Hebrews 12


Hebrews 12:1

Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων, ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, δι’ ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα,

 


Hebrews 12:2

ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς ὑπέμεινεν σταυρὸν αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, ἐν δεξιᾷ τε τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ θεοῦ κεκάθικεν.

 

Hebrews 12:3

Ἀναλογίσασθε γὰρ τὸν τοιαύτην ὑπομεμενηκότα ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἀντιλογίαν, ἵνα μὴ κάμητε ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ἐκλυόμενοι.

 

Heb 12:4

οὔπω μέχρις αἵματος ἀντικατέστητε πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνταγωνιζόμενοι,

 

Heb 12:5

καὶ ἐκλέλησθε τῆς παρακλήσεως, ἥτις ὑμῖν ὡς υἱοῖς διαλέγεται, Υἱέ μου, μὴ ὀλιγώρει παιδείας κυρίου, μηδὲ ἐκλύου ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐλεγχόμενος·

 

Heb 12:6

ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ κύριος παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται.

 

Heb 12:7

εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε· ὡς υἱοῖς ὑμῖν προσφέρεται ὁ θεός· τίς γὰρ υἱὸς ὃν οὐ παιδεύει πατήρ;

 

Heb 12:8

εἰ δὲ χωρίς ἐστε παιδείας ἧς μέτοχοι γεγόνασι πάντες, ἄρα νόθοι καὶ οὐχ υἱοί ἐστε.

 

Heb 12:9

εἶτα τοὺς μὲν τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν πατέρας εἴχομεν παιδευτὰς καὶ ἐνετρεπόμεθα· οὐ πολὺ μᾶλλον ὑποταγησόμεθα τῷ πατρὶ τῶν πνευμάτων καὶ ζήσομεν;

 

Heb 12:10

οἱ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐπαίδευον, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ συμφέρον εἰς τὸ μεταλαβεῖν τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ.

 


Hebrews 12:11

πᾶσα δὲ παιδεία πρὸς μὲν τὸ παρὸν οὐ δοκεῖ χαρᾶς εἶναι ἀλλὰ λύπης, ὕστερον δὲ καρπὸν εἰρηνικὸν τοῖς δι’ αὐτῆς γεγυμνασμένοις ἀποδίδωσιν δικαιοσύνης.

But all childrearing for the present does not seem to be joy but grief; but later, the peaceable fruit to those who are being exercised by her, they see a return [which is] righteousness.  

Paraphrase:  Now I understand that the discipline which our heavenly Father gives us is not pleasant.  We would choose a different path for our life, but take another look at what God is doing.  We know that athletes put themselves through very difficult training routines.  They endure all kinds of hardship because they have their eye on the goal.  They are trying to make their bodies stronger, faster, more skilled, etc.  Now, you should see your suffering in the same way.  It’s a kind of training which brings a great return.  This kind of training brings a real, practical holiness of heart and life which leads us to rejoice because we have peace with God and with others. (Hebrews 12:14) 

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Hebrews 12:12

Διὸ τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε,

Wherefore, straighten up the exhausted hands and the weak knees.

Paraphrase:  So take courage; don’t give up the struggle.  Stand up on your feet and help others to stand up on their feet.  

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Hebrews 12:13

καὶ τροχιὰς ὀρθὰς ποιεῖτε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ χωλὸν ἐκτραπῇ, ἰαθῇ δὲ μᾶλλον.

and straight paths make for your feet in order that the lame might not be turned away but rather healed. 

Paraphrase:  Let’s roll up our sleeves, and do the work which God has called us to do.  Especially watch out for those who are wavering and perhaps even now thinking of returning to the Jewish religion. (Hebrews 3:12) We don’t want these weaker brethren to be deceived by false teachers; we would much rather see their questions resolved and to see them rooted and grounded in the teachings of Christ. (Ephesians 3:17)

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Hebrews 12:14

Εἰρήνην διώκετε μετὰ πάντων, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν κύριον,

Pursue peace with all persons and sanctification not without no one shall see the Lord.

Paraphrase:  Let’s all resolve together to do that which makes for peace (Romans 12:18; 14:19) in the household of God.  This is the way to real holiness and real sanctification.  I don’t need to remind you that without this kind of holiness in our lives, we have no reason to believe that we will see the Lord. (Psalm 93:5)

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Hebrews 12:15

ἐπισκοποῦντες μή τις ὑστερῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ, μή τις ῥίζα πικρίας ἄνω φύουσα ἐνοχλῇ καὶ δι’ αὐτῆς μιανθῶσιν πολλοί,

Watching not anyone falling away from the grace of God, not anyone a root of bitterness growing up many might be corrupted.

Paraphrase:  Therefore, each of you should be vigilant.  Don’t let anyone fall away from the covenant of grace in Christ (Hebrews 12:24) and return to the Jewish religion which is a covenant based on works.  Watch carefully that no bitterness and anger arise between brothers and sisters.  This happens way to quickly amongst those who should know better.  Look at how quickly weeds spring up in your gardens and fields.  In the same way, when some one plants a seed of bitterness, the roots of that plant grow downward and the fruit of that plant grows upwards.  The result is that people eat this fruit and are poisoned. (James 3:5)  The body of Christ begins to come apart, and believers begin to bite and devour each other like a bunch of savage animals. (Galatians 5:15)  Watch carefully for these weeds (Hosea 10:4) and strike them out before they do real damage.

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Hebrews 12:16

μή τις πόρνος ἢ βέβηλος ὡς Ἠσαῦ, ὃς ἀντὶ βρώσεως μιᾶς ἀπέδετο τὰ πρωτοτόκια ἑαυτοῦ.

not anyone an adulterer or profane as Esau who in place of one meal, gave away his birthright. 

Paraphrase:  Another thing to watch against is those who regard God’s standards loosely and don’t take God’s law seriously.  Usually, these persons are adulterers and disregard God’s command to remain sexually pure.  Another example is Esau who had so little regard for the things of God that he f0olishly gave away his right to the inheritance for a single bowl of stew. (Genesis 25:32)

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Hebrews 12:17

ἴστε γὰρ ὅτι καὶ μετέπειτα θέλων κληρονομῆσαι τὴν εὐλογίαν ἀπεδοκιμάσθη, μετανοίας γὰρ τόπον οὐχ εὗρεν, καίπερ μετὰ δακρύων ἐκζητήσας αὐτήν.

For you know that afterwards, desiring to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for a place of repentance, he did not find, even as with tears seeking her.

Paraphrase:  After he made this thoughtless tradeoff, he regretted it bitterly.  He went to Isaac still hoping to claim his inheritance, but he was turned away.  He bitterly regretted the rash and foolish decision he had made, but there was no going back.  He even begged and shed many tears trying to get Isaac to change his mind and grant him his birthright, but it was no use.

Comments:

There are several important decisions to make in this verse:

  1. Whose repentance is this, Isaac’s or Esau’s?  Stuart and Ebrard say Isaac.  The verse would then read: “When he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance [change of mind in Isaac], though he sought it [such change of mind] with tears;” source
  2. What is the antecedent of αὐτήν?  Grammatically, it could be either μετανοίας or εὐλογίαν.  Vaughn argues for εὐλογίαν in which case the text would read: “When he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected (for he found no place of repentance), though he sought it [the blessing] with tears.”  Owen says it makes no difference.  Ebrard calls this “utterly unnatural.”
  3. Is the μετανοίας here real gospel repentance or a simple change of mind?  and if the latter, why not the word μεταμέλεια?  See Trench for the different shades of meaning in these words.

Meyer’s comment on this verse is extremely interesting.

 


Hebrews 12:18

Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ψηλαφωμένῳ καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ καὶ γνόφῳ καὶ ζόφῳ καὶ θυέλλῃ

For you have not come to a physical [mountain], burning with fire, to darkness, to blackness, and to a windstorm.

Paraphrase:  Such sufferings are painful, and our struggle against sin never seems to improve.  Nevertheless, bear in mind that you are not alone in all this.  I have already related the heroic saints who have gone before us and all the sufferings which they endured. (Hebrews 11:4-40)  Many of these were tortured, mocked, flogged, chained up, imprisoned, stoned, sawed in two, put to death by the sword.  Others walked around with nothing more than a sheepskin or goatskin for clothing; they were completely destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.  They wandered about in deserts and mountains and hid in caves and holes in the ground. (Hebrews 11:35-38)  Now this is the great community in which you have now been included.  Think about it; we don’t come to Mount Sinai like the old covenant people of God.  We don’t come to a physical mountain that has terrifying jets of flame bursting out of it or a mountain that was covered over with a surreal kind of darkness and despair and was constantly being battered by blasts of wind. (Exodus 19:16)

Comments:

What is the connection of this with the previous?  Pink writes that the Jewish-Christians were tempted to return to Judaism by various temptations, one of them being “the afflictions and persecutions which fidelity to the Gospel entailed.” source  In this chapter, the author addresses this suffering.  It involved a struggle against sin (Hebrews 12:4), Fatherly discipline (Hebrews 12:7), limp hands and weak knees. (Hebrews 12:12)  Now the author points them to the new community of which they have been made members as a comfort for them in their sufferings.

 


Hebrews 12:19

καὶ σάλπιγγος ἤχῳ καὶ φωνῇ ῥημάτων, ἧς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρῃτήσαντο μὴ προστεθῆναι αὐτοῖς λόγον·

and the blast of a trumpet and a sound of words which those hearing begged not to add to them a word.

Paraphrase:  Remember as well the awful blast of the trumpet that caused all the people to tremble and quake with fear. (Exodus 19:19; 20:18)  Then came the very voice of God which was so terrible that no one could stand to hear it.  The people begged Moses to go and speak with God so they wouldn’t have to hear His voice any more.  “If we hear that voice again, we are all going to die,” they told Moses. (Exodus 20:19)

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Hebrews 12:20

οὐκ ἔφερον γὰρ τὸ διαστελλόμενον· Κἂν θηρίον θίγῃ τοῦ ὄρους, λιθοβοληθήσεται·

for they were not carrying the command, and if a beast might touch the mountain, it will be stoned.

Paraphrase:  They were not able to stand for a single moment before the perfect holiness of God almighty.  Even the animals, were not able to come into God’s presence as is clear from the command God gave His people that if any of their beasts even touched the mountain, they were to be immediately executed. (Exodus 19:13)

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Hebrews 12:21

καί, οὕτω φοβερὸν ἦν τὸ φανταζόμενον, Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν· Ἔκφοβός εἰμι καὶ ἔντρομος.

and in this manner, terrifying was the sight; Moses said, “I am terrified and tremble.”

Paraphrase:  Even the man Moses, so marked for his holiness (Numbers 12:3) was struck with horror at what he saw.  The sight of God’s presence on the mountain made him shake and tremble with fear.

Comments:

Ἔκφοβός and ἔντρομος are predicate adjectives.

Owen notes that Moses was the one who usually received the revelations from God for Israel.  He was accustomed to this.  Thus, he was “the mediator between God and the people, at that time. Yet could none of these privileges exempt him from an amazing sense of the terror of the Lord in giving the law. And if with all these advantages he could not bear it, much less can any other man so do. The mediator himself of the old covenant was not able to sustain the dread and terror of the law: how desperate then are their hopes who would yet be saved by Moses! source

 


Hebrews 12:22

ἀλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων,

but you are come to Zion, the mountain and city of the living God, the Jerusalem above, and myriads of angels, 

Paraphrase:  But now a change has come.  Now, we draw near to God with joy and confidence.  When you put your trust in Jesus, you enter into the city of God.  You come to His holy Mountain which is the Jerusalem which we call the heavenly Jerusalem.  You come to a massive, heavenly festival where thousands upon tens of thousands of angels… 

Comments:

The αλλα here stretches back to the προσεληλύθατε of v18.

 


Hebrews 12:23

πανηγύρει καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ κριτῇ θεῷ πάντων, καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τετελειωμένων,

to a festival and to the church of the first born who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous, who are being made perfect.

Paraphrase:  …are gathered for a celebration of our Great God, the Judge and Creator of everything.  You come to the church, where every member is the firstborn and has a right to the inheritance (Exodus 4:22),  and your name has been registered in the rolls of the citizens of heaven.  Even while you remain on this earth, you are joined into one community with the souls of those saints who have gone to glory and have been made entirely perfect, purified of everything that defiles. (Revelation 21:27)  

Comments:

Stuart has quite a different understanding of ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων; see the very bottom here.  My own understanding is that Christ is the firstborn (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15, 18; Revelation 1:5) and that all who are united to Him share in that privilege.  Howe writes (p373):

They are of the ἐκκλησία πρωτοτόκων—“the church of the first-born written in heaven,” (Hebrews 12:23) i.e., the church of the first-born ones; that is, all composed and made up of such; (as that expression signifies;) first-born, in a true (though not the most eminent) sense. Being sons by the first, i.e. the prime and more excellent sort of birth, in respect whereof they are said to be begotten again (James 1:18) by the word of truth, they should be a kind of first-fruits of the creatures of God. And this two-fold dignity is the privilege of their birthright, as anciently it was. Are you devoted to God? Have you dedicated yourselves? Hereby you are arrived to this dignity. For in the above-mentioned place (Hebrews 12) it is said, “Ye are come:” you are actually, already, adjoined to that church, and are the real present members of that holy community; for you are related and united to him of whom the family in heaven and earth is named; (Ephesians 3) are of the household, and the sons of God, his, under that peculiar notion, when you have dedicated yourselves to him.

 


Hebrews 12:24

καὶ διαθήκης νέας μεσίτῃ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἅβελ.

and to the Mediator of a new covenant, Jesus and the blood of sprinkling, speaking better things than that of Abel.

Paraphrase:  Furthermore, we come to a new Mediator.  Moses was our old mediator, but he trembled and shook with fear when God came down on the mountain.  Jesus, however, is the Mediator of a new and better covenant.  This covenant does not require our perfect obedience; it does not bring us under the law (2 Corinthians 3:7), but it brings us into union with Christ.  His death on the cross and the pouring out of His blood takes away our sin.  It’s as if we are coming under the sprinkling of the water of purification. (Numbers 19:13)  This covenant preaches to us that we are cleansed and therefore welcome into God’s presence again.  There’s no place for fear or trembling here.  Remember that Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance, but not Jesus’ blood.  His blood is an atonement which takes away our guilt. (Leviticus 4:35)  Jesus’ blood cries out for forgiveness and reconciliation.  It brings God to speak tenderly to Jerusalem and to proclaim to her that her sin has been paid for. (Isaiah 40:2).  

Comments:

blood = death

 


Hebrews 12:25

Βλέπετε μὴ παραιτήσησθε τὸν λαλοῦντα· εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἐξέφυγον ἐπὶ γῆς παραιτησάμενοι τὸν χρηματίζοντα, πολὺ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς οἱ τὸν ἀπ’ οὐρανῶν ἀποστρεφόμενοι·

See that you do not refuse the One who is speaking; for if these did not escape on earth refusing the one bringing a divine message, much rather we, the ones turning away from the One from the heavens.

Paraphrase:  Now dear friends, I urge you to listen carefully to Jesus.  Don’t dismiss Him; don’t turn a deaf ear to His calling.  Let me take you back to mount Sinai again. (Hebrews 12:18)  Moses brought God’s people the ten words from God (Exodus 20:1-17), but only a few chapters later, we read of Israel’s blatant disregard for what God had commanded them. (Exodus 32:1; Acts 7:39)  Then, we read of God’s awful judgments coming down on them.  3000 were killed by the sword of the Levites (Exodus 32:27-28); after which, God sent a plague which killed more of this idolatrous people. (Exodus 32:35)  Now if God punished His people so severely for disregarding a mere earthly messenger like Moses, how much more severely will He punish those who disregard the Messenger who comes from heaven itself? (John 3:2)

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Hebrews 12:26

οὗ ἡ φωνὴ τὴν γῆν ἐσάλευσεν τότε, νῦν δὲ ἐπήγγελται λέγων· Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν.

Whose voice shook the earth at that time, but now promises saying, “Still, once for all, I shake not only the earth but even the heaven.”

Paraphrase:  Now we know that when Israel stood before mount Sinai, God’s voice shook the entire land. (Exodus 19:18-19)  This was surely an unforgettable day for God’s people when they saw this, but what a far greater day it will be when God comes again to shake, not just mount Sinai, but the entire universe.  This is what God promised the prophet Haggai: 

Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people saying, ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?  But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the LORD of hosts.  ‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’  “For thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.  I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts.  The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the LORD of hosts.  ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:2-9)

Comments:

 


Hebrews 12:27

τὸ δὲ Ἔτι ἅπαξ δηλοῖ τῶν σαλευομένων μετάθεσιν ὡς πεποιημένων, ἵνα μείνῃ τὰ μὴ σαλευόμενα.

Now the “Still, once for all” makes clear the removal of those things being shaken as having been made in order that the things not being shaken might remain.

Paraphrase:  What is this promise which God made to Haggai?  Well the operative words here are “still once for all” in v6.  These words teach us that there is a new dispensation coming which is permanent.  This new order of things will become manifest when God shakes the earth of which Haggai was speaking.  When God does this shaking, two things will happen.  First, those things which are temporary and are not established on a permanent footing will be taken away.  God’s shaking will cause them to fall away.  Second, those things which cannot be shaken, in other words, those things which are established on a permanent footing, will remain.  Now what are these temporary things which God’s shaking will remove?  This is the old covenant which God made with Israel through His servant, Moses.  God’s shaking will cause this dispensation to fade away and disappear. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-13; 10:1-18)  In fact, the very purpose of this old dispensation was to prepare the way for the new dispensation which is Christ and the covenant of grace established by Him. (Galatians 3:22-26)

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Hebrews 12:28

διὸ βασιλείαν ἀσάλευτον παραλαμβάνοντες ἔχωμεν χάριν, δι’ ἧς λατρεύωμεν εὐαρέστως τῷ θεῷ μετὰ εὐλαβείας καὶ δέους,

 


Hebrews 12:29

καὶ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν πῦρ καταναλίσκον.

 

 

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