is equally obvious that, on the other hand, the same judaizing party were then busily engaged in sowing the seeds of discord among the churches, with regard to clean and unclean meats. (Romans 14.) It was therefore necessary that the Apostle should, as far as possible, correct all such mistakes about meats and drinks, and other carnal ordinances which had been imposed on the people till the time of reformation; but which never did and never could make anyone perfect, so far as respects his moral consciousness. And consequently those who walked in them were not profited by them. See notes on Hebrews 9:9-10. Against all such doctrines, therefore, in reference to meats and drinks, Paul here earnestly cautions the Hebrew brethren. For as he says to the Romans, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17.)
Hebrews 13:10 —We have an altar, etc.—Two queries naturally arise with regard to this verse. First, what is meant by the word altar? and second, what connection has this verse with what precedes and with what follows ?
In reply to the first, it is alleged (1) that the word altar in this connection represents no definite object whatever; but that the Apostle uses it merely for the sake of the imagery, so as to give consistency to th*e figurative expressions which he here employs (Michaelis, Tholuck) ; (2) that it means Christ himself (Suicer, Wolf); (3) that it means the Lord’s Table (Bohme, Ebrard); (4) that it denotes the heavenly place on which Christ now offers the virtue of his own blood to the Father for us (Bretschneider) ; (5) that it means the cross on which Christ was crucified (Delitzsch, Alford) ; and (6) that it signifies the Divine nature of Christ on which his human nature is supposed to have been offered, and by means of which it was sanctified and made available. To me it seems evident that the altar is here used by metonymy for Christ himself, who was sacrificed for us; so that to partake of this altar is simply to partake of the sacrifice of Christ. So Paul reasons in reference to the sacrifices of the Old Economy. “Behold Israel,” he says, “after the flesh: are not they who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” (1 Corinthians 10:18.) And again he says, “Do ye not know that they who minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they who wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?” (1 Corinthians 9:13.) To eat of the altar is therefore manifestly to eat of the sacrifice which is offered on the altar. And that the sacrifice in this case was the sacrifice of Christ, is evident from the context, as well as from many parellel passages. See, for example, John 6:53-55. Of this sacrifice, they have no right to eat who serve the Tabernacle. For they who would partake of it must do so in faith (John 6:47 John 20:31; Acts 16:31) ; but those Jews who served the Tabernacle, did not of course believe in Jesus as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world; and consequently they had no right to partake of his sacrifice.
This, then, will enable us to understand readily the proper import of the second query, touching the connection of this verse with what precedes and follows. The Jews boasted of their exclusive right to partake of their own consecrated sacrifices. This doubtless made a strong and deep impression on the minds of some of the weaker brethren; and they were in this way in danger of being misled by the false teachings of the judaizing party. But as an offset to all their vain speculations about meats and drinks, and carnal ordinances, Paul here reminds his brethren, that we Christians have also our exclusive rights and privileges; that we too have a sacrifice of which to partake as well as the Jews; a sacrifice of infinite value, and which is quite sufficient to satisfy the desires of all who lawfully partake of it. From this, however, the unbelieving Jews were all debarred according to their own ritual, as our author now proceeds to show.
Hebrews 13:11 —For the bodies of those beasts, etc.—The point made by the Apostle is simply this; the Jews were not allowed to eat the flesh of any sin-offering whose blood was carried into the Sanctuary by the High Priest. The flesh of all such victims had to be carried without the camp, and there consumed by fire. “No sin-offering,” says Moses, “whereof any of the blood is brought into the Tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the Holy Place, shall be eaten; it shall be burnt in the fire.” (Leviticus 6:30.) According to this law, then, as the Apostle now goes on to show, the Jews, as Jews, were all prohibited from partaking of the sacrifice of Christ.
Hebrews 13:12 —Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people, etc.—To suffer without the gate was the same as to suffer without the camp; for Jerusalem was then the metropolis and camp of Israel. And as the blood of Jesus was taken by himself into the heavenly Sanctuary to make an atonement for the people, so also, according to the law of the sin-offering, it was necessary that he should bear our sins on his own body without the camp. All therefore who would partake of the benefits of his sacrifice, must do so without the gate. They must forsake the camp of Israel, leaving Judaism behind them, and take upon them the reproach of Jesus, if they would be made partakers of the benefits of his death.
Hebrews 13:13 —Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp,— Since it is true, that Jesus himself voluntarily suffered for our sake, without the gate of Jerusalem, all the pain, shame, and reproach of the cross; and since it is furthermore true that his sacrifice is really the only one that can meet and satisfy the wants and desires of our souls, let us therefore courageously follow him without the pale of Jerusalem, which is but as it were a temporary camp that will soon be broken up; and let us manfully bear the reproach of Christ whatever it may be. This he now proceeds to show will result in much gain and but little loss to us.
Hebrews 13:14 —For here we have no continuing city,—It is vain to seek refuge in Jerusalem which, according to prophecy, will soon become a heap of ruins (Matthew 24) ; and in no other city on Earth, can we find a secure and permanent habitation. But if we leave Jerusalem with all its errors and corruptions, and follow Christ without the gate, we will thereby secure for ourselves a place in the heavenly Jerusalem, the city which hath the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God. See notes on 11: 10, 16. “If then ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye.” (1 Peter 4:14.)
Hebrews 13:15 —By him therefore let us offer, etc.—Instead of falling back to Judaism, and offering sacrifices required by the Law, let us rather through (dia) Jesus, as the great High Priest of our confession, offer to God continually the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. For as Peter says to the strangers scattered throughout Pon- tus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, we are all “living stones, built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer upspiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5.) The sacrifice of praise in our text has reference particularly to the voluntary peace and thank offerings of the Law. (Leviticus 7:11-25.) To these allusion is also frequently made in the Psalms of David. In Psalms 50:14, for example, Jehovah says to Israel, “Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High.” And in the twenty-third verse of the same beautiful ode, he says, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to him that or- dereth his conversation aright, I will show the salvation of God.”
Hebrews 13:16 —But to do good, etc.—It is not enough to praise God with our lips; we should also honor him with our substance, by doing good to all men as he gives us opportunity. We should, as far as in us lies, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, instruct the ignorant, and assist in converting the world to Christ. There seems to be a proneness in our selfish nature to neglect these practical duties, and hence the exhortation not to forget them. Imitate Christ who went about doing good. (Acts 10:38.)
Hebrews 13:16 —for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.—Such sacrifices are pleasing to God (1) because they are in harmony with his own nature and administration. He opens his hand liberally, and supplies the wants of every living thing. (Psalms 145:16.) (2) Because they indicate in us a state of mind and heart, that is well pleasing in his sight; provided they proceed from proper motives. And hence on the day of judgment, our characters will be tested by this law of benevolence. (Matthew 25:34-35.) And (3) because they are of benefit to others. A very great change would soon be wrought in society, if all Christians would but act faithfully as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Hebrews 13:17-19
OUR DUTIES TO THE
AND OTHER PUBLIC
OF THE CHURCH
Hebrews 13:17 —Obey them that have the rule over you,—(tois hegoumenois hutnon) your leaders. These were the Elders or Overseers of the Church, to whom were committed (1) the duty of instructing the members; and (2) the duty of watching over and governing them. So we learn from many passages in the New Testament. In the twentieth chapter of Acts, for instance, Paul says to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath made you Overseers, to feed the Church of God (tou kuriou, the Lord) which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31.) So also in his first Epistle to Timothy, the same Apostle says, “Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in word and doctrine.” (1 Timothy 5:17.) Compare also 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; James 5:14-15; 1 Peter 5:1-4.
Hebrews 13:17 —and submit yourselves:—That is, submit to them so far as they teach and rule according to the Oracles of God. The obligations of the Church and of her officers, are mutually binding. If it is the duty of the Elders to teach, it is also manifestly the duty of the other members of the Church to receive their lawful instructions ; and if it is the duty of the former to rule, it is equally the duty of the latter to submit to all their acts of discipline which are not in violation of the law of Christ.
Hebrews 13:17 —for they watch for your souls,—This is a charge of fearful responsibility. “They watch for your souls as they that must give account!” “When I say to the wicked,” says God in his instructions to Ezekiel, “thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him [by allowing him to be severely tried, as was Abraham, Genesis 22:1-19], he shall die; because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sins, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, he shall surely live; also thou hast delivered thy soul.” (Ezekiel 3:18-21.) Not unlike this is the solemn charge which Christ has given to every shepherd of his flock. (Acts 20:28.) And hence the solemn admonition which is here given to all the members: Obey your leaders, and submit yourselves to their instruction and government; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account of their stewardship. It is no trifling matter, then, to watch over the flock of Christ, which he has purchased with his own blood. How few Pastors are doing this as they should; and how few of the members of the flock have yet learned what it is to submit practically to their instruction and government.
Hebrews 13:17 —that they may do it with joy, and not with grief:—Those who under God “turn many to righteousness,” and who succeed in leading them to the end in the way of holiness, will of course render their final account with joy; but those who, though faithful themselves, have the misfortune to see many of their flock perish by the way, will do this with grief. And hence John says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4) ; and hence alsb Paul earnestly exhorts his Thessalonian brethren to be faithful even to the end. “For what,” he says, “is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and our joy.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20.)
Hebrews 13:17 —for that is unprofitable for you.—That is, that your Pastors and Teachers should have to render their final account concerning you with grief. This would be even a greater misfortune to you than to them. As, therefore, your griefs in that event would be mutual, see to it that on the contrary your joys may be mutual.
Hebrews 13:18 —Pray for us:—It is not enough that you obey your rulers, and submit to those who are directly over you in the Lord; you should also remember us the Apostles and Evangelists who have gone out from you to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Hebrews 13:18 —for we trust we have a good conscience,—Our admonitions to you, and our opposition to Judaism, proceed from no selfish or sinister motives: but simply from a desire to discharge conscientiously the duties which God has imposed on us with regard to both Jews and Gentiles; wishing in all things to act honestly in the sight of God. Hence we claim an interest in your prayers.
Hebrews 13:19 —But I beseech you, etc.—From this, in connection with the preceding verse, it is evident (1) that the writer of this Epistle was known to the persons addressed; (2) that he had been formerly with them, not necessarily as one of their Pastors, but in some respects as a co-worker; (3) that he was anxious to see them again, but was then prevented from doing so by some hindrances unknown to us; and (4) that he felt well assured that through the prayers of the Hebrew brethren in his behalf, these hindrances would be removed, and that he would be restored to them the sooner. This, then, is a beautiful commentary on the efficacy of prayer; and it should encourage us to pray always for the success and welfare of all those who are laboring to convert the world to Christ, and to educate the converts for Heaven. For “this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he heareth us.” (1 John 5:14.) “Ask [then] and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7.)
Hebrews 13:20-21
AN EARNEST AND
PRAYER IN BEHALF OF THE HEBREW
Hebrews 13:20 —Now the God of peace,—God is here called “the God of peace,” because all peace comes from him through Jesus Christ, who is himself “The Prince of peace.” (Isaiah 9:6.) The propriety of so designating “the Father of mercies” will be manifest when it is remembered that at the time of writing this Epistle, the Churches of Judea were threatened with many dangers, both from within and from without.
Hebrews 13:20 —that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,—The resurrection of Christ is often ascribed to God the Father in the Holy Scriptures. See references. By raising him from the dead, God acknowledged him as his only-begotten Son (Romans 1:4), and thus publicly demonstrated to the world that he was the promised Messiah of whom all the ancient Prophets had spoken (Acts 3:24). “This is the only passage,” says Delitzsch, “in which*the author mentions the resurrection. [He means, of course, the resurrection of Christ: see Hebrews 11:35. Everywhere else he lifts his eyes from the depths of our Lord’s humiliation, passing over all that is intermediate, to the highest point of his exaltation. The connection here suggests to him once at least to make mention of that which lay between Golgotha and the throne of God, between the altar of the cross and the heavenly Sanctuary, the resurrection of him who died as a sin-offering for us.”
Hebrews 13:20 —that great Shepherd of the sheep,—The Apostle had before spoken of the under shepherds of the flock (Hebrews 13:17) and had enjoined obedience to them in all their lawful endeavors to edify the Church. Most appropriately, therefore, does he here call Christ himself the “great Shepherd of the sheep.” To him both the under shepherds and the flock are alike responsible, purchased as they have been by his own blood. “I am the good Shepherd,” says Christ; “the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11.) Every word in this benedictory prayer is well chosen, and serves to impress on our hearts more and more deeply the sentiments that have been inculcated.
Hebrews 13:20 —through the blood of the everlasting covenant,—(en hat- mati) in the blood, or by virtue of the blood of the everlasting covenant. The New Covenant is here called “the everlasting Covenant" in contrast with the Old Covenant which was then abrogated (see notes on Hebrews 8:13) ; and the blood of this Covenant is the blood of Christ by means of which the Covenant was itself ratified. (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:23.) But what is the meaning and bearing of this clause ? Does it stand connected with what precedes, or with what follows? Did God bring Christ from the dead and constitute him the great Shepherd of the sheep, by virtue of this blood? Or is it simply the wish and prayer of the Apostle that God would perfect the Hebrews by virtue of this blood ? The latter view is taken by A.
Clarke and a few others; but Delitzsch, Alford, and most other commentators justly support the former. Many of them, indeed, very unwarrantably limit the meaning of this phrase; some to the word great, implying that Christ’s greatness as a Shepherd was owing to the shedding of his blood (Ebrard) ; and some to the words “the great shepherd of the sheep,” meaning that he was made a Shepherd of the sheep by virtue of the shedding of his blood (Liinemann, Moll).
But all such restrictions are unnatural and arbitrary. The meaning of the passage fairly construed is manifestly and simply this; that by virtue of the blood of Christ, God raised him from the dead, and constituted him the great Shepherd of the sheep. The resurrection of Christ was the first in that series of triumphs which will result in the overthrow of Satan and the destruction of his works; all of which will be effected “by virtue of the blood of the everlasting covenant." For what but the efficacy of this blood could remove even from our blessed Savior that load of assumed guilt and responsibility, which ruptured his great heart, and crushed him down even into the dark chambers of death ? See note on Hebrews 5:7. Manifestly it was the flowing of that blood from the heart of our Redeemer, which enabled God, as the righteous Sovereign of the universe, to raise Christ from the dead, and through him to offer salvation to all penitent believers. In this view of the matter only, can we comprehend the meaning of Jesus when he says, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished.” (Luke 12:50.)
Hebrews 13:21 —Make you perfect in every good work—The word rendered make perfect (katartizo) means properly to make quite ready, to put in order, to make complete. Here, it means so to adjust, strengthen, and rectify the powers of the soul, as to thoroughly fit and prepare it for God’s service. The Apostle saw among the Hebrew brethren lamentable evidence of mental, moral, social, and religious derangement. And he, therefore, earnestly prays that the God of all peace and order, who brought Jesus back from the dead, and so eminently qualified him for his work, would also through him fit and prepare them for doing his whole will, working in them by his Spirit, and by his truth “both to will and to do of his own good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13.)
Hebrews 13:21 —to whom be glory forever and ever.—This relative clause is by many expositors, as Calvin, Bleek, and Tholuck, referred to Jesus Christ; but others, as Bengel, Delitzsch, and Alford, more properly refer it to God the Father. Doctrinally, it may refer either to God (Romans 16:27), or to Christ (2 Peter 3:18); but grammatically, it refers properly to God, whose agency fills the whole sentence, and whose glory is, therefore, uppermost in the mind of the Apostle.
Hebrews 13:22-25
CLOSING REMARKS
Hebrews 13:22 —And I beseech you, brethren, suffer, etc.—The word rendered suffer (anechesthe) means to bear patiently with, to receive with feelings of kindness and forbearance; and “the word of exhortation” is evidently the whole Epistle. By some, this is restricted to the thirteenth chapter (Beza) ; by others, to the last great division of the Epistle, embracing all from 10: 18 to the close (Grotius); and by others, to the many exhortations which are interspersed throughout the Epistle (Kuinoel). But most commentators, as Delitzsch, Alford, and Moll, more properly apply it to the entire Epistle; the whole of which being eminently hortatory is by the author delicately called a word of exhortation. In this, as in many other instances, we see the very delicate, gentle, and masterly touches of Paul’s pen; who being himself the Apostle of the Gentiles, and somewhat estranged from his Hebrew brethren, deals with these as gently as the nature of the case will permit.
Hebrews 13:22 —for I have written a letter unto you in few words.—That is, in few words considering the importance and magnitude of the subjects discussed. He might have said much more on these momentous themes; but owing, perhaps, to the known prejudices of his brethren, he preferred making his communication as brief as possible: and this he assigns as a reason why they should receive and consider it kindly.
Hebrews 13:23 —Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty;— The Greek word for know (ginoskete) may be rendered either indicatively or imperatively: “You know that our brother Timothy has been set free; in company with whom, should he come speedily, I will see you” (T. S. Green) ; or “Know that our brother Timotheus is dismissed; with whom, if he come soon, I will see you” (Alford). Most commentators, however, justly as I think, prefer the latter. The word rendered “set at liberty” (apolelumenon) may signify either that Timothy was dismissed from prison, or that he had been sent away on some special errand. The latter view is supported by Euthalius, Mill, and Lardner on the following grounds: (1) “Because it appears from Phil. 2: 19-24, that Paul about this time purposed to send Timothy into Macedonia, with an order to return and bring him an account of the affairs of the brethren in that country; (2) because in none of Paul’s Epistles written during his confinement in Rome, does he give the least intimation of Timothy’s having been imprisoned, although he was with Paul the greater part of the time, as appears from Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; and Philemon L.” In sentences so very brief and disconnected, as are these closing remarks, it is sometimes impossible to avoid ambiguity: but it is a significant fact that the great majority of commentators from Chrysostom to Alford have preferred the former rendering of this passage. The historical circumstances of Timothy’s imprisonment and release are, however, wholly unknown to us.
“This twenty-third verse,” as Delitzsch observes, “exactly harmonizes with the idea that Paul was the author of the Epistle: for no one stood in closer relation to Timothy than Paul; and this relation became more and more intimate towards the close of the Apostle’s life.”
Hebrews 13:24 —Salute all them that have the rule over you.—That is, your Pastors and Teachers. See note on verse 17. As if he had said, Present to them my kindest regards and best wishes. Christianity enjoins on us all the proper courtesies and amenities of life. It is, indeed, itself the very soul and marrow of all genuine politeness; and no one, therefore, who has been thoroughly converted to God, can any longer be a man of rough and boorish behavior.
Hebrews 13:24 —and all the saints.—That is, all within the limits of your acquaintance who are consecrated to Christ. See Acts 9:13-14 Acts 26:10; Romans 1:7-8, etc.
Hebrews 13:24 —They of Italy salute you.—From this expression, some have hastily inferred that when our author wrote this Epistle he could not have been in Italy; but that he must have been in some other place surrounded by Italians who had, perhaps been banished from Rome, like Aquila and Priscilla. (Acts 18:2.) But this inference is wholly unwarranted. “They of Italy” (hoi apo tes Italias) were simply Italians, just as “Jews of Thessalonica” (hoi apo tes Thes- salonikes Joudadoi) were natives or residents of that city. Whether they were then actually in Italy or out of it cannot be determined from the form of the expression. But as Delitzsch observes, “If the author was then in Italy, and at the same time was not a native of Italy, he could not have selected any more appropriate designation for the Italian Christians properly so-called.”
Hebrews 13:25 —Grace be with you all. Amen.—This is Paul’s characteristic conclusion. See Romans 16:24; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 6:24; Philippians 4:23; Colossians 4:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; Titus 3:15; Philemon 1:25. The word grace (karis) means favor: but with the article before it, as in this instance (he karis) it commonly means in the New Testament the special and peculiar favor of God to his children ; that favor which supplies all that is good, and frees from all that is evil. No conclusion could therefore be more appropriate than is this beautiful and comprehensive benediction.
The subscription, “Written to the Hebrews front Italy to Timothy,” is postapostolic, and is manifestly incorrect for the following reasons: (1) it is inconsistent with what is said of Timothy in 13: 23. If Timothy was then absent from the place of writing, then how could he either write the letter or bear it to the Hebrews? (2) The forms of the subscription, like those of the title, vary very much both in the ancient versions and in the manuscripts. In D, M, L, M, there is no subscription whatever; in c, 17, it is simply “To the Hebrezvs;” in A, it is “Written to the Hebrews from Rome;” and in the Syriac, Coptic, K, D, followed by the Textus Receptus, it is as above given in our English Version.
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Christianity is a practical system: a system which looks first to the life of the individual and then to the life of society (Hebrews 13:1-7). True, indeed, it has its theory, as every system of doctrine must have, but the tendency of every element of this Divine scheme of philanthropy is to practically elevate, purify, and ennoble human nature. Having first washed away the sins of the believer, and filled his soul with the sweet influences of the Holy Spirit, it now requires and enables him to love his brethren; to be kind and hospitable to strangers; to sympathize with all who are in afflic¬tion ; to avoid all uncleanness and covetousness; and to place his whole trust and confidence in God, feeling perfectly sure that all things will work together for good to those who do so. In this respect it is without a parallel in all the religious and philosophical systems of earth and time. No other scheme of religion has, like it, been found adequate to expel the evil demons of the human soul, and to make men willing and even anxious to glorify God by doing good to all men as they have opportunity.
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It must not be forgotten, however, that the power of the Christian Religion consists primarily in the nature and character of its doctrine (Hebrews 13:8-16). It reveals to us Jehovah as a God of infinite justice, who will not allow even the slightest departure from his law to pass with impunity, but who is withal so full of love and compassion that he gave his own dear Son for the re¬demption of our race. It reveals to us this Son as being in the very image of his Father, and yet as laying aside his robes of glory, assuming our nature, voluntarily tasting death for every man, sending his good Spirit to convict sinners, comfort saints, and help their infirmities. These are the gracious media through which God operates on the human soul so as to destroy its selfishness, and elevate its aspirations from the things of earth to the things of heaven. How important it is, then, that we maintain the faith of the Gospel as it was once for all delivered to the saints.
Here, there should be no halting and no vacillating. In matters of opinion we may and we should bear and forbear with one another, as God in his infinite mercy bears with us. (Romans 14.) But faith is of a wholly different category. It admits of no compromise. Rob the Gospel, for instance, of the Divinity of Christ, or of the Scriptural doctrine of his atonement, and you at once rob it of its power to purify and govern the human soul. It is well then that “the heart be established with grace and not with meats.”
- Let us beware of trusting too much in outward forms and ordinances (Hebrews 13:10-12). Men have always been prone to do this. Many of the Jews never looked beyond the type to the glo¬rious realities of the antitype. They lived and died in vainly trying to satisfy their souls with the mere shadows of God’s grace; and consequently they never enjoyed even a foretaste of “the heavenly gift.” And just so it is still with many who profess to be followers of Christ. They glory in the so-called “sacraments” of the Chris¬tian religion, and talk much about “baptismal regeneration,” “the real presence,” and many other hallucinations that are equally vain and chimerical.
Hut though intent upon ordinances, they have never even tasted of the bread and water of life. The ordinances of God are of course not to be despised or neglected. They are all divinely appointed means to the attainment of a divinely appointed end. They are the media through which God jxnirs into our hearts the rich treasures of his grace, which alone can satisfy the soul. The Lord’s Supper, for example, is most admirably adapted to bring the soul into communion with Christ; but unless it really does so, and in this way makes us partakers of the bread of life, what does it profit? Baptism has also its advantages.
It is well calculated to give us a realizing sense of our changed state and relations. But unless by introducing us “into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” it brings us into contact with that blood which cleanses from all sin, it profits us nothing. “For as the body without the spirit is dead,” so the ordi¬nances of the Christian religion without its essence are dead also.
- Christians have been constituted a kingdom of priests to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God, and to serve as his ministers of mercy in doing good to all men (Hebrews 13:15-16). In this respect, as well as in everything else, we should as far as possible imitate Christ our Exemplar. We cannot, of course, like him, make an atonement for sin; but like him we can offer to God continually a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, and like him we can assist in doing good—in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, instructing the ignorant, and preaching the Gospel to the poor, many of whom are even now perishing in the region and shadow of death. Why, then, are we not all more diligent in the work of our high and holy calling? Why allow selfishness, or the spirit of party, or anything else, to interfere with our mission of love?
Christ did not do so. From his baptism to his cross he never wavered. The combined hosts of earth and hell did not and could not, in any instance, turn him aside, even for a moment, from the sublime object of his mis¬sion. And now that he sits on the throne of the universe, he is still the same, “yesterday, today, and forever”; always intent on the re¬demption of those for whom he died. O, that we all had the spirit and temper of Jesus; then, indeed, the world itself would soon be¬come a temple of his praise.
- How very near, dear, and interesting are the relations which the Pastors and other members of every Christian congregation sustain to each other (Hebrews 13:17). The former are held responsible for the souls of the latter; while the latter are held responsible for their demeanor towards the former. But where, alas, are these mutual obligations now practically acknowledged as they should be by either party? How few Pastors now go, like Paul, from house to house, and night and day with tears warn the people against the snares of the world, the flesh, and the devil? And on the other hand how few members of any congregation now submit, as they should, to the lawful authority of their Pastors and Teachers?
The fact is, that the law of Christ is now too much ignored and set aside by all parties; and as a consequence, there is an alarming want of submission to rightful authority, in the church and in the family, as well as in the state. Let all be taught to reverence God’s word and to bow to his authority; let parents so teach their chil¬dren in the nursery; let Preachers, Editors, and Teachers of all grades and classes so instruct the rising generation; and soon the happy consequences of this change will be felt in every department of society. Parents will then be made to rejoice in seeing that their children are walking in the ways of wisdom; and Pastors of churches will be comforted in the assurance that the members of their respective charges are being nourished amid the green pas¬tures and beside the still waters.
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Why do men pray so little? Do they really believe Christ when he says, “Everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened?” I fear they do not. If they did, there would surely not be so many prayerless individuals, prayerless families, and I may say comparatively prayerless churches. Did we all feel as Paul felt when he asked for the prayers of his brethren, that he might be restored to them the sooner (Hebrews 13:19), it does seem to me that every meeting house in the land would become in a much higher sense than it is “a house of prayer.”
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How pleasant and full of comfort is the assurance that God is with us to help us in all our lawful endeavors to serve him (Hebrews 13:20-21) ; that we in fact live in him, move in him, and have our being in him; and that while we are called on to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling God himself also at the same time works in us both to will and to do of his own good plea¬sure. “Let us then not grow weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9.) And now, dear reader, may “the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing to his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”