Hebrews 2
2
Exhortation to Faithfulness.#The author now makes a transition into exhortation, using an a fortiori argument (as at Heb 7:21–22; 9:13–14; 10:28–29; 12:25). The word announced through angels (Heb 2:2), the Mosaic law, is contrasted with the more powerful word that Christians have received (Heb 2:3–4). Christ’s supremacy strengthens Christians against being carried away from their faith. 1Therefore, we must attend all the more to what we have heard, so that we may not be carried away. 2For if the word announced through angels proved firm, and every transgression and disobedience received its just recompense,#Acts 7:38, 53; Gal 3:19. 3how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? Announced originally through the Lord, it was confirmed for us by those who had heard.#10:29; 12:25. 4God added his testimony by signs, wonders, various acts of power, and distribution of the gifts of the holy Spirit according to his will.#Mk 16:20; Acts 14:3; 19:11.
Exaltation Through Abasement.#The humanity and the suffering of Jesus do not constitute a valid reason for relinquishing the Christian faith. Ps 8:6–7 is also applied to Jesus in 1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22; and probably 1 Pt 3:22. This christological interpretation, therefore, probably reflects a common early Christian tradition, which may have originated in the expression the son of man (Heb 2:6). The psalm contrasts God’s greatness with man’s relative insignificance but also stresses the superiority of man to the rest of creation, of which he is lord. Hebrews applies this christologically: Jesus lived a truly human existence, lower than the angels, in the days of his earthly life, particularly in his suffering and death; now, crowned with glory and honor, he is raised above all creation. The author considers all things as already subject to him because of his exaltation (Heb 2:8–9), though we do not see this yet. The reference to Jesus as leader (Heb 2:10) sounds the first note of an important leitmotif in Hebrews: the journey of the people of God to the sabbath rest (Heb 4:9), the heavenly sanctuary, following Jesus, their “forerunner” (Heb 6:20). It was fitting that God should make him perfect through suffering, consecrated by obedient suffering. Because he is perfected as high priest, Jesus is then able to consecrate his people (Heb 2:11); access to God is made possible by each of these two consecrations. If Jesus is able to help human beings, it is because he has become one of us; we are his “brothers.” The author then cites three Old Testament texts as proofs of this unity between ourselves and the Son. Ps 22:23 is interpreted so as to make Jesus the singer of this lament, which ends with joyful praise of the Lord in the assembly of “brothers.” The other two texts are from Is 8:17, 18. The first of these seems intended to display in Jesus an example of the trust in God that his followers should emulate. The second curiously calls these followers “children”; probably this is to be understood to mean children of Adam, but the point is our solidarity with Jesus. By sharing human nature, including the ban of death, Jesus broke the power of the devil over death (Heb 2:14); the author shares the view of Hellenistic Judaism that death was not intended by God and that it had been introduced into the world by the devil. The fear of death (Heb 2:15) is a religious fear based on the false conception that death marks the end of a person’s relations with God (cf. Ps 115:17–18; Is 38:18). Jesus deliberately allied himself with the descendants of Abraham (Heb 2:16) in order to be a merciful and faithful high priest. This is the first appearance of the central theme of Hebrews, Jesus the great high priest expiating the sins of the people (Heb 2:17), as one who experienced the same tests as they (Heb 2:18). 5For it was not to angels that he subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6Instead, someone has testified somewhere:
“What is man that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man that you care for him?#Ps 8:5–7.
7You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor,
8subjecting all things under his feet.”
In “subjecting” all things [to him], he left nothing not “subject to him.” Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,”#Mt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:25–28; Eph 1:20–23; Phil 3:21; 1 Pt 3:22. 9but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death, he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.#Phil 2:6–11.
10For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.#12:2; Is 53:4 / Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6. 11He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers,” 12saying:
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you”;#Ps 22:23.
13and again:
“I will put my trust in him”;
and again:
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”#Is 8:17, 18.
14Now since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,#Is 25:8; Hos 13:14; Jn 12:31; Rom 6:9; 1 Cor 15:54–55; 2 Tm 1:10; Rev 12:10. 15and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. 16Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; 17therefore, he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people.#4:15; 5:1–3. 18Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Hebrews 2
2
Warning Not to Neglect Salvation
1 Because of this, it is all the more necessary that we pay attention to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2For if the word spoken through angels was binding and every transgression and act of disobedience received a just penalty, 3how will we escape if we#*Here “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“neglect”) which is understood as conditional neglect so great a salvation which had its beginning when it#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal infinitive (“was spoken”) was spoken through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4while#*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was testifying at the same time”) God was testifying at the same time by signs and wonders and various miracles and distributions of the Holy Spirit according to his will.
The Son’s Humiliation and Suffering
5For he did not subject to angels the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6But someone testified somewhere, saying,
“What is man, that you remember him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7You made him for a short time lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor;#Several important manuscripts add “and placed him over the works of your hands” to the end of v. 7
8you subjected all things under his feet.#A quotation from Ps 8:4–6
For in subjecting all things,#Some manuscripts have “subjecting all things to him” he left nothing that was not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him, 9but we see Jesus, for a short time made lower than the angels, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that apart from God#Some manuscripts have “so that by the grace of God” he might taste death on behalf of everyone. 10For it was fitting for him for whom are all things and through whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to perfect the originator of their salvation through sufferings. 11For both the one who sanctifies and the ones who are sanctified are all from one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12saying,
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the assembly I will sing in praise of you.”#A quotation from Ps 22:22
13And again,
“I will trust in him.”#A quotation from Isa 8:17
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”#A quotation from Isa 8:18
14Therefore, since the children share in blood and flesh, he also in like manner shared in these same things, in order that through death he could destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and could set free these who through fear of death were subject to slavery throughout all their lives. 16For surely he is not concerned with angels, but he is concerned with the descendants of Abraham. 17Therefore he was obligated to be made like his brothers in all respects, in order that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things relating to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. 18For in that which he himself suffered when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was tempted”) which is understood as temporal was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
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