C h a p t e r T h r e e
ἅγιος [hagios /hag·ee·os/] (holy) v1
This word means everything holy is supposed to mean. It means sacred, pure, blameless, religious, saintly and consecrated or set apart. The author is talking to his adelphos or brothers who are set apart to God.
Note: This is a term that was a very prestigious title and the author is aware of this fact. The author is fully aware also that he is about to attack Moses' high and exalted position so he is handling his Jewish readers with kid gloves. The author adds a qualifying statement to distinguish OT saints from NT believers "share in the heavenly calling". Share in this verse is the same word translated “companions” in 1:9. It means "someone who shares with somebody else towards the accomplishment of a goal".
κατανοέω [katanoeo /kat·an·o·eh·o/] (fix your thoughts) v1
Means literally to bring your mind along side of. This is a very strong word. It is a call to a conscious act of complete study. The author is calling his brothers to a decision. He wants them to study Jesus until they are able to as Moulton (a famous translator) said "master the mystery."
ἀπόστολος [apostolos /ap·os·tol·os/] (apostle) v1
This word, meaning messenger, comes from the verb apostello, which was used of Moses in the LXX when God was commissioning him. It is also used often in the NT of God sending Jesus on his commission (Luke 10:16; John 3:17; 5:36; 6:29). Jesus is called an apostle here because the author intends to draw some comparisons between Jesus and the Jews "highest" apostle, Moses.
Time Out – Septua-wha? LXX? An explanation is in order.
Through his conquests, Alexander spread and firmly rooted Greek culture and language throughout the eastern world. The Hellenized cities attracted large Jewish communities. In time, there came to be about a million Jews in Egypt, with another two or three million in Greek speaking regions such as Syria, Asia Minor, Libya, Greece, and Rome. Greek thought and values affected Jewish members of these communities, and many lost their ability to speak the Aramaic of their homeland. Their need of a Greek version of the Old Testament led Ptolemy II of Philadelphius (285–246 b.c.) to sponsor the translation known as the Septuagint. This made the Old Testament available not only to Jews but also to the general population. A number of Jewish Hellenists (Jews who adopted aspects of Greek culture) even attempted to show that the nobler visions of Greek philosophers had their source in the Jewish Scriptures.
The availability of the Old Testament in Greek and the efforts of Jewish apologists had an impact. One Jewish Hellenist, Philo (20 b.c.-40 a.d.), rejoiced because the laws of Moses “attract and win the attention of all, of barbarians, of Greeks, of dwellers on the mainland, of nations of the East and West, of Europe and Asia, and of the whole inhabited world from end to end.” How striking this is, in view of the fact that the Book of Acts reveals that most churches founded by Paul had a core not of Jewish believers, but of Gentiles who had already been attracted to the synagogue and the purity of Old Testament faith.
In two ways, then, Alexander’s Hellenization of the eastern world prepared for the Christian message: (1) it provided a common tongue, Greek, in which the Gospel could be preached and spread abroad, and (2) through the activities of Hellenistic Jews, Gentiles were attracted to the Old Testament’s vision of God, and were thus readied to become the believing core of local churches everywhere. [1]
[1]Richards, L. (1991). The Bible reader's companion. Includes index. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.
Note: The writer is pointing our in these verses (1, 2) the faithfulness of Moses in the "house" and also the faithfulness of Jesus in the house. The houses in these verses are God's church OT or tabernacle style with Moses and NT style with Jesus. Again the writer is approaching his reader’s with kid gloves. He knows how much Moses is liked and revered. This is why he calls them both faithful, Moses faithful as a servant and Jesus faithful as the builder of his own house. God himself testifies to Moses faithfulness….
"But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house." (Numbers 12:7, NIV) [1]
Having been kind in vs1 & 2 the author now makes the bold assertion that Jesus is due more honor as the builder of the house, then Moses who was figuratively the OT house.
θεράπων [therapon /ther·ap·ohn/] (servant) v5
Not doulous which is translated bond slave, as in: "Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16, NIV) 1
or
"”‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’" (Luke 19:17, NIV) 1
but therapon which was used in the LXX for angels and prophets. It is a servant with a higher calling. It is a word used for a doctor’s service, it has an ethically high character attached to it. It speaks of God’s and Moses’ close relationship.
Verse 6 introduces our first flight into a theme we will consider more thoroughly in Chapter 6. The author keeping in mind his reader’s, some saved, some really struggling to turn from Judaism and accept their Messiah, he introduces a test they can use to measure to see whose “house” they belong to.
ἐάν [ean /eh·an/] if v6
A conjunction offering an unfulfilled, hypothetical, future condition. If the reader holds onto his confession of faith in Jesus till the end, it is prove of his salvation. The question here is not retention of salvation it is possession of it.
This verse must be understood in the light of its historical background and context The purpose of the writing of the Epistle to the Hebrews was to meet a certain condition in the first century. It was to reach Jews who had outwardly left the temple sacrifices, had identified themselves with the visible Christian Church, had made a profession of Messiah as High Priest, and who were at the time suffering persecution from apostate Judaism in an effort to force them to renounce their professed faith in Messiah and return to the First Testament sacrifices. Now—if under the pressure of this persecution they should hold fast their confidence and rejoicing of their hope in Messiah to the end of their lives, that would show that they were saved, and if not, that would indicate that they had never been saved. This verse therefore cannot be made to refer in a secondary application to the present day, since the conditions in the first century which the verse was written to meet, do not pertain today.[1]
[1]Wuest, K. S. (1997, c1984). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English reader (Heb 3:6). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
κατέχω [katecho /kat·ekh·o/] (hold fast) v6
This is the same word used in sailing circles for holding the course. Luke uses it in Acts 27:40 for holding the storm tossed ship on course towards shore.
EXPANDED TRANSLATION VERSES 1-6
Wherefore, brethren, set-apart ones for God and His service, participants in the [effectual] summons from heaven [into salvation], consider attentively and thoughtfully the Ambassador and High Priest of our confession, Jesus, who is faithful to the One who appointed Him, as also Moses was in his whole house. For this One was counted worthy of more glory than Moses by so much as he who built it has more honor than the house, for every house is built and completely furnished by someone. But the one who built and completely furnished all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a ministering servant holding a position of dignity and confidence, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after his time; but Messiah as Son over His house; whose house are we if we hold fast the courageous, fearless confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. [2]
Note: The author having made his point of the superiority of Jesus to Moses, he again is carrying on his subject of Jesus' superiority to every aspect of the Old Covenant. In the rest of the verses in Chapter 3, the author again warns his readers. In verse 7 we have the first word of the warning "Therefore" in verse 12 we have the warning "See to it, brothers...” In between "therefore" and the "see to it brothers” we have the scriptural enforcement of the latest parenthetical warning.
πειράζω [peirazo /pi·rad·zo/] (tested) v8, v9
This word means, "to put to the test for the purpose of seeing what good or evil is in the person being tested.
δοκιμάζω [dokimazo /dok·im·ad·zo/] (tried) v9
Means "to put someone to the test for the purpose of approving that person., only if he meets the test.
Note: Verses 7 through 11 relate to the Israelites at Meribah and Massah, putting God to the test. (Ex 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13) Their aim, according to the words used, is to see what good or evil is in God, and to believe God, only if he passes their test. No wonder God was ticked. And on top of this they did this for forty years. So God is completely justified in feeling the way he feels in verse 10, which is pretty angry as we are going to discover.
προσοχθίζω [prosochthizo /pros·okh·thid·zo/] (angry) v10
Actually God was a little more than angry. This word means to loathe, be disgusted, to spew or spit out, to exclude, reject, abhor, repudiate. God was angry.
πλανάω [planao /plan·ah·o/] (astray) v10
This means to be led astray or to be lead away from the right path. This verb is in the passive voice, just like a bunch of mindless sheep being led. The Hebrew literally says they were a people of “wandering hearts".
ὀμνύω [omnuo /om·noo·o/] (declared) v11
This word means more than declare an oath, this means to threaten with an oath. Because of Israel's hardness, God was now swearing an oath and at the same time threatening them with the fact of not entering his rest.
κατάπαυσις [katapausis /kat·ap·ow·sis/] (rest) v11
This is a compound word from the verb pauo, meaning to cease or desist and kata a prefix in this case meaning down, with a sense of permanency. It means a permanent cessation of activity. This would have been welcomed to the nation of Israel that had known nothing but slavery and unrest for the last 430 years. But because of their hardness of heart, it was not to be.
βλέπω [blepo /blep·o/] (see to it) v12
A present imperative verb, this is a verb that sounds like a trumpet blast to call the reader to an action that is a continuing one. The word means, "be seeing to it constantly, keep a watchful eye always open.
πονηρός [poneros /pon·ay·ros/] (sinful) v12
This is more than sinful. This is evil. This is not the abstract word for evil (kakos, 1 Tim 6:10), where love of money is the root of all sorts of evil. This is evil in direct confrontation with good. This is the same word used of Satan when he is called the evil one.
The evil being spoken of here is the evil of an unbelieving heart. Not a heart where unbelief is present, but an unbelieving heart, the first could be true of a Christian, but definitely not the second. The author is issuing a warning alerting believers to this condition of the heart.
ἀφίστημι [aphistemi /af·is·tay·mee/] (turns away) v12
This is a neat word and also very descriptive. It is a compound from apo meaning off and histemi meaning to stand. This is the exact position that some of these Hebrews were assuming. They were standing aloof from God. Our English word apostasy comes from this word's root. The word apostasy is defined as a renunciation of a religious faith, or an abandonment of a previous loyalty, defection.
Note: Remember the sins that we are talking about are a hardening of heart and unbelief. When they take hold of a person together, they cause apostasy of supposed believers in the worst case, and backsliding of believers in a milder case. In verse 13 the author gives believers a specific responsibility.
παρακαλέω [parakaleo /par·ak·al·eh·o/] (encourage) v13
This is a very intense verb. It is a compound of the milder kaleo meaning to call and para. An intensifier that when attached to this verb gives it a meaning of begging, entreating, beseeching. It also means, to call urgently or exhort. This is also the word that Paraklete, "the Comforter" as the Holy Spirit is called in John 14:26, is derived from.
ἀπάτη [apate /ap·at·ay/] (deceitfulness) v13
This word talks about the tricks sin plays on our minds to make us think the sin is worth doing. It means to trick, to plot to do evil, a deception, a delusion, to deceive or fool, to seduce into error. These are the strategies or the plans of attack that sin uses.
γίνομαι [ginomai /ghin·om·ahee/] (we have come) v14
This is the perfect tense of the verb ginomai or become. The perfect speaks of a past action with continuing present results. The translation is "We have come to share in Christ" with the present result that we are sharers with him if we do the rest of what this verse says. Again we are not talking about retention of salvation based upon a persistence of faith, we are talking about the possession of salvation evidenced by a continuation of faith. The author is calling the readers to an examination of himself or herself. Not the fact that they have or have not retained their salvation, but whether or not they ever really possessed it.
ἀπιστία [apistia /ap·is·tee·ah/] (unbelief) v19
This word is a translation of the common New Testament word for faith with an alpha prefix that negates it. So we see Israel's sin which locked them out was a lack of faith. Literally un-faith. But because the children of Israel blew it, we have an opportunity to enter this "rest" of God's.
EXPANDED TRANSLATION VERSES 7 – 19
Wherefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if His voice you will hear, do not go on hardening your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of the putting to the test in the wilderness, when your fathers put me on trial [and] when they put me to the test for the purpose of approving me should I meet the test, and saw my works forty years. Because of this I was angry with this generation, and I said, Always are they being led astray in their heart. And they themselves did not have an experiential knowledge of my paths. In conformity with which fact I placed myself under oath in my anger. They shall not enter my rest.
Take heed constantly, brethren, lest there be in any one of you a heart perniciously evil with unbelief in standing aloof from the living God, but be constantly exhorting one another daily, so long as the aforementioned Today is being announced, lest any of you be hardened through the stratagem of this sin; for we have become participators of Messiah and as a present result are participators of Him, [and that is shown] if we hold the beginning of our assured expectation steadfast to the end.
While it is being said, Today, if His voice you will hear, stop hardening your hearts as in the rebellion. For who, having heard, rebelled? But was it not all who came out of Egypt through the aid of Moses? But with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they should not enter into His rest but to those who were nonpersuasible? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. [2]
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[2]Wuest, K. S. (1997, c1961). The New Testament : An expanded translation. First published in 3 vols., 1956-59, under title: Expanded translation of the Greek New Testament. (Heb 3:1). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[3]Wuest, K. S. (1997, c1961). The New Testament : An expanded translation. First published in 3 vols., 1956-59, under title: Expanded translation of the Greek New Testament. (Heb 3:7). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
